Goodbye bar-hopping: Why is Prague banning night-time pub crawls?

The Czech capital of Prague which has for a long time been a popular destination among party lovers for its noisy stag parties has decided to ban night-time pub-crawling.

The ban passed by local city councillors on Monday means that pub crawls — in which participants follow a guide from bar to bar — cannot operate in the city between 10 pm and 6 am, according to Czech media.

But why did Prague, a city renowned for its beer and party culture, opt to ban pub crawls?

Here’s a closer look.

Beer is cheaper than water in Prague

Prague, a city of 1.3 million, has long been a magnet for boisterous stag parties and enthusiastic pub crawlers, particularly from the UK.

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In 2023, the country had a world-leading beer consumption of 128 litres per person, despite a steady decline in footfall since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This love for beer has for years earned the Czech Republic the title of the world’s thirstiest nation.

A recent study found Prague had one of the highest density of pubs per person in the world.

According to money.com, the city has 47.87 pubs per 100,000 people. It is even home to ‘Europe’s largest pub crawl’ tour, called Prague Pub Crawls which has free drinks and club entries.

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Beer prices in the country are super appealing for tourists, sometimes even cheaper than water in certain restaurants. Many establishments in the UNESCO-listed historic centre serve the renowned local lager for under €3 a pint.

However, city officials are now taking steps to curb these late-night party scenes.

Prague pulls the plug on pub crawls 

Prague is tightening controls on its bustling nightlife, with Deputy Mayor Zdeněk Hřib stating to AFP that “it will not be possible to have guided tours” at night. Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Jiri Pospisil expressed the city’s aim to attract “a more cultured, wealthier tourist…not one who comes for a short time only to get drunk.”

Complaints from residents in the city centre regarding noise and safety issues caused by party-goers have been mounting for years. Officials say that the ban is intended to address these local concerns.

The city’s motion underscored that “unreasonable consumption of alcohol and disruptive behaviour associated with pub crawls can create the impression of a lack of culture in the community, reduce the feeling of safety.”

It added that such conduct “can have a negative impact on the perception of the municipality by tourists, potential investors and the citizens themselves.”

Vaclav Starek, head of the Czech Association of Hotels and Restaurants, praised the decision. He told AFP, “Trips to the centre in search of beer have been a problem for local people and for other tourists too.”

He added, “I don’t think this will hurt our sales. Nobody will be banned from going to a pub but these nightly organised pub crawls…are nothing we would need.”

Prague now joins a wave of European cities moving to manage mass tourism. In Amsterdam, restrictions have curbed rowdy tourist behaviour with bans on large tour groups and limits on alcohol sales. The Dutch city’s “stay away” campaign urges tourists to consider going elsewhere if they’re only planning to “let loose”.

Similarly, Venice has imposed its own measures, including bans on loudspeakers and large groups, and Barcelona has said it will ban apartment rentals to tourists by 2028.

Also read: Why this Spanish city is asking British tourists to keep their clothes on

Pub crawl organisations protest

Following the announcement, the owner of a well-established Prague pub crawl agency, which has operated in the city for 14 years said the noise situation will get “worse” after the ban is in place. 

“We feel that getting rid of organized pub crawl tours after 10 p.m. – their sole job is to keep people quiet on the streets and help enforce local laws by working with the police – will make things worse overall,” they told czech news website, Expats.cz.

They further said that no pub crawl organisation was consulted before the decision was taken.

“Not one pub crawl has been approached by the city to try and cooperate to find a solution. We are open and willing to work with the city, and help with the nighttime issues of noise and group sizes that we have been trying address."

They added, “Sadly, the mayor and city officials don’t seem to care about cooperation. They are only interested in scoring political points by passing an amendment that will make the city less safe and actually more noisy.”

With input from agencies