You won’t see a description for a day trip to Plzen in your Frommers guide to the Czech Republic, and that’s a bloody shame.  For the beer lover, I would argue it’s almost a necessary visit.  This quaint city gave birth to beautiful thing in 1842: a beer that has stood the test of time – pilsner.

For me, the day trip to Plzen this was a true pilgrimage.  There was no way I was coming to the Czech Republic without visiting where my favourite style of beer was created.   Only a short 90 minute train ride from Prague, the Pilsner Urquell brewery is located just outside of the city centre.  When you arrive, you are greeted by the original gates of the brewery:

On our way into the brewery we got to see a morning delivery loading up.  Each day, the brewery delivers beer to bars in the city by horse, keeping alive a long-standing tradition.  I momentarily thought about taking the reins and making away with a few kegs of the good stuff:

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