České Budějovice & Budweiser Budvar

 

A tour of the Budweiser Budvar brewery on Sunday 23 November 2026 was a highlight of our brief stay in České Budějovice. The brewery is situated over 2km north of the city centre and we arrived on one of the local trolleybus services after checking in to our accommodation, having travelled south from Prague by train that morning.

The visitor centre, next to the corner office building, has a wide hallway with displays, a small bar area and steps up to a store and ticket desk. After paying for our prebooked tour tickets we would soon put on hi-vis tabards and join a small group for an afternoon tour.

Before leaving the visitor centre, our English-speaking guide gave an introductory talk in a room with a classic motor brewer's dray loaded with wooden beer barrels.

Outside we passed large water tanks that store the brewery's water pumped up from artesian wells 300 metres below ground and stacks of pallets with cartons of bottled beer waiting for collection.

Further along the large brewery site, we entered the building housing the brewery and climbed many stairs to reach a viewing balcony that overlooks the magnificent copper coated vessels.

Back at ground level, we entered an older building with flagstone flooring which is kept cold all year round for the beer to ferment and mature in an array of horizontal lagering tanks.  A solitary worker kindly filled a tray of glasses direct from a tank so that we could enjoy the taste of fresh unfiltered Budweiser Budvar Original. The bar counter had bottles filled with malted barley and hops that were passed around the group.

Originally, wooden tanks were used for maturation like one on display which we passed before crossing a bridge over the brewery's railway siding to reach the bottling plant which includes a section for tunnel pasteurisation. None of the three bottling lines was working on a Sunday.

For a more comprehensive description of the brewery tour, Ed Wray's 2023 post for Ed's Beer Site is recommended.

České Budějovice 

České Budějovice has been selected as one of three European Capitals of Culture for 2028. 

Přemysl Otakar II. Square (Czech: Náměstí Přemysla Otakara II.), at the heart of the city, is the second largest square-shaped plaza in the Czechia. The historic Samson fountain in the centre of the square is partly obscured by the temporary Christmas market structures in the photo above taken on the Sunday we arrived.

In 2025 Google did not have details of bus stops or timings within the city but an independently sourced trolley bus map and the local transport website - DPMCB - proved useful for getting around. 

Free bus transport is provided for people aged 70+ with a national identity document.

Establishments serving beer in České Budějovice

Tim at Hostinec U Černého koníčka

During our short stay we entered six bars / restaurants and enjoyed beers in five of them. A brief mention of each is given below in order of distance from the Samson fountain - closest first.

Singer Pub

The Singer Pub at Česká 55 opens at 5pm daily and is popular with young people. 

The long room with a vaulted ceiling is dimly lit by several scary light fittings and there is a games room at the back.

Some tables are old fashioned Singer treadle sewing machine stands.

There is a tall list of drinks above the left side of the long bar opposite the courtyard entrance to the Singer pub. 

This was a good opportunity to drink Budweiser Budvar Original brewed 2km away! A 50cl measure cost 64 Kč (approx £2.35).

Restaurace Potrefená husa

A visit to the České Budějovice branch of the Prague-based Potrefená husa chain was one way to find a meal quite late on Sunday evening but predictably it was something of a disappointment despite friendly service. 

From the limited beer menu we enjoyed Staropramen Unfiltered brewed with 'wheat malt and finest hops that meet a touch of coriander'. The 0.38cl glass cost 64 Kč (approx £2.35). Tim chose a dish from the 'Traditional meals' section of the menu - Beef with cranberries, cream sauce and bread dumplings. Music playing here included Todd Rundgren and Fleetwood Mac.

Restaurace Naše Farma

We stayed in an apartment at Residence U Černé věže, U Černé věže 17 and Restaurace Naše Farma, is accessed from Pasáž U Věže, a gated pedestrian side passage for this building. We paid a brief visit to the restaurant for a lunch of soup, bread and beer two days after our arrival, before heading to the station for the train to Prague. The beer mats show BISON Hluboká u Borovan. There is a Safari resort at Hluboká u Borovan with Bisons and a Bistro Naše Farma under the same ownership. The Untappd App shows a Bison micro brewery with no address details and the beers served here: Bison Světlý (Pilsner) and Polotmavý (Amber / red lager 5.3% ABV). It's possible that these beers are produced there or elsewhere under contract?

