Planning a pub crawl: Structure, tasks, and tips for a successful tour

A successful pub crawl lives and dies by its planning. Too many stops, and the group falls apart after the third bar. Too little entertainment in between, and it gets boring fast. Here's a guide that has proven itself in practice.

How many bars are realistic?

For an evening lasting four to five hours, four to six stops are typically sufficient based on experience. Plan for 45 to 60 minutes per bar, plus travel time between locations. Decide beforehand who knows the route or will navigate – nothing slows down a group quite like an uncertain discussion in front of the next door.

Building a sensible route

• Start central: A bar with seating for the kickoff, so the group can get organized first.
• Middle lively: Place the busier locations in the middle of the evening when the mood is at its peak.
• End relaxed: End at a place where people can stay longer if part of the group wants to leave early.

Tasks that fit the tour

Instead of a rigid drinking game, a bingo card adds variety without forcing anyone to keep up who doesn't want to:

• Toast with the bartender in each bar
• Take a group photo at the bar counter of each location
• Find and play a round of table football or darts
• Strike up a conversation with another group at the venue
• Try the bar's signature drink

Tasks automatically land on a recap page with all photos from the evening once you activate the photo requirement – handy when there are a few memory gaps the next morning.

Practical tips for the road

• Reservations for larger groups: Starting at around eight people, a quick call ahead is worth it so the entire tour doesn't end at the door of a packed bar.
• A meeting point in case of separation: In case the group splits between two bars, establish a fixed meeting point.
• Water in between: Sounds obvious, but prevents the second half of the evening from ending earlier than planned.
• Share the code beforehand: Send the QR code or link to the card to the group before starting the tour so nobody has to join midway.

Get the card ready in 5 minutes

1. Select the occasion "pub crawl", determine card size.
2. Put together tasks – the ideas above serve as a basic framework, plus a few of your own with inside jokes relevant to your group.
3. Send the QR code to everyone. No download, no account – scan and you're off.

That way the tour stays what it should be: a shared experience where nobody wonders what comes next.