This smoky industrial town is the famed birthplace of pilsner beer. Among the sites are Urquell Brewery and—as you might expect—the Beer Museum. One fun activity is to roam the tunnel system built under Plzen in the Middle Ages. Other places of interest include St. Bartholomew Church, the Ethnographical and West Bohemia museums and, of course, the beer halls. History buffs will appreciate the memorial commemorating U.S. Gen. George Patton's Third Army liberation of the city on 6 May 1945, which stands on Chodske Square. 50 mi/85 km southwest of Prague.
