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.  

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?