WORK IN PROGRESS - More material will be added here about beers and bars visited in Ceske Budejovice subsequently.

Český Krumlov

A day trip from České Budějovice to Český Krumlov by train on Monday 24 November 2026 was an interesting excursion in South Bohemia. 

It brought us quite close to the Czech border with Austria.

The small local train takes 45 minutes to cover the 31km single track route which wends its way through forests in the rolling countryside after crossing the river Vitava. 

There are several stops at small stations and halts along the route. One station had a timber yard.

Arriving at Český Krumlov, we passed Hostinec Slepá kolej after leaving the train. It was too early for a beer so we resolved to visit before catching the train back later.

View from steps towards the town

The station is uphill from the well preserved medieval town. Serpentina - a pedestrian route with broad steps can be taken to avoid following the curved road all the way down to Český Krumlov.

Approaching Budějovická brána (Budweiser gate), we passed Hostinec u Dušků with a balcony overlooking a tributary of the river Vitava (left above) and in the other direction there were views of the town from the bridge. 

We walked along the sloping cobbled streets of the town passing several shops with tasteful displays.

There were a few tour groups in evidence near the castle (left above) and at the bridge near the town centre -Lazebnický most (right above).

After crossing the river we looked at the town square with it's Christmas market and then walked to the museum (closed on Mondays) where elevated views are possible from a courtyard garden.

Retracing our steps towards the bridge at a lower level we enjoyed soup and beer for lunch at Krčma U dwau Maryí (the Tavern of the Two Marys). Our small table by the first floor window had the best view!

The draught Eggenberg was 75 Kc for a half litre glass.

In 2016 a new craft brewery Historický Pivovar Krumlov was founded at the site of the old Eggenberg brewery. With a large yellow circle on the right of the aerial map above, the brewery was only a short walk from the tavern near the bridge, marked with a small yellow circle.

Port 1560 is the town's new cultural centre at the former brewery site. It looks like the old brewery buildings are in the 'C' area on the Mapa / plan.

We walked through the courtyard and turned left to find the new brewery site next to the taproom and restaurant marked as 1 & 2 in the top right of the Mapa / plan.

A wide stairway leads up to a hall area with a traditional beer barrel top displayed on the whitewashed wall. The taproom and restaurant is further inside.

We found a table at the far end of the room near an exit to the terrrace. A stairway opposite the bar leads up to another seating area above the hallway. The small bar has a font with three taps and a wooden frame with pretzels. An historic framed photo in an arch by our table shows brewery workers and directors with large beer barrels. In the top photo of this post is the 0.2 litre glass of Cesky Krumlov dark lager (38 Kc) which Tim enjoyed here. Music playing included tracks by REM, U2 and Dire Straits.

Leaving before 2pm we reached the Budweiser gate and took a photo from the town side that includes a sundial above the roadway. From here we retraced our steps uphill to the station.

We had intended to visit Hostinec Slepá kolej before catching the 14.54 train but a railway official encouraged us to join the train standing at the station, the 14.29 departure. We missed out on a further beer but had the benefit of an uncrowded train and the rest of the journey back to České Budějovice was completed in daylight.

Note that it is possible to visit Český Krumlov from Prague in a day using the only daily direct Jizni Expres service operated by Ceske drahy that includes a bistro carriage. However this involves leaving Prague at 8.21 (arriving 10.57) and returning from Český Krumlov at 14.08 after a visit of only 3 hours.

Český Krumlov is a fascinating town to visit. We were lucky with the weather although it was cold in late November and the days are short. There are restrictions on motor traffic in the old town and combined with the absence of new buildings and chain stores it makes walking around comparable to the experience one might have enjoyed 100 or even 150 years ago! It's possible, of course, that tourism in summer months makes daytime visits less of a pleasure.

It's difficult to think of comparable towns in other countries as it has the compact form, river and inclines that set it apart. In the south of England perhaps Lewes or Totnes might compare. Apart from neighbouring countries and Switzerland, perhaps some towns previously visited in Spain might compare - Cuenca, Teruel or Albarracin or in Italy - Teramo, Sulmona or Lucca?

Poperinge beer and hops

A cart used in hop yards for stringing outside the Hop Museum

Staying in Poperinge from 24-27 October, 2025, gave an opportunity to visit some local bars, walk around the town, visit the annual beer festival and to make side trips to Ypres and Westvleteren. See other posts for: Folk games in Poperinge pubs; Ypres and Westvleteren; Poperinge Bierfestival.

