Prague - Malá Strana & Hradčany

The Malá Strana and Hradčany districts of Prague are located west of the river Vltava. 

A separate post covers Staré Město, Nové Město, Hradčany & Spořilov districts east of the river.

For three nights at the end of November 2025, we stayed at Residence Thunovská in Malá Strana.

Residence Thunovská.is well situated at the foot of the historic Zámecké schody steps which lead up from Malá Strana to Hradčany.

After a 15 hour European Sleeper rail journey from Brussels to Prague hl.n. via Amsterdam, Berlin, Dresden and Děčín we took tram 15 to Malostranské náměstí which crosses the river Vltava on the Štefánikův most bridge.

From the Malostranské náměstí tram stop near St Nicholas church and bell tower, we walked uphill to reach our accommodation at Thunovská 196/19. 

Thankfully an early checkin was possible and we were impressed by our first floor studio apartment with electric wall heaters and well chosen furniture.

The European Bar Guide features 'The Royal Route' bar crawl for Prague linking eight bars. Our plan was to visit at least two on our first day, Thursday 20 November which was cold and bright. 

The first stage was to reach Hradčanské Square at the top of the Zámecké schody steps. The sun was lighting the top of Nový královský palace and the spires of St Vitus cathedral beyond. Sentries under the Wrestling Titans statues guard the entrance to the first courtyard of Prague castle with the Matthias Gate at the back leading to the second courtyard beyond.

Klášterní Pivovar Strahov

We now headed west past several impressive buildings, passing also U Černého vola, before reaching the grounds of Strahov Abbey.

We had a walk around the well tended grounds to view the exterior of the Strahov Abbey Basilica.

A brewery van was parked in the grounds with Pivovar Strahov brand of Sv. Norbert which is named from the founder of the Premonstratensian Order, whose relics are within a shrine in the Basilica.

The brewery on the left is reached through a courtyard beyond a gateway. There was no space in the linked taproom and it was too cold to sit at a table in the courtyard so we went to the larger refectory space in the building on the right with a separate entrance around its corner.

Inside the high ceilinged room there is a bar at one end and further inside two rows of large tables with benches on each side. On the other side from the windows, the.white walls are hung with historic framed posters for drinks including Roberston's Dundee Whisky..

On the tables, the paper placemats feature an illustrated description of the brewing process ending with beer in kegs or bottles. 

A waiter brought a bound menu to our table and returned later for our order. There are five Strahov draught beers and a guest pale lager -Hořický ležák PP 12° - from Pivovar JungBerg in Hořice. 

Tim ordered the popular Sv. Norbert Ambert Lager but preferred the taste of Meg's Hazy IPA, served in a tall glass.

U Černého vola

On the way back to Residence Thunovska we reached U Černého vola (The Black Ox) which had been photographed earlier on passing.

View from back room towards front and bar

It was busy inside with some customers in the bar area and no completely empty tables in the main room at the back which has white walls and a high ceiling with two rows of large tables and benches.. Luckily a sympathetic waiter allowed us to share one of the tables despite a reservation note at the free space.

Tim enjoyed a glass of Kozel Černý (50 cl / 49 Kč - about £1.75). Beers ordered for each group are tallied on a paper strip.

Our waiter allowed us to order meals and Tim enjoyed a remarkably cheap, simple meal of schnitzel served with freshly sliced bread, a long red pepper and a split gherkin.

As a complimentary Substack post about the beer hall by The Pragueist advises, it is important to be respectful and helpful to have some basic knowledge of Czech for ordering food here. Helpfully, however, the menu is available in English. Note that payment in cash is expected here.

We followed a different route back to our accommodation by taking the Radnické schody steps. From near the foot of these you can see the slope back up to the castle and Nerudova leading downhill towards the illuminated St Nicholas church and bell tower.

Walking downhill, we passed busy restaurants including U Dvou slunců and U Tří jelínků (above) on Nerudova before reaching U Kocoura at the corner with Zámecká.

U Kocoura

A sign pinned to the door of U Kocoura included a special offer of 0.5l Radegast světlý for 45 Kč. This encouraged us inside but there were no spare seats. There were some people drinking beer outside so we asked for take away beers and these were quickly served in plastic glasses which we carried carefully back to our nearby apartment and decanted into real glasses.

Na zadravi!

