Pilsner isn’t the Czech Republic’s only alcoholic claim to fame: A herbal liqueur called Becherovka is another popular tipple. Becherovka originated in the spa town of Karlovy Vary as a medicinal drink that complemented the therapeutic spa waters. Now, the Jan Becher Museum tells the liqueur’s 200-plus-year history and allows visitors to sample Becherovka.
The recipe for Becherovka is a closely guarded secret, and while you won’t find this out on a tour of the Jan Becher Museum, you will learn many other things. The museum is in an old factory built in 1867 that manufactured Becherovka for over 100 years. Entry is by guided tour only, and you can choose between the basic, extended, and exclusive categories, depending on which and how many Becherovka drinks you want to try.
The legal drinking age in the Czech Republic is 18. Under-18s are welcome on the tour but don’t get drink samples.
Students and travelers with disabilities pay a reduced entry fee. A family ticket is also available.
Tours are run in Czech, English, Russian, and German, but not all tours run in all languages.
There’s a bar in the museum and a gift shop where you can buy full-size bottles of Becherovka.
Karlovy Vary is about 78 miles (126 kilometers) west of Prague, and travelers often visit on a day trip or overnight to stay in a spa hotel. The Jan Becher Museum is in the center of Karlovy Vary, just east of the Dolní Nádraží railway station. However, the easiest way of reaching Karlovy Vary from Prague is by bus. Buses leave at least once per hour from Florenc and take around two hours to reach Karlovy Vary.
The Jan Becher Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from morning until early evening, with a lunch break in the middle of the day. Tours take place every hour. This is a popular place, and each tour can accommodate 10 people. Plus, not all tours are in English, so book in advance.
For a completely different experience related to the family behind Becherovka, check out the beautiful Becher Villa, a branch of the Karlovy Vary Art Gallery. The family’s early-20th-century mansion fell into disrepair for many years but was reopened to the public in 2010 as an interactive gallery and space for up-and-coming artists. No consumption of herbal liqueurs is required.