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| View from above west bank of river Elbe of Zámek Děčín (elevated building, left), railway bridge & Děčín hl.n (station, right) |
Situated on the river Elbe, near the German border,
Děčín is a railway hub served by the
European Sleeper night train from Brussels and Amsterdam to Prague via Berlin.
Arriving by train from Germany, provides scenic views of the eastern banks of the river Elbe including
Bohemian Switzerland after a stop at Bad Schandau.
From Děčín hl.n there are direct trains to destinations in the north of the Czech Republic including Liberec, Varnsdorf and Rumburk via Česká Kamenice and Krásná Lípa.
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| Departure boards at Děčín hl.n. railway station |
Restaurace Nádraží
The station restaurant at
Děčín hl.n. is accessed from the main hall of the station. Used by passengers, staff and locals, it's a great place for passengers arriving on the European Sleeper train to get breakfast or a beer and a meal before evening departures back to Brussels. With a smartphone it is possible to translate the menu or else you may need a dictionary! Note that payment is by cash. If you have run out of Czech currency you may be able to pay in Euros and we took advantage of this concession when departing on Tuesday 17 March 2026. Tim's last meal in the Czech Republic on this trip was enjoyed with Březňák beers by the river Elbe at Velké Březno near Ústí nad Labem.
The brewery, founded in 1753, has been owned by Heineken since 2008. Since 1906 Březňák‘s beer label has pictured
Victor Cibich, the local Velké Březno stationmaster and beer-lover.
Tankovna Na Skřivance
First visited at 7.30pm on the evening of Sunday 15 March 2026,
Tankovna Na Skřivance is below a wooded hillside and is set back from the street at Na Skřivance 8, only 400 metres from
Děčín hl.n. station. It was nice to be able to enjoy Pilsner Urquell tank beer and choose from a good selection of dishes from the menu (in Czech) although there was little choice for vegetarians except fried cheese. The bar is at ground level on a side wall and the three beer tanks are at a middle level, further back than the bar, where we found a table. A staircase with thick sloping walls leads to an upper level with further seating. Although it's more of a restaurant than a pub, the old building alone makes it worth a visit and for summer visitors there is also plenty of outdoor seating in pleasant surroundings.
Pivnice Na Kanále
Located at Bezručova 233/20,
450 metres from Děčín hl.n. station, Pivnice Na Kanále was also open on a Sunday evening (until 8pm). We enjoyed glasses of Klíč 12° (0.5 l, 41 Kc) brewed at Pivovar Cvikov about 40km east of
Děčín. The unfiltered, unpasteurised beer had a soft mouthfeel with some fruitiness in the flavour. Unfortunately there was only time for one glass here. Features of the corner bar include a contemporary bar front, Staropramen brewery images and solid wooden furniture. Above our table three glass panels show rocky features typically found in Bohemian Switzerland. It may be lacking in character but the good value Cvikov Klíč 12° makes a visit worthwhile.
Restaurace Na Rybníčku
On Monday, after a local bus to Bynov and following two hiking trails through the hills and forests to Terezínský rybnik lake we stopped for a Kozel Černý dark lager at
Restaurace Na Rybníčku, Bělá. It made a useful stop and the daily changing lunchtime meals are popular with locals.
Refreshed, we tackled a steep uphill trail (which is part of the
E3 path from Portugal to Bulgaria), to reach a scenic
viewpoint by a rocky outcrop. From here it was mainly downhill through the forest, skirting the Zoo compound, and finally down steps to reach ground level at Děčín after a brief stop to get the panoramic photo at the top of this post.
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| Zámek Děčín viewed from the station with rail bridge in mid distance |
On the east side of the river Elbe, well served by buses across the Tyršův most bridge, there are more bars and restaurants around the prominent Zámek Děčín, above the river Elbe. We visited
Děčín's east side on Monday afternoon and evening.
Restaurace Ouplav
At Nároží 1419 / 4,
Restaurace Ouplav has a river theme.
A river chart, framed photos and calendars decorate the walls and there are plants by the south-facing windows.
There are three
Pivo Bernard beers on draught including Černý ležák, a full flavoured dark lager. The brewery in Humpolec is between Prague and Brno. Music from the radio included one from Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Pivovar Sever
On a narrow cobbled road at U Plovárny 405 02, the entrance to
Pivovar Sever is 200 metres west of Restaurace Ouplav, opposite a tall brick chimney marked 'Pivovar'.
This is a taproom aimed at a younger clientele.
Inside the taproom, the architectural details and decor are interesting.The brewery is on the other side of the glass partition behind the bar. Blackboard slats behind the bar list all the draught beers available.
The core range of beers is also listed on a laminated menu.
The beers we enjoyed here included Severské Slunce a hazy 6.5% ABV New England IPA served in a branded straight glass. This was more expensive than other beers costing 65 Kc (approx £2.35) for half a litre. The Sever taproom is worth a visit unless traditional Czech lagers are your only interest, perhaps.
Restaurace VietThai
On the way back to Tyršova bus stop, we called in at Restaurace VietThai for a beer with a meal that was excellent value (e.g.Březňák Světlý ležák 0.5l, 35 Kc, 4 fried prawn rolls 80 Kc, Chicken Pho noodle soup 150 Kc) and an English menu simplified our choices.
We were the last customers on a Monday evening before the regular 9pm closing time.
Other Děčín bars etc
With only two days based in Děčín we did not have time to visit the following bars which are marked in orange on the map. In some cases they were closed when we passed. Hopefully, the photographs and links below may be of use to others.
Bar Pod Zoo at 4, Žižkova 663 is just down the steep road from the synagogue, on the corner with Teplická.
Bar U Prince at Plzeňská 85/4 is a sports bar near Děčín hl.n station with signs for Březňák beer.
Le Garage Noir at Podmokelská 1070, near Pivnice Na Kanále, is a music club, bar and cinema cafe also known as NAD GARÁŽÍ with Bernard beers.
See also other posts from our March 2026 trip to the Czech Republic:
