The home of beer... (Ceské Budejovice)

Member Name: Belgian999

Product:	Ceské Budejovice
Date:	25/10/00 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice, quiet town, plenty of places to stay, eat and drink

Disadvantages: Tourist information shuts at 5, get there in plenty of time

Another small town that is worth seeking out is the place where one of the world's most famous beers started out - Budweiser takes its name from the German title for the Czech town of Ceske Budejovice, and you really ought to take the time to visit this place, if only to sample some of the local Budvar brew, a taste sensation which will make you realise how overpriced and chemically polluted most British lagers are. And it only costs about 40p a pint!
The town itself is not particularly big, and lies a couple of hours drive to the south of Prague, within easy striking distance of the Austrian border north of Linz (and there is a jumbo duty free shop on the border there). The journey takes you through some lovely rolling hills and past acres of verdant farmland, but you will also get a glimpse of some of the less savoury Soviet attempts at architecture in towns like Tabor, a place dominated by concrete tower blocks... However, Ceske Budejovice itself has not been massively spoilt - there is a decent enough bus and trolleybus network around the town, and the old town is preserved in the loop of a river. The large town square has a beautiful fountain as its centrepiece and many of the houses around the sqaure have been restored and repainted, and this is where you will find hotels, bars and restaurants - as well as the tourist information office, who were very helpful in finding cheap, secure and clean accommodation within walking distance of the town centre. Even for high season, the town was surprisingly devoid of tourists and the hostelries provided good food and drinks at very reasonable prices, with menus available in German and English as well... and the Budvar brewery is always open for tours and sampling too! All in all, this is a nice small town that is worth visiting as a quick stopover, and of course, for the beer!

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