Best cities for beer lovers

You’ll find great bars all over Europe but some cities are renowned for their beer production. I’ve highlighted some of the main ones here.

Dublin

Lots of people who travel to Dublin go for the craic - a good time spent with friends, often in cosy bars with live music and a pint of Guinness or a good whiskey. Temple Bar in the centre of Dublin is where you’ll find all the tourist bars, clubs and a large selection of restaurants.

St Patrick’s Day

In Dublin St Patrick’s Day is celebrated in style with a four day festival starting off with the National Parade which starts at Parnell Square and finishes at Temple Bar. Over 500,000 spectators on average watch the parade every year where you can see pageantry, dance and Irish music. As you would expect, Dublin is incredibly busy at this time of year so you should plan your travel, accommodation and visits to tourist attractions well in advance.

Guinness Storehouse Experience

When Arthur Guinness founded his brewery in Dublin in 1759 he never could have known that his stout would become one of Dublin’s finest exports, drunk by people around the world.

Today you can tour around the Guinness Brewery at St James Gate. The tour spans seven floors of the Brewery and ends at the Gravitas Bar on the top floor where you can sample a pint of Guinness while taking in the panoramic views over Dublin.

Tour tickets cost €28.60 and include a pint of Guinness or soft drink in the Gravitas Bar.

If you prefer a tipple of whiskey rather than stout there are a couple of Whiskey Museums you might want to check out.

Dublin Jamieson Experience

Located at the site of the original factory at Bow Street, at the Jamieson Distillery you can take a tour or take part in a cocktail making session, learn how to blend your own whiskey or enjoy a whiskey tasting session.

Prices start at €26 for a standard tour and whiskey tasting session. Check out the website for details on other whiskey experiences.

Irish Whiskey Museum

At the Irish Whiskey Museum they work with over 30 brands of whiskey from across Ireland and Northern Ireland. You can take a guided tour to learn about the history of Irish whiskey followed by a whiskey tasting session. There’s a soft drink option for children and on-drinkers.

Tours prices start at €25 per person.

Munich

Oktoberfest is the number one attraction for many people visiting Munich. From the middle of September until early October huge beer tents spring up along with fairgrounds and amusements and people flock to enjoy traditional entertainment and the best German beers. You don’t need to pre book your spot but be aware that some days will be busier than others (particularly if you want to sit in a beer garden on a sunny day!)

However you don’t need to wait until October to visit Munich. Traditional beer halls are open all year round in Munich, serving up the best in German beer.

Here are a couple of the old, traditional beer halls to check out.

Hofbrauhaus

One of the oldest taverns in Munich, the Hofbrauhaus has a large free seating area where you can enjoy Hofbrauhaus beer. There’s also a restaurant serving traditional Bavarian food. If you like big, noisy beer halls with some traditional live music thrown in, you’ll love this.

Where to find it: Platzl 9, 80331 Munich

Augustine’s-Keller

Smaller and more food-orientated, Augustine’s-Keller is less touristy than Hofbrauhaus. There’s an outdoor beer garden as well as several indoor spaces, including the lager keller, the underground beer cellar.

Where to find it: Arnulfstrasse 52, 80335 Munich

Prague

Prague is a city which has gained a reputation over the years as a party city, popular with stag groups due to its affordability and abundance of cheap Czech beer. Prague’s most famous export is Pilsner however there are several micro-brewers in and around Prague serving up a wide variety of low-cost beer.

Drinking establishments range from cosy taverns, some of whom brew their own beers on site to large, traditional beer halls.

U Pinkasů:

Located near Wenceslas Square, this is the first pub in Prague to serve Pilsner Urquell. Spread over this three floors, there is also a summer garden for those warmer days.

Strahov Monastery Brewery

A historic Monastic brewery near Prague Castle, it features a cosy, traditional interior as well as a courtyard garden. It’s best known for brewing its own amber, dark and IPA lagers.

Lille

Located near the Belgian border, Lille’s identity is shaped by both French and Flemish influences, which you can see its buildings and also in the food and drink. While it was once known as an industrial hub, and some may say it has retained some of that grittiness, Lille has reinvented itself in recent times. This is especially true when it comes to beer making. In a country known for its wine, Lille has established itself as the beer capital of France. Over the past 20 years the big breweries have given way to the micro-breweries. There are over 30 of them in Lille and as a result you’ll find a wide range of beers, many with experimental or unique tastes.

L’Échappée Bière is Lille’s first brewery tourism agency. They offer a range of tours and workshops where you can learn more about the beer making process and take part in beer sampling sessions. For more information visit the Lille tourism website.