Any information on this city to travel to? My Dad was in WWII and after the war ended he spent time there helping them to re-establish their government. We are thinking of going there next Fall along with going to the Battle of the Bulge area. Any useful information would be very helpful!

bookmark

Ami to be there next week. If I make it will advise

I really appreciate it! My Dad had such fond memories but never made it back there. I have some wonderful old photos I will bring with.

So today I went to PLzen. It is 1 .5 hours by train from Prague. Very cold and snowing. The old centre is pretty small and the whole town is dominated by the smell of hops as the Pilzner brewery (SAB Miller) sits beside the pub. 1.25hr tour of the brewary includes a tasting of the real stuff. The brewary accounts for 51% of Czech consumption (what resposnibility).

The rest of the town is made up a a grid pattern of buildings from 1500 forward. Lots of art Neuveux (sorry typing with Czech keyboard) buildings. Tourist info reasonibly sensible. I guess in the summer the place heaves with lots of countryside visits. But also have a university, a very large cathedral and the worlds third biggest synagoge.

While I'm sure the americans did free the area they also gave it back to the russians (not a political comment just a fact) so the city has the usual outskirts of appartment blocks but clearly with Skoda (VW) and the brewary in town this is a going place.

Web site is poor www.plzen (minus) city.cz (sorry keyboard beat me) and also www.beerworld.cz

bilbo

I spent several days in Plzen in October. If it had not been a convenient stopping point on the drive to/from Germany, I probably would have skipped it. There is a wonderful Marriott Courtyard that opened on Oct. 18 and I spent three nights there. The young staff is excellent and speaks perfect English. The hotel restaurant is good and there is a secure underground parking garage. Plzen is less expensive than Prague and other tourist areas, but is getting more expensive according to the Czech people. My sister and I (early 30's) had no problems in Plzen as far as safety. The people were very nice and wanted to know why we were visiting their city. Since many Americans skip it or do day trips, we were a curiousity. Plzen is not the most aesthetic place, but it is real. Unlike Karlovy Vary and Cesky Krumlov (beautiful and perfect), Plzen is rough around the edges. If you look under the layers, I think it is a gem that will become more popular with time and EU money. The city has a nice center with historic buildings, trams, etc., but the outlying areas have decrepit Communist-era buildings. If the ugly part doesn't bother you, a tourist can get an authentic Czech experience in Plzen. I spent nine days in the Czech Republic and have fond memories of the city.