How to visit and what to see at Prague Castle: schedules, prices

castle is what the great is called Prague Castle, and it is one of the essential visits on your tour of the prague city, riding a Czech Republic.

Although it is called castle, in reality it is not how we understand this type of fortification, but in reality it is a small city, most of it within a walled and closed area.

The fortification houses inside government buildings, administrative centers, museums, exposition halls and five religious buildings, apart from restaurants, cafes and shops.

Around the castle grounds you will find large garden areas, from the Rhea Gardenl to the north, to the South Gardens, from whose viewpoints you can have beautiful panoramic views of the medieval city of Prague.

El Prag CastleIt has its origins at the end of the 1140th century, and since XNUMX it was used as a residence for the Bohemian kings.

Over the years it has undergone many changes and expansions, and now it appears to us as an amalgamation of buildings of all types, in many cases with unfortunate aesthetic results.

Currently it is the headquarters of the Presidency from the Czech Republic.

Tips for visiting Prague Castle

El Prague Castle It is an enclosure that is open to the public for many hours, specifically, from 6 a.m. to 23 p.m., and an in-depth visit can take you almost the entire tourist day.

Therefore, when considering going up to the castle, you must have a minimum of three hours to at least be able to visit the most notable corners.

You must also keep in mind that during the high tourist season there is a huge concentration of visitors that can force you to wait in lines to access the most important centers of interest.

What to see when visiting Prague Castle

Below we point out what it is the best things to see on your visit to Prague Castle:

Obrazrna Painting Gallery in Prague Castle

After crossing a first patio, from which you will see the towers of the St. Vitus Cathedral, under normal conditions in the second patio you can visit the Obrazanna Painting Gallery, although during the time of pandemic is closed.

In this corner a selection of one hundred paintings from the large collection of more than 4.000 paintings and other artistic objects kept in Prague Castle is displayed.

During your visit you will be able to see not only paintings by Italian, German, Dutch and Flemish masters, but also different art objects and precious materials, with natural elements and other curious objects.

St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle

La St Vitus Cathedral in Prague dates back to year 1344 , although it was not completed until the middle of the last 20th century, when the two towers and the south façade were completed.

In the same place, a first church of St Vitus, which, later, in the 11th century, was replaced by another Romanesque church.

But it was not until the 14th century when the construction of the current one began. Gothic cathedral.

The German architect Peter Parler, who directed the construction of the gothic cathedral of st vitus, was the same one who designed the famous Charles Bridge in Prague.

Before your visit, you should know that the St Vitus Cathedral It is the largest and most important church in the Czech Republic.

The main access to it is the so-called Golden Gate, located in the third patio of the enclosure of the Prague Castle.

What to see when visiting St Vitus Cathedral

However, to make the visit of the cathedral of St. Vitus You have to enter through the west door, on the opposite side.

Before entering inside you should look at the large mosaic that is located just above the Golden Gate.

Known as the mosaic of the Last Judgment. It was made with more than a million small pieces of glass and rhinestones.

Within the St Vitus Cathedral of Prague Castle, you must visit the Chapel of St. Wenceslas, place where since the 14th century the tomb of Saint Wenceslas, Whoever it was Prince of Bohemia.

Likewise, you can also appreciate the monumental Tomb of San Juan de Nepomuceno, made of solid silver in 1736.

Through a small door with seven locks in one corner of the chapel you access the Crown Chamber, where the Coronation Jewels of the Bohemian Kingdom, although it is a place that is not visited.

Visiting times for St Vitus Cathedral

The St Vitus Cathedral visiting hours They are from 9 a.m. to 17 p.m. (on Sundays, from 12 p.m.) from April to October, and from 9 a.m. to 16 p.m. during the rest of the year.

Last entry is 20 minutes before closing time.

It is also possible climb the South Tower of St Vitus Cathedral y visit the Cathedral Treasury, with the same hours, and last entry one hour before closing.

St Vitus Cathedral ticket prices

Here you can consult the ticket prices to visit St Vitus Cathedral.

Here you can buy in advance the tickets to visit Prague Castle, including St Vitus Cathedral.

Royal Palace in Prague Castle

In the same patio, in front of the cathedral, and linked by an elevated passage, is the Royal Palace which was built in the 12th century to be the residence of the bohemian kings.

In its long history it also became the headquarters of the ancient Parliament(Diet) from Bohemia.

The building of the Royal Palace Currently it has three superimposed levels that correspond to the different periods of reconstruction.

Thus, on top of the initial Romanesque-style royal palace, from the year 1135, a Gothic-style floor plan was superimposed.

In this way, when you access visit the Royal Palace of Prague Castle, you will do it through an entrance that goes towards the so-called Green Room.

This is the room of the original Romanesque palace that was used as a court and is now a library.

Ladislao Room in the Royal Palace

You will immediately reach the famous Ladislao Room, which is the main room of the palace.