Cafe de Snoek

Near the railway station terminus, Cafe de Snoek was visited with Graham, after we returned from Ypres by train on Friday night. Nearby Cafe Britannia had looked more inviting earlier that evening but it had closed in the meantime.

It was well lit inside and we found a table with a view of the bar which was decked with hops. The draught beer range included Jupiler, Cristal and Rodenbach Classic. 

Tim chose bottled beers here - St Bernardus Tripel (€4) and later Tripel Plukker (€4) shortly before 'last call' at 11.45pm. Although the St Bernardus Tripel seemed dry for a Tripel, the Tripel Plukker now brewed nearby at Terrest Brewery was impressive, especially for head retention.

Bistro de Stadsschaal

At Gasthuisstraat 7, Bistro de Stadsschaal has an impressive frontage. There is also a back entrance which leads to the toilet block and the courtyard of the Hop Museum.

The courtyard features a large poster with a map of the Belgian part of the Westhoek region showing breweries, hop gardens and the hop museum building. 

While Graham and Les visited the hop museum, Tim and David went inside the Bistro which has an upmarket style. Draught beers include Stella Artois, St Bernardus Tripel Blond, Poperings Hommelbier and Queue de Charue Ploegsteert Blond.

Despite knowing it as a dry beer, Tim ordered Poperings Hommelbier (€3.50) as it seemed the most appropriate place to taste it again. The entrance to the Hop Museum could be seen through the window from our table.

The extensive bottled beer list includes 13 Belgian blonde beers and 11 in other styles. Brewed nearby at Terrest Brewery, De Plukker Keikoppenbier, a 6.1% ABV 'hoppy blonde', is derived from a nickname (stone heads) given to people from Poperinge by their long-time rivals in Ypres.

Having completed their visit to the Hop Museum, Graham and Les joined David and Tim and later our group headed north and east along Gasthuisstraat towards GAST and the town centre, passing Skindles Guest House built in 1720 and historic Talbot House on the way.

GAST

GAST (Guest - 'our name stands for hospitality') is on the other side of the road at Gasthuisstraat 24. 

The beer cafe with 12 draught beers was opened by Ines and Kim in July 2023 after ten months of renovations.

Inside, there's a lot of exposed brick and greenery including hops. The seating and tables are in a basic contemporary style.

Tim's choice from the draught beers and listed on the 'suggestions' blackboard was Terrest Golden Tripel, served in a thin stemmed 33cl glass. The printed menu lists 16 bottled beers in the Blond section and a wide range of other beers at competitive prices e.g. St Bernardus Extra 4 €3.4, Poperings Hommelbier €3.6. A visit to GAST, suggested by David (above right) was a good idea. 

When we were ready to leave for Poperinge Bierfestival, Kim suggested that we should try Soesol there, the first available beer brewed by Brouwmens  - three Poperinge friends - Pepijn, Jordi and Michiel. Reader, we followed Kim's advice.

D'n Hommelzak

Later on Saturday, David, Graham, Mark and Tim left the beer festival for a meal at D'n Hommelzak (The Hop sack) which is situated at Paardenmarkt 10b, above the Carrefour Express and reached by a door to the left of the supermarket entrance followed by stairs. Having arrived later than the others while waiting for the rain to ease, Tim was directed to a billiards and snooker room where the others were already seated at an overflow table, due to the main bistro room being completely full. 

Photo: Mark Geeson

Mark and David were full of praise for their steak dishes while Tim and Graham also enjoyed their spaghetti based meals. Yves, our genial host was most accommodating and as well as serving us personally was keen to chat and see if any of us had an interest in football. We had to disappoint him on that score! 

The menu features a variety of bottled beers with Poperings Hommelbier and Tripel Plukker among many Blond beers. The draught beers are Stella Artois, Palm and Leffe Blond.

We told Yves that he can expect a reservation for a visit from a larger contingent of our festival-going friends next year.

Other cafes and bars in Poperinge

Apart from three featured in the Folk games in Poperinge pubs post (Het Mysterie, In den Havermuis and De Legen Doorn), the two below may justify a visit in future:

The Old Fiddler

De Nieuwe Toren