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What Prague’s pub-crawl ban means for tourism

Credit: Last Night of Freedom
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Brighton, UK
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The new legislation is a blow for travellers looking for cheap, booze-filled nights out. 

For a certain type of tourist, Prague has long been synonymous with cheap beer, mediaeval charm, and a night out you’ll definitely forget.

In fact, for many British party-goers, Prague has become a rite of passage. An accessible land of frothy Pilsner and wallet-friendly drinks, the Czech capital, with its fairytale skyline and riverfront bars, has become somewhat of a budget-friendly Disneyland for pub crawlers.

But that narrative is about to change, with Prague now firmly closing the door on the nocturnal antics of the classic stag party. City legislators have announced a ban on night-time pub crawls, particularly those organised by travel agencies, in an effort to attract a ‘more cultured’ and ‘wealthy’ type of tourist.

The decision underscores a growing tension between local residents and the tourism industry across Europe, with protests against visitors reaching new heights this summer in popular tourist destinations like Barcelona.

Prague, a city of 1.3 million, has been grappling with over-tourism for years, and that doesn’t only include pressures on local real estate or businesses. Drunken visitors have been wreaking havoc across the city as nightlife gets rowdier.

Deputy mayor Jiri Pospisil has said he wanted the city to become a place where ‘refinement and respect for shared public space are a priority’. And Prague isn’t alone in its bid to deter drunken tourists.

Last year, Amsterdam launched a campaign to discourage young British men from travelling to the Dutch capital with the intention of drinking and partying heavily.

Prague City Council said councillors had approved legislation limiting ‘organised movements of tourists from pub to pub, disrupting the night peace especially in the centre.’

The decision has been made largely on the grounds of safety, cleanliness, and noise, with councillors also claiming that drunk tourists have negatively affected the reputation of the city.

Most of Prague city centre – where many popular bars are located – is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and it’s no surprise that officials and residents alike have welcomed the move.

Prague resident Stepan Kuchta told reporters that ‘chronic noise’ in the city had ‘ruined’ his health.

But organisations like Prague Pub Crawl have slammed the decision as ‘merely a populist move to cover up the city management’s inability to address real issues, such as the lack of municipal police officers to enforce night-time peace.’

Outright banning pub crawls with the intent of cultivating a more ‘cultured’ tourist does raise ethical questions around how selective cities should and can be about the people they accommodate.

Where do we draw the line between protecting local culture and encouraging elitism and exclusivity to the detriment of the city itself?

Is the real issue the tourists – or the infrastructure that’s been built to cater to them? It’s no secret that tourism transforms cities. Locals in Barcelona and Venice have similarly protested against their cities becoming little more than open-air museums, where daily life is disrupted by the seasonal influx of people seeking Instagrammable backdrops.

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But is there something different about Prague’s decision? Is it unfair to say the ‘wrong kind’ of tourists are ruining things when the city has long marketed itself as a destination for affordable booze and good times?

Well, when you look at the small print, the ban targets pub crawls specifically organised by travel agencies, meaning tourists can still theoretically have a night out in Prague. City councillors claim they’re not trying to discourage all tourists, just the type that ‘come for a short time only to get drunk.’

It’s a thinly veiled swipe at the hordes of budget travellers who descend on the city for one weekend of debauchery, leaving nothing behind but mess and hangovers.

Prague has certainly profited from this reputation. Post-Soviet Union, the Czech Republic leaned into its newfound tourism potential, particularly as its famously cheap beer became a selling point for Brits.

What Prague’s ban signals is not just a practical measure to control drunkenness but a wider existential question for the travel industry: Can cities truly dictate what kind of tourism they attract? More importantly, should they?

The decision might seem like a win for culture, but it also opens up a wider debate about who gets to enjoy a city and on what terms.

Yes, locals deserve peace. And yes, cities have a right to protect their cultural heritage. But tourism, in all its messy, chaotic glory, is rarely neat. It’s often loud and inconvenient.

Contributing Writer Brighton, UK

I’m Flo, (She/Her) a remote writer at Thred. I recently completed a Masters in Visual Anthropology, and seek to interrogate the ways digital spaces can amplify marginalised voices in the arts and cultural sectors. Follow me on LinkedIn or ping me some feedback via email.

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