Prague, Czech Republic: The City of Beer

You may be as surprised as I was to hear this, but Czech Republic is the #1 country for beer consumption in the world on a per person basis. The average consumption per person (including children and babies) is 143 liter per year. Given most children and babies aren’t drinking- that means other people are drinking quite a bit more.

In fact, one piece of advice we received from a local was if beer costs more than water at a restaurant, it is a tourist trap and not to go. (If you don’t know, you have to pay for water almost everywhere in Europe.) Check the end of this post to see some of the unique bars we found.

Czech Republic has a very volatile current history. The country was referred to as Czechoslovakia until 1993. It was during this year that Czech Republic and Slovakia split to become two separate countries.

Up until 1989 it was under Communist rule. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, student protestors took to the streets to protest. A few days later there were 300,000 protestors in the streets and the Communist powers resigned.

The Communist party ruled the country from 1948-1989. During that time there were government spy’s everywhere and peoples houses were bugged.

You know how in some cultures after you cheers you tap your glass on the counter before taking a drink? Well they would do that here during this time- and if someone did not tap their glass on the counter it was a sign that they knew a spy was in their presence. If that was the case everyone would make a point not to discus politics or religion.

Outside of waiting hours to buy something as simple as a loaf of bread, peoples lives were turned upside down. The rich became poor after their nice houses were given away and they were forced to live in the countryside. Tradesmen became heads of companies and educated people were forced to do work like cleaning the streets or picking up trash. This is a small dose of what life was like under Communist rule. Needless to say, things are much better here today.

There was the largest statue of Joseph Stalin outside of Russia built in Prague on top of a hill. It was blown up and a 75 foot metronome was built in its place. It continually ticks back and forth to represent time continuing after Communism.

If you hike up the hill and continue walking, you will come to Letná Park.

There are tons of skateboarders, runners, picnickers, and bikers all around. We stopped at this incredible beer garden looking over a beautiful view of the city.

I mean look at this view!

Another top attraction on the river is the John Lennon wall. Students began drawing lyrics and graffiti inspired by the Beatles on the wall in 1980. They would use the wall as an outlet for their grievances.

This of course angered the Communist party and there was a clash on Charles Bridge. The original picture of John Lennon is covered under layers of spray paint. The wall is supposed to stand for love and peace.

Speaking of Charles Bridge, you should definitely make sure to walk across this if you go to Prague. The bridge is lined with beautiful statues up high and tons of vendors and street performers along the way.

The bridge was built in the 1400’s and there is a ton of history about this bridge. In 1621 there was a revolt which resulted in 27 people being executed. Some of their heads were hung on the bridge for the next 10 years to remind people the danger of the resistance.

There are some great views of the city. You can see the river is full of paddle boats where you can buy a few beers and head out on the water for the day.

Like most of the cities we’ve visited, Prague has a historic Old Town Square.

At one end is the Astronomical Clock Tower which was built in 1410.

You can head up to the top floor to get some amazing views of the city.

We also visited Prague’s Castle which is right across the river from the main city center. We bought a pass to go in several of the attractions in this castle village. The castle itself wasn’t as impressive as some others we’ve seen.

The furniture was all removed and the building was actually pretty plain. They did have some neat rooms that showed some family crests on the ceiling.

They also had a pretty impressive church right next to the palace.

It has some of the most beautiful stain glass windows inside.

My favorite part of the whole experience was a small area called Golden Lane. You walk down a street that was originally built in the 16th century and get an idea of how people lived back them. They have rooms set up that you can walk in and see the setup of bedrooms, shops, doctors offices, and theaters.

Like many of these posts, I want to end with the best: food and drinks! So given we wanted to fit in with the locals, we spent a lot of time going out and drinking beer 🙂 Here were some of our favorite spot.

U Pivrnce is an incredibly colorful place with inappropriate cartoons everywhere and the walls are covered from people drawing on the walls.

We attempted writing our last name on the wall if you can make it out.

Pizza & Pasta Break looks like a regular Italian restaurant from the outside.

If you go downstairs though you are suddenly in a dungeon with animal fur on the wooden benches and candlelight.

Restaurant Konvikt was a traditional Czech style bar that reminded me of a place you would see on Germany.

The bar was old with large picnic tables everywhere. This was a great place to have the traditional beer of Czech Republic: Pilsner Urquell.

A big shout out to our amazing tour guide, Ben, with White Umbrella Company! We would have never found many of these amazing places without him. If you find yourself in Prague I would highly recommend checking out their tours.

Anonymous Bar was definitely a new experience for both of us. The bartenders wear masks and perform bar tricks.

If you ask for the “key shot” you will be given a shot and a mini light. When you use the mini light on your menu, new secret drinks are visible. You can order drinks that come in a bird cage or a soccer ball.

Restaurace U Dvou Panu was a spot we were super happy to stumble upon.

This place is outside the main city area, closer to the Lennon Wall. They had home cooked traditional dishes and of course, cheap beer!

Of course we had to get the Wiener Schnitzel.

And lastly, you have to try Trdelnik while you are here! These mini cakes are cooked on a rotating medal rod and can be filled with all sorts of things. You will see the stands everywhere selling them.

To end off, I need to give a shoutout to my cousin, Hannah. Without all her great advice we would have missed several great highlights!