Things to do
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Cathedral of St Bartholomew
Gothic stone fills the middle of the main square, and its spire is the tallest church tower in the country at over 100 metres. A long stair climb inside the tower ends on a gallery over the city and the brewery chimneys. The tower closes in bad weather, and the high altar holds the Plzeň Madonna, a small Gothic statue.
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Great Synagogue
Twin onion-domed towers and a red and cream brick front mark the second largest synagogue in Europe, a Moorish Revival building from the 1890s on the edge of the old town. Its restored hall hosts concerts and an exhibition on the city's Jewish community. It opens Sunday to Thursday and closes on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.
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Kladruby Monastery
Jan Blažej Santini Aichel rebuilt the abbey church here in a Baroque Gothic style, with star vaults and a crossing dome above a nave of pale stone. The monastery stands about 30 km west of Plzeň, near the town of Stříbro. Visits are guided only and run from April to October, with weekend opening early in the season.
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Pilsner Urquell Brewery
A twin-arched gate leads into the brewery where pale lager was first made, still in full production. Guided tours of about 100 minutes cover the brewhouse, the bottling line and the sandstone cellars, ending with unfiltered beer drawn from oak barrels. Tours run in English, German and Czech and fill up on summer weekends, so book ahead.
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Plzeň Historical Underground
Cellars, passages and wells dug under the old town from the Middle Ages run for several kilometres, and a guided route of about an hour covers a stretch of them. Water tanks and storage rooms show how the houses above kept food and beer cool. The air stays cold all year, so a warm layer helps, and tours must be booked.
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Republic Square
One of the largest medieval squares in Bohemia, this broad rectangle is lined with Renaissance and Baroque houses, the gabled town hall and a plague column. Three modern gilded fountains, a camel, a greyhound and an angel, stand at its corners. Markets and events fill it through the year, with the cathedral in the middle.
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Techmania Science Center
Interactive exhibits on physics, the human body and engineering fill the hangar-like halls of a former Škoda works west of the centre, with a planetarium next door. Most displays are meant to be handled and tested. Allow half a day, and check the planetarium show times on arrival.
