Plzeň
Plzeň
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| <map lat="49.75001325671" lng="13.377830499144" zoom='11' view='0' height='350' width='420' /> | |
| Information | |
Country:  |
Czech Republic |
| Population: | 171.356 |
| Licence plate: | ?P? ???? |
| Major roads: | D5 |
| Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots | |
Plzeň (Pilsen) is 4th biggest city in Czech Republic. It is located about 90 km west of Prague, and it has more than 170.000 inhabitants. This city is known by its beers (most famous is Pilsner Urquell brewery but there are other 5, maybe even more, smaller breweries) and Škoda factories (not cars but el. locomotives, trams, trolley-buses, turbines etc.).
Hitchhiking out
Northeast towards Praha 5E 50
Find main breweries (Gambrinus and Pilsner Urquell), they are at the main road to the highway to Prague. Walk until you will see big crossroads and just behind it is great spot (place at map). You can also use trolley-buses 11, 15, 16, 17 and get of at station "Šumavská" or trolley-bus 13/bus 28 to station "U prazdroje" and continue to that crossroads by following trolleys.
This is new and probably the best spot. Quite good even in late evening. Sign "Praha" or "PHA" can help.
Most of cars I have caught went to various parts of Praha (mostly Zličín, Airport, Smíchov...).
Going around Praha towards Brno 1
If you want to go eastern/southern from Praha it's easy. Cars going that way use new ring road so they won't stop you automatically in Plzeň (everybody thinks you want to go to Praha) so get off at the last gas station before Praha called "Rudná" (McDonald is there) and there use sign "D1". You can save lot of time. Or try to use both signs "Praha" and "D1" in Plzeň. Only with sign "D1" I have never been successful.
Going through/around Praha towards other directions
With other directions it is much harder. You can also try the last petrol station before Praha and ask drivers but better is probably to go to the city and find spot there.
West towards Nürnberg, Regensburg 5E 50 or Domažlice, Cham 26
In the city centre there are pretty good maps showing the way out, but for example from náměstí Republiky keep walking Solní (Palackého náměstí – Přemyslova – Skvrňanská – and finally Domažlická) about 1,5 km until you see a bus stop that is just before a railroad crossing. You can hitchhike either from the bus stop or the empty area between the stop and the raidroad. This spot is ok, but you'll probably find better ones by taking a bus a bit forward down the road 26.
At the evening/night Domažlická street is full of prostitutes (but sooo ugly that I can't get how they can make money.
The best spot I have found is at the terminus of trolley-buses 12, 15, 17 "Nová Hospoda", be careful - not every of them ends there. It is quite long walk from city. From that terminus go little bit back to the main road, turn right and there is long bus stop. For Germany use sign "D". For Domažlice, Cham (D) no sign or exact sign.
Once I caught car to France here but I needed to go southern at german A7
Southeast towards České Budějovice, Linz 20E 49
From the city centre use trolley-buses 10 or 13 to "Bručná" or tram 1 to terminus "Slovany" and then these trolley-buses or 3 stops walk to "Bručná". There is good place behing traffic lights. Only next trolley-buses sometimes come and also some people park cars there. But hitchhiking there is easy. Road to České Budějovice is full of villages with many good spots for further hitchhiking.
Northwest towards Cheb, Sokolov, Karlovy Vary 20E 49
Take tram 4 in direction "Košutka", get out at "Severka". At the crossroads turn up, you can try luck there at the bus stop or take bus 30 to the terminus "Úněšovská, Globus". There find main road (roundabout is there), don't go out but little bit back to the city. There is fire department and nice place to hitchhike.
South towards Klatovy 27E 53
Take tram 4, go to the terminus "Bory", cross road and there is long bus stop. The best spot. Lot of cars end at Přeštice, half-way to Klatovy.
North towards Most 27
Take tram 1, go to the terminus "Bolevec", go little bit back to main road and hitchhike at bus stop behind traffic lights.
Warning for westerners
This city is full of pubs and bars. Beer is good, big and much cheapear than anywhere west from Czech Republic. So drink carefuly!
I recommend to try beers from local breweries and don't make picture about Czech beers with trying just that most known which are everywhere.
> 1.000.000: Praha
100.000-500.000: Brno • Ostrava • Plzeň • Liberec • Olomouc
50.000-100.000: Ústí nad Labem • Hradec Králové • České Budějovice • Pardubice • Havířov • Zlín • Kladno • Most • Karviná • Opava • Frýdek-Místek • Karlovy Vary • Jihlava • Teplice • Děčín
20.000-50.000: Chomutov • Přerov • Jablonec nad Nisou • Mladá Boleslav • Prostějov • Třebíč • Česká Lípa • Třinec • Tábor • Znojmo • Příbram • Cheb • Orlová • Kolín • Trutnov • Písek • Kroměříž • Šumperk • Vsetín • Valašské Meziříčí • Litvínov • Uherské Hradiště • Hodonín • Český Těšín • Břeclav • Krnov • Litoměřice • Sokolov • Nový Jičín • Havlíčkův Brod • Chrudim • Strakonice • Kopřivnice • Klatovy • Žďár nad Sázavou • Bohumín • Jindřichův Hradec • Vyškov • Blansko • Kutná Hora • Náchod • Jirkov
