Europe's 13 Best Beer Destinations

Beer is a drink that Europe's always done well. The alcoholic beverage has been an essential part of food cultures around the world for thousands of years, and in many countries in Europe, the moderate climate and soil conditions provide the perfect environment for growing cereals. It's little wonder that these countries have maintained thriving beer scenes to this day. Across Northern, Western, and Central Europe, countries like Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Sweden have well-established beer industries, with specific cities acting as de facto beer ambassadors for their nations, accommodating millions of thirsty tourists per year in search of the perfect craft brew and the busiest bars.

With so many places to choose from, picking the perfect European beer destination can be quite daunting. That's where we come in. In this article, we determined the best cities across Europe primarily by the quantity and quality of their beer pubs and bars. We also dove deep into cities that offer their own must-try beer style, locations that have notable breweries, and areas that have an established history when it comes to the world's favorite drink. Sit back, crack open a cold one, and travel with us. ‌

Prague has been a must-visit for beer lovers for generations. The capital of the Czech Republic, it's the epicenter of the country's beer industry, which has been active for more than a millennium. The Czech Republic consumes an average of 156 liters of beer per capita annually, making it the country that consumes the most beer per person on the planet. Take one look at Prague's bustling streets, lined with over 10,000 bars, and you can see why you'll want to be part of the action.

Czech beer is well known across Europe, and Pilsner Urquell and Budvar are two of the most famous brands. In Prague, lager is by far the predominant style, although ask around and you may be able to sample a few darker ales, like the Ostrava-produced Velvet or the Guinness-like Kelt. Given that beer is such an essential part of the country's culture and economic output, it's difficult to pick out its best bars, as virtually any establishment you visit will likely provide a premium experience. For an authentic trip into Czech history, though, head to U Fleků, Prague's oldest beer pub, which has been in operation since 1499. Zlý časy is another must-try stop, stocked with almost 50 beer taps, all supplying local brews.

Countless tourists flock to Germany every year for its beer culture, and Munich is the city that most people head to once there. The Bavarian capital is perhaps best known for Oktoberfest, an enormous two-week-long festival where visitors enjoy soft pretzels washed down with approximately two million gallons of beer yearly. Visit at any other time of the year, however, and you'll still be able to sample Munich's iconic beers, enjoy its brewery scene, and soak up the nightlife.

Munich's most revered brewery, Spaten-Bräu, was founded in 1397, and a tour of its production facilities is a must when in the city. Its most popular beer, a type of lager called Spaten Münchner Hell, can be found in pubs on every street corner, with other beers like Augustiner Weissbier and Paulaner Pils also commonly found. No visit to Munich would be complete without a trip to its world-famous beer halls, and for a slice of history, the Hofbräuhaus is the place to be. Opened in 1589 under instruction from the royal family, the public was finally allowed access to the Hofbräuhaus in 1828, and since then locals and tourists alike have been rubbing shoulders at its lengthy tables.

The de facto capital of Switzerland, Bern has quietly become one of the most attractive destinations for beer aficionados in Europe. The country's beer industry has ballooned in the last few decades, getting over 40 times bigger in just 30 years, and Bern is where the action happens. The city has over 1,000 official breweries and microbreweries, giving it the highest density of breweries in the entire world, and they feed directly into its many bars and beer cafés.

The most authentic way to experience Bern's beer culture, however, is by taking a guided tour. Bern's Old City is highly walkable and has bars and breweries nestled next to each other, allowing you to sample multiple different styles along the way. If you want to do your own thing, a few key breweries are must-visit locations. Felsenau, founded in 1881, sells a host of locally-made beers, like its cloudy Bärner Müntschi. The Barbière brewery, meanwhile, was founded in 2014, and stocks an eclectic mix of styles, influenced both by classic Swiss beer culture and from English, American, and Belgian practices. ‌

Beer probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Spain, but in Barcelona, it's big business. The iconic city is the capital of the autonomous region of Catalonia, which has always championed a beer culture in which smaller glasses of beer (designed so the brew can be enjoyed while still cold, despite the fierce Spanish heat) are sipped while dining on what is most certainly the best tapas in the world, and chatting with friends. Unlike the darker ales frequently found in Northern and Western Europe, Spanish beers are usually light, refreshing pilsners, crafted to be gentle on the palette and to pair well with the flavors of Mediterranean cuisine.

In recent years, beer culture in Barcelona has become even more specialized and intricate, with a host of local breweries popping up and supplying its many tavernas. As well as Estrella Damm and Moritz, both locally-brewed lagers, the Garage Beer Co. and BlackLab offer a host of cutting-edge flavors. Beer lovers will also be keen to check out BierCaB, a craft beer bar that stocks a massive selection of brews, with staff who are as enthusiastic about their tap range as their clientele are.