U Hrocha

Just down the road from our accommodation at Thunovská 10, Pivnice U Hrocha (The Hippo) offered Pilsner Urquell beer at 56 Kč for 0.5l and was always busy.

This was the the third pub on the west side of the river included in 'The Royal Route' bar crawl. Although we went inside on one occasion, there were no free spaces and we were told that a reservation was necessary. It is obviously a popular pub locally and Friday and Saturday evenings are always going to be the busy times.

In January 2026, David Farley reviewed the U Hrocha in the Where to Drink in Prague guide for The Infatuation international restaurant website and the review also features a couple of interior photos.

ROESEL

ROESEL - Beer and Food deserves its reputation as a hidden gem. Set back at 20, Mostecká 45, from the busy cobbled street a short distance from the Charles bridge, a blackboard on the door to the courtyard mentions 'Hidden Cafe, Craft beer and food, Cozy courtyard' and a sign on the wall facing the street promises 'Craft beer and cake'. 

The draught beers are listed on a blackboard and described by labels hanging under the taps marked with 1,2,3 and 4 handled beer glasses.

On Friday evening we were allowed to wait on bar stools with a first beer until a table was available. Wojtek, a friendly young Czech with excellent English, who was having a beer after work, chatted with us and corrected our linking Czechia with Eastern Europe to Central Europe.

We enjoyed our first visit there on Friday evening so much that we returned on Saturday evening and were welcomed like old friends! 

Over two evenings we managed to drink all the draught beers from the range. The three beers on the left pictured above from the top are: Pivovar Clock - Hektor 50cl / 69 Kč, Pivovar Obora - Art of Hop DDH NEIPA 20cl (generous!) / 56 Kč and Pivovar Obora Sunny APA 20cl.

Tim also enjoyed the draught wine ale (5.3% ABV 0.2l / 53 Kč) from Pivovar Obora (photo from Untappd) which was a deep red colour and tasted very fresh and grapey.

Tim's favourite beer at ROESEL on Saturday evening was Chroust Brewing Co Nelson Cravings session NEIPA (112 Kč / 500ml), chosen from the fridges containing cans and bottles of beer.from independent breweries also including Pivovar Valeč, Pivovar Kladno Kročehlavy and Vik Brewery.

The menu changes slightly and there is a limited number of hot dishes, a changing soup, a changing stew or goulash and a permanent fixture - 'the best sausages in Prague'.

The bread is thickly cut and very fresh.

There's also a range of cold dishes and the tempting cakes are displayed in a cabinet on the left of the bar.. 

The interior decor is white walls with some natural touches.like a photo of goats pinned to a fabric board. Tables and chairs are made from pale wood.

There was some unexpected amusement late on Saturday evening when a group of Athletic Bilbao football supporters left ROESEL singing a club song. Their Champions League fixture with Slavia Prague on Tuesday ended as a 0-0 draw.

On a wall above a shelf with leaflets, there are timelines in Czech and English with the history of the building (The Three Golden Rings), which dates from 1386. Recent history includes: 1961-1992 'The house is forcefully submitted to the totalitarian communist state ...'; 1992-2017 'The house is back in the hands of the family, being returned to the current owner Stanislav Roesel. The roof is in a critical condition, the cellar can not be entered as it is filled with rubble and garbage'; 2017 'Cafe-pub ROESEL opens being run by the grandson of the owner ...'. There is also a photo of smiling Stanislav Roesel (5.10.1926 - 17.12.2024) wearing a cap with the slogan 'Hlavu Vzhůru' (Keep your chin up) .

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 friendly 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 (2° C) all year round for the beer to ferment and mature in an array of horizontal lagering tanks.  A tray of glasses was filled 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 blog 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.

The recently renovated station (above) is over 1 km from the city centre. In 2025 we were unable to find details of bus stops or timings within the city using our usual smartphone App but an independently sourced trolley bus map posted by Transit Diagrams on Reddit and the local transport website - DPMCB - proved useful for getting from the station to our accommodation etc.. 

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.

Pivnice Zvon

On the east side of Přemysl Otakar II. Square, near Palác Včela, Pivnice Zvon is part of Grand Hotel Zvon.

At 9pm on Monday night, Pivnice Zvon was very busy but we managed to find a table for two near the bar. Copper tanks of Pilsner Urquell beer were nearby.

