11 on Plzeň, Czech Republic?
06-25-2017, 06:02 AM
Quote: (06-18-2017 07:37 AM)theredking Wrote:
Looking for a city to live for 2-4 months, Plzen seems less overrun, cheaper than Prague, smaller so penetrating social circles and getting the lowdown will be faster.
Hi there, since I live in Munich, Germany, and since Plzen is the closest large "Eastern" European city (yes - I know it's technically Central Europe) to my hometown, I've already been to Plzen almost 10 times for weekend or day trips. It's definitely worth a stay of some weeks if you're looking for a beautiful and great city that has everything you need, but - as you assume correctly - much cheaper than Prague and much less overrun.
The city center of Plzen is one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles you will find throughout Europe and very walkable with little car traffic and lots of quiet side streets, and a park that is shaped like a halfmoon around the city centre. The number of restaurants and bars is simply overwhelming for such a small city. Girls are aplenty and as beautiful as in Prague. Even 10% of Prague's girls will still keep you busy with day- and nightgaming, but with much less foreigner competition than in touristy-overrun Prague.
While I would say that there's not too much touristy stuff that will keep you busy - you can climb the church tower for a great view, do a tour of the large beer brewery and visit the underground catacombs, don't overlook the zoo at the edge of the city which is really a good one for a city of that size - the city offers all amenities you need and can easily keep you busy for some weeks. Daygaming spots would be the railway station, the entire city centre and the modern shopping mall that's directly adjacent to the centre.
If you would get bored sometimes, there are plenty of day trips you can do from Plzen. Ceske Budejovice, the Bohemian Forest (one of the deepest and largest in Europe), beautiful small Klatovy, the Hluboka castle, castle Karlstejn and castle Krivoklat, and of course Prague itself are mostly only one or two hours away from Plzen and could keep you busy for some days already.
If you're not sure about staying there for 2-4 months, maybe keep your options open by not paying or pre-booking accomodation for a such long period of time in advance, so that you can easily pack your stuff and go someplace else - for example Prague - without losing any money for pre-paid accomodation.
All that being said, Plzen is my favourite Czech city apart from Prague and definitely worth a longer stay.