Belgium is renowned for its beer culture, and the drink has huge significance to its national identity. With a lineage that potentially goes back to before The First Crusade, Belgium is especially well-known for its Trappist beer, a style made by Benedictine monks in monastery breweries. These beers were made to be consumed exclusively by the monks themselves (lucky monks, we say), but nowadays, Trappist beer is a thriving market with strict regulations ensuring that profits go directly back into the monastery and contribute to its upkeep.

In Brussels, Trappist beers can be found in the bars that line its charming streets, but that's far from the only option. The city is bulging with bars and restaurants at every corner, each with its selection of craft beers. For a touch of class and some art deco style, La Porteuse D'Eau is a sight to behold, with a stained glass ceiling and a selection of Belgian cuisine, allowing you to pair your food and beer seamlessly. Brussels' walkable nature makes it the perfect destination for a few days of bar-hopping, and in the summer, tables and seats line the streets, providing an ideal location to watch the world go by with a cold beer.

No list of Europe's best beer destinations would be complete without Dublin, and the main reason to go there is little surprise: Guinness. The quintessential Irish dry stout's home is the Guinness Storehouse. Located in St. James's Gate, the brewery has been producing beer for over 250 years, and today you can traverse virtually every floor of the building, starting with a brewery tour in its depths and ending at its sky-high Gravity Bar. Given that Guinness is one of the healthiest beers you can drink, the combination of cardio and a nutritious beverage is hard to pass down, right?

However, although the Guinness Storehouse is a must-see attraction, it's far from the only place to try the beer in Dublin. The city is practically splitting at the seams with pubs and bars, with something for everyone, whether they're looking for a more traditional experience or an up-to-the-minute craft beer joint. Classic Dublin pubs like The Palace Bar and Doheny & Nesbitt showcase the best of the city's architecture, with their Victorian style well-preserved and their coziness intact. For something more modern, try The Big Romance or Fidelity Bar, two craft beer bars that combine premium brews with a constantly changing roster of live music. There's something for everyone in Dublin's winding streets. ‌

Edinburgh may be known for many things — its arts festivals, its stunning architecture — but being a beer destination hasn't been one of them until relatively recently. In the last few years, however, that's shifted, thanks to a huge boost in the quantity and quality of the city's independent breweries. "The city is absolutely on the up in terms of being a global beer destination for tourists," says Bellfield Brewery's founder and CEO Alistair Brown, whose company took the Brewery of the Year award at the 2023 Scottish Beer Awards (per the Edinburgh Enquirer). Its recent boom has contributed to more and more people discovering their local brewers during the COVID-19 pandemic — and now that secret is ready to be shared with the world.

In bars like The Stockbridge Tap and Innis & Gunn, you'll find not only local brews but beers from all over the UK. Others match their eclectic mix of beers with funky décors, like Pilgrim Bar, which occupies an ex-cinema built in the 1930s and has an interior made from totally reused materials and furniture pieces. Add to that the picturesque setting and vibrant feel, and the city is the ideal location to wile away a few days, pint in hand. ‌

Kraków has been developing as a beer destination for a little while now, with a microbrewery scene bubbling up in the early 2010s. This was in part thanks to the rise of the free market in Poland and nationalized breweries selling off old stock to sole traders. What once was a niche industry is now firmly established. These days, you won't struggle to find a good craft beer in Kraków: The ultra-trendy city has dozens of breweries, craft beer bars, and taprooms, and its rich and exciting architecture means that you get quite the view while trying each one.

Omerta, one of the earliest pubs to start stocking craft beers, is a must-visit: With 30 draught taps and premises that keep getting bigger, it's where the action's at. House of Beer has a similar reputation, with literally hundreds of beers available to try (we'd recommend not giving them all a go at once, though). Stroll down the streets of the Kazimierz district, and you'll find new taprooms popping up at the speed of light, each with their own selection. Factor in the average price of beer in Kraków, which is way cheaper than some other places in Europe, and you won't want to go anywhere else.

Romanian beer culture may not be well-known to folks who live outside of Europe, but that doesn't mean you should write it off. The country has always celebrated the innovation of its beermakers, with a wide variety of styles and techniques popping up throughout the 19th century. In the capital city of Bucharest, and other places around the country, beer is an integral part of everyday life — and the number of bars and beer pubs is a testament to this.

There's a wealth of craft beer taprooms and breweries in Bucharest, ranging from snug neighborhood outfits to cavernous halls perfect for a big night out. Many of these bars provide a selection of bought-in or imported beers, as well as their own specialties, making for a diverse drinking experience. In Zăganu, located slightly out of the old town, well-regarded beers sit next to cutting-edge styles provided directly by the brewer itself.

