The Czech Republic attracts more and more tourists thanks to its rich beer tradition. According to the latest statistics from the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, the most popular beer destinations include Pilsenský Prazdroj, which was visited by almost 530,000 people last year, and beer unique places in Žatec, such as the Temple of Hops and Beer or the Hop Museum. Beer spas, whose popularity is rising across the country, are also experiencing a significant increase.
Beer trails and exclusive experiences draw tourists to the Czech Republic
The country is a popular destination for beer lovers from all over the world. Thanks to the long tradition of brewing, varied experiences and the connection of beer culture with history and local traditions, it becomes the center of so-called beer tourism. This trend is confirmed by the growing number of visitors as well as new beer products that attract not only beer tasting, but also cultural and historical experiences. For example, the Radegast Brewery in the Moravian-Silesian region saw an increase in the number of tourists by 188% last year. 19,600 people decided to visit him. In the past year, the popularity of the Museum of Brewing in Tábor, the Velké Popovice Brewery in Central Bohemia, or the Visitor Center of Budějovice Budvar has also increased significantly. And the number of visits also increased significantly in the case of key places related to beer in the Žatec area.
“The Czech Republic has exceptional potential in the field of beer tourism, thanks to its long history of brewing beer, unique breweries and the current trend of experiential and sustainable tourism. Our goal is to show that traveling for beer can be not only about tasting great beer, but also about getting to know Czech culture, traditions and history. Domestic breweries offer experiences that combine tradition with modern innovations, which is the key to attracting reputable tourists,” says František Reismüller, director of the Czech Tourism Office – CzechTourism, and adds: “Good food is an inherent part of good beer. And the Czech Republic offers a unique combination of delicious food and a chilled glass of sparkling wine. A guarantee of quality is the blue logo on the doors of certified restaurants, which we have tested for our own taste buds as part of our CzechSpecials project. In the list of certified establishments with the highest quality, we can also find several breweries and microbreweries across the country.”
Beer tourism in the Czech Republic is also gaining international recognition. One of its highlights is the sightseeing route in Plzeňské Prazdroj, which this March received the prestigious award in the Europe’s Leading Beer Tour Visitor Experience 2024 category for the best brewery visitor route in Europe as part of the 31st edition of the WorldTravel Awards 2024 competition. It thus surpassed the world’s most famous breweries, such as Irish Guinness, Belgian Stella Artois or Dutch Heineken. It is visited annually by hundreds of thousands of local and foreign visitors. Which confirms the fact that the Czech Republic is an attractive tourist destination.
Žatec – a world-unique hop landscape under UNESCO protection
Last year’s inclusion of Žatec and the Žatec hop landscape on the UNESCO list was a significant contribution to Czech beer tourism. Žatec is thus the first place in the world where the hop landscape is protected by this prestigious statute. Visitors to the region can stroll through hop farms, visit the Hop Museum or taste beers from several breweries, where they are brewed from local hops. Its uniqueness, cultivation history and traditions go back several centuries, making the Czech Republic an exceptional place on the beer map of the world. Every year, the city attracts visitors to Žatecká dočesná. This year’s will take place on September 6-7, 2024.
And the fact that there is more and more interest in Žatec and its surroundings is also confirmed by the data. Over the past 14 years, the number of people who decided to visit the local Temple of Hops and Beer has increased tenfold. While 1,464 visited this place in 2010, last year it was already 15,728. The Stekník Castle, which is one of the most important Rococo buildings in Bohemia, has seen an equally large increase in the number of visitors in this region over the past decade. Last year, it was visited by 14,344 tourists. In addition to the traditional castle tours, it also offers visitors the opportunity to learn a number of interesting facts about the history of beer, within the framework of exhibitions dedicated to the topic of hops called “How to get Czech to the Vertebrate”.
Prague connects beer and culture
The Czech metropolis is also taking a new approach to beer promotion. It combines the presentation of small breweries with a visit to neighborhoods outside the historic center. It thus supports the authenticity of the region and local experiences. Through new guided tours, tourists have the opportunity to taste beers from smaller breweries, learn about the history of brewing and visit monastery breweries. Prague thus invites a unique connection of beer with cultural events and exhibitions that reflect the rich history of the city.
Trends in beer tourism: the rise of craft beer tourism
Beer tourism or “craft beer tourism” is not only the domain of the capital city. New thematic beer trails and beer spas that offer authentic and local experiences can be found by fans of the sparkling drink all over the Czech Republic. The trend is mainly to travel to smaller craft breweries. They offer not only high-quality and original beers, but also experiences connected with their production and local traditions.
“Czech brewers are increasingly focusing on quality and sustainability, which attracts more demanding tourists. Our members combine beer production with local traditions and thus offer comprehensive experiences that include not only drinking beer, but also tours of breweries, excursions to hop farms or beer brewing workshops. An important event for all brewers – the Saint Wenceslas Festival, which takes place every year in September and kicks off the Days of Czech Beer, which is a holiday for all lovers of beer, pubs and gastronomy, will bring the opportunity to try special types of beers. During them, many of our breweries will offer beer specials and cultural events,” says Tomáš Slunečko, Executive Director of the Czech Association of Breweries and Malthouses.
The aim of all these activities is to show that Czech beer is more than just an alcoholic drink. It is part of a rich cultural tradition, linked to local attractions and gastronomy. Tourists are thus guided to enjoy beer in the context of local culture and history, while at the same time behaving responsibly and with respect for the given regions. An overview of beer trails, breweries, beer spas, museums and other objects connected with growing or tasting beer is provided by the CzechTourism agency on its portal Kudy z nudy. Those interested in this area can choose from a considerable number of experiences – from visits to monastery breweries to participation in beer workshops, where tourists can try what it’s like to brew their own beer.