A 47cl glass of tank beer with the standard Hladinka pour (standard three fingers of foam) cost 76 Kč.

The smaller measure of 27cl (63 Kč) is offered in two additional pouring styles - Šnyt (two parts beer, three parts foam and one part empty glass) and Mlíko (a glass full of wet foam with a bit of beer at the bottom). Kozel Černý is the dark lager that is also available here.

Tim's treat for our last evening meal in Czechia was rib eye steak with green pepper sauce, roast potatoes and fried onions (428 Kč).

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 provided us with a meal quite late on Sunday evening with 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, 20 km away, with animals including bisons and a Bistro Naše Farma under the same ownership. The Untappd App features a Bison micro brewery with beers served here: Bison Světlý (Pilsner) and Polotmavý (Amber / red lager 5.3% ABV) but no address is given. There is a page on the Safari resort website with the heading Pivo BISON polotmavý speciál with a photo showing three 0.5 litre bottles of this beer with the bison image from the beermat on a brown label and the question 'Have you tried our pasteurized semi-dark special Bison?' but it is not clear whether it is brewed there or under contract.

Cafe Široko

We passed Cafe Široko at Široká 19 at 12.30pm returning from a visit to the South Bohemian musuem. 

The emphasis is on coffee here and beer is also served. We didn't stay for a beer after understanding that a lunchtime meal was not available. 

There was time for a quick photo of the bar area inside and subsequent research reveals that beers served here are from Pivovar Hulvát and Pivovar Kamenice.

Hostinec U Černého koníčka

Hostinec U Černého koníčka (The Black Horse) at 15 Žižkova třída, a residential street on the trolley bus route between the station and the city, was quiet on the Sunday evening of our arrival. 

Arriving at 6.15pm, we chose the table with the beer tap although it is not connected (earlier photo). This gave a view of the bar and the entrance area designed to avoid heat escaping through an open front door. Ice hockey without sound was on the corner TV. The white walled room was quite brightly lit with simple wooden furniture.

The first Pivo Platan beer enjoyed here was Jedenáctka (4.6% ABV, 0.5l 60Kč) served from the tank and later unfiltered Kvasnicový (4.5% ABV, 0.5l 60Kč) 'a living lager containing brewer’s yeast' served in a straight glass. The daily printed menu sheet was on the table but unfortunately meals were no longer available. It was nice to be able to order and collect beers from the bar and no problem to meet the requirement to pay with cash. 

Several framed old postcards, historic printed matter, a railway carriage destination board and a clock were displayed on the walls mostly relating to the location of Pivo Platan in nearby Protivín.

Hostinec Na Spojce

Furthest from the city and beyond the Pivovar Samson brewery, Hostinec Na Spojce was our favourite bar of this trip. We reached it by trolley bus arriving at 7pm on the Monday evening.

Only a couple of tables were occupied and we chose a table in the far corner of the well lit room with a blazing log burner to provide heating. 

A range of beers from Pivovar Samson is available on draught. From left to right in the bar image above the beers are Samson 10° (green label), Samson 11° (red), Samson 12° (gold), Pito non-alcoholic (blue), unknown? and Samson 11° Dark (brown).

The beers above are Samson 11° and Samson 12°. Unfortunately no meals were available this evening so we returned to the city by trolley bus and found food at Pivnice Zvon. The white ceramic saucers with a ridged top surface were an interesting feature. 

After enquiring about buying one to take home as a souvenir, our kind hostess disappeared and returned with one wrapped in tissue paper, and it now sees regular service in our household. 

Footnotes

Four sides of the square with Samson fountain - display at South Bohemian Museum

České Budějovice has a compact city centre and did not appear to have many tourists. By visiting different establishments it's possible to try beers from several small local breweries in addition to local Budweiser Budvar and beers with national distribution like Pilsner Urquell, Kozel and Staropramen. 

A visit to the South Bohemian Museum in the city is recommended. The museum shop has guides in Czech, German and English versions including a Beer and Breweries guide (may not be latest edition).

Departures and arrivals screens at České Budějovice station

České Budějovice is easy to reach by train from Prague and is a good base for a visit to the attractive medieval city of Český Krumlov by train. A separate post on this blog features Český Krumlov.

Thanks to Jack Anderton of The European Bar Guide who has extensively researched bars throughout Czechia including České Budějovice.