Of course, no trip to Bucharest would be complete without sampling one of its most famous beers. Timișoreana, named after the city it was founded in, is a lager that's been brewed since 1718 and is renowned for its golden color and lightly sweet taste.

If you like your beer destinations ultra-cool and crammed with craft beer options, head to Gothenburg. The second-largest city in Sweden has a long history of beer production, emerging as one of the biggest porter producers in Europe in the 19th century. "Gothenburg was brewing 6 million liters a year. They were brewing more porter 200 years ago than all the beer craft brewers make now, put together," says Gothenburg Beer Week's founder and beer writer Fredrik Berggren, via The Daily Beast. That beer legacy has continued, with the highest proportion of breweries to its population in the whole of Scandinavia, and nowadays, porters sit next to lagers, pilsners, and ales, as its craft beer scene continues to grow.

There's no shortage of bars in Gothenburg that ooze scandi-cool, and have eye-popping decor that matches their menus. Poppels Citybryggeri is a fine example, with its beer tanks housed in a neo-industrial setting offset by pops of warm orange tiles. Elsewhere, you'll find small-scale breweries on side streets, and more traditional pubs offering ales and lagers. Many of its bars are located near the river, too, making them the perfect destination on the city's mild summer days.‌

Belgium punches above its weight when it comes to beer — virtually every city in this small country offers an impressive selection of brews. The city may only have a population of just over 100,000, but it's got a host of must-try beer bars, with some, like 'T Brugs Beertje, offering hundreds of different styles. This is why, in our opinion, Bruges is the place you need to be.

This city is also well-known for its beer festival, which celebrates the Belgian beer industry and its output. A large-scale event, each year thousands of people cram into the city to try the festival's multiple beers, take part in tasting sessions and workshops, and mingle with other beer aficionados while eating the ever-popular Belgian french fries. Heading to Bruges also provides the perfect opportunity to sample Brugse Zot, made in the heart of the city center. This famous Belgian beer, with its iconic jester mascot, is a blond ale: Light in color, easy to drink, and with strong notes of citrus, it's most commonly served in a tulip glass and can be found in most bars around Bruges.

Copenhagen is a quintessentially Nordic city, and its gorgeous architecture and waterside location make it one of the loveliest spots for beer lovers on our list. The Danish capital has always loved beer: In the late 17th century, it had 140 breweries dotted around the city, with its most famous export, Carlsberg, first brewed in 1847. Its popularity ushered in a huge increase in lager production, and for a long time that was the predominant style in Copenhagen, until the craft beer revolution introduced a new world of ales to the modern customer.

Nowadays, it's not difficult to find a good beer wherever you go, and for the city's inhabitants, it's serious business. There are approximately 50 craft beer bars dotted around Copenhagen, and Nørrebro and Vesterbro are the two districts you need to head to if you want to sample the cream of the crop. Naturally, you'll also want to check out where the world-famous Carlsberg is made. At the Home Of Carlsberg, you can do just that: Book yourself a brewery tour and take part in a slice of history. ‌

People flock to Amsterdam for many different things, but in our view, the capital of the Netherlands' beer scene is one of the most compelling reasons to do so. Amsterdam has been renowned for brewing beer since as early as the 15th century, and for many years a lot of the conversation around the beverage in the city has been dominated by Heineken, the popular beer brand native to the Netherlands. More recently, though, Amsterdam has seen an increase in locally-made craft beers, and with micro-breweries opening up around the city regularly, there are a lot of different styles to try.

As far as bars go, step away from the Red Light District and head to Zuid, where the ultra-hip Butcher's Tears sees locals mixing with tourists. Brouwerij 't IJ is also a must-visit location, sitting directly on the waterways and serving flights of craft brews. It's worth remembering, too, that there are a host of breweries on the outskirts of the city, away from the hustle and bustle of its center. Head to Breugem Meeting Point over in Houthavens, see where they make Breugem Bier (which you'll likely find all over Amsterdam), and try it directly from the source.

Figuring out what exactly makes a good beer destination is pretty tricky, but in this article, there were a few determining factors. We focused, first and foremost, on whether the cities discussed had a solid beer culture, contributed to by the number of good craft beer bars and microbreweries. A sizeable number of establishments selling craft beer indicates that the city itself has an appreciation for the beverage and an understanding that both its locals and tourists consider beer highly on their priorities list.

History was also an important factor for us when determining the best beer destinations. Many of the cities on our list have acted as the beating heart of their country's beer industry throughout the ages, and this sense of tradition has bled into new practices and informed the brewers of today. It was also important for us to showcase cities that didn't just stick to one solitary beer style — although each of them has its specialty — and make sure that we were highlighting places that could offer something for everyone, not just folks who love the more niche beers out there.