60 meters long, it was designed at the end of the XNUMXth century with a late gothic style which during your visit you will see reflected in the design of its high vault, with intertwined ribs that aim to achieve a vegetal effect.

Another room to visit is Diet Room, located to the left of the Ladislao Room. which was the seat of the aforementioned medieval parliament and had to be rebuilt in 1563 after a fire.

At the bottom of the Ladislao Room of the Royal Palace you will find the All Saints Chapel, which was built for the king Charles IV, and was rebuilt after the aforementioned fire in a baroque style.

Changing of the Guard at Prague Castle

In front of the Royal Palace you can attend the ceremony of the changing of the guard, with a parade included, which takes place every day at 12 noon.

St. George's Basilica in Prague Castle

In the next square you find the Basilica of Saint George, and next to it is the St. George's Monastery.

You should know that you will be in front of the oldest religious building in Prague Castle, and in front of the oldest monastery in the Czech Republic.

La Basilica of Saint George It was built in the year 920, but after the subsequent construction of the monastery of the Benedictine nuns in the year 973, the basilica was expanded and remodeled.

A devastating fire in 1142 forced a new and total reconstruction.

It was around then that he acquired the Romanesque architectural style which it maintains today, with its main nave and its two towers.

In turn, the St. George Monastery It was remodeled in the 17th century in Baroque style, and the result is a building that will be easy for you to recognize due to its striking appearance. red facade which makes it one of the most prominent monuments in the interior of the Prague Castle.

When you visit the Basilica of Saint George You will see its very austere interior, characteristic of Romanesque buildings.

In it, the most prominent corner is the so-called chapel of Saint Ludmila.

As to St. George Monastery, currently houses a 19th century bohemian art collection which is part of the National Gallery in Prague.

Golden Alley in Prague Castle

Perhaps the most charming corner of the Prague Castle grounds is the so-called Golden Alley.

Located under the wall, it is a succession of small houses of almost toy size, originally occupied by artisan workshops, and which formed a popular neighborhood.

At Golden Alley you will find small houses that even Second World War They were inhabited by modest artisan workshops.

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Built between the 16th and 17th centuries, these brightly colored houses were occupied, above all, by goldsmiths; hence its name Golden Alley.

Of all the houses that you will find in this alley, those that are shown as the best examples of its original style are houses 13 and 20.

Kafka's House in Golden Alley

For its part, house 22 has acquired great fame because the Czech writer lived there between 1916 and 1917. Franz Kafka.

Currently, when you visit the Golden Alley of the Prague Castle, you will walk through a very busy street and the premises with old craft workshops are now occupied by restaurants and souvenir shops.

Hours and prices of Golden Alley tickets in Prague

The schedules to visit the Golden Alley in Prague They are, from April to October, from 9 a.m. to 17 p.m., and from November to March, from 9 a.m. to 16 p.m.

La entrance to the Golden Alley is not free, but with the new rules that from June 1, 2019 regulate the visit to the castle, you must pay entry within the joint options offered to visit the different monuments on the grounds of the Prague Castle.

For visit the Golden Alley you must purchase the ticket, either for the Circuit A, with the price of 350 CZK (13,70 euros), or for the Circuit B, with the price of 250 CZK (9,80 euros).

And here you can buy the tickets to visit Prague Castle, which gives you access to the historical monuments found on the premises, including the walk through the Golden Alley.

Dalibor Tower in Prague Castle

Before leaving the Golden Alley, under normal conditions you can visit the Dalibor Tower, an old prison that is located on the east wall, although it is not visited during the pandemic period.

La Dalibor Tower (Daliborka, in Czech) was built when, starting in 1483, the dynasty of the Jagellon kings He carried out a reconstruction of the old fortress with the intention of inhabiting it again.

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In this way, the Dalibor Tower It was built at the same time as the other defensive towers on the north side, such as the Powder Tower.

The denomination of Dalibor It comes from the name of the first prisoner that this old prison had.

Legend of Dalibor

From his stay in the tower there is a legend which was very popular in Prague; People say that Dalibor, who was a young knight, was imprisoned in 1498 for hiding rebellious servants, for which he was sentenced to death.

While I was in the Dalibor TowerAccording to legend, he learned to play the violin.

In addition to being considered as a kind of Robin Hood Czech, played such pleasant melodies that the authorities delayed carrying out the sentence for fear of the people's revolt.

Until one day the violin stopped playing.

This legend was the basis of the Opera Dalibor composed by the prestigious Czech composer Cream.

In your visit to the Dalibor Tower at Prague Castle, you will be able to see some rooms of the old prison, with a somewhat sinister atmosphere, where various torture tools are displayed.

South Gardens of Prague Castle

After crossing the exit door of the castle on this side of it, you will find a gazebo that allows you to enjoy beautiful panoramic views of the medieval city Prague,

And bordering the wall on the outside, you have the beautiful South Gardens (