They are preferred by the British – The Czech Republic tries to preserve the tranquility of the inhabitants of the capital
The “tour” of the bars of Prague organized at night by travel agencies has come to an end: the capital of the Czech Republic, trying to preserve the tranquility of its inhabitants from the excesses that accompany these night outings – which are especially appreciated by British tourists – decided to ban these “tours”.
Deputy mayor Zdenek Hryb announced that “organized tours” will no longer be allowed in bars between 10pm and 6am. OR Prague “he is looking for more cultured, richer tourists (…) and not those who come for a short time just to get drunk,” explained his colleague, Jiri Pospisil, after the vote held in the city council.
Vaclav Starek, the director of the Czech hotel and restaurant association, welcomed the ban, saying he was confident that businesses in the sector would not be affected.
“No one will be banned from going to a pub, but these organized tours every night (…) are not necessary,” he commented, noting that the phenomenon had now become “a problem for locals and other tourists.”
The Czech capital, a city of 1.3 million people, is a popular destination for young tourists, in part because of its bars that stock alcohol at an incomparably low price. Like Krakow, in southern Poland, which has been “taken over” by an unstoppable wave of drunken visitors, to the point where some residents have sued the municipality, APE reported.
Foreign visitors also contribute to the reputation of Czech beer. According to the national statistics office, every Czech (including newborns) drank 128 liters of beer in 2023, an amount that is a world record. After the Covid-19 pandemic, however, a downward trend in consumption was observed.
In some Prague restaurants, beer is cheaper than water, and many pubs in the historic center – which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site – sell half a bottle of the famous local Plzen beer for less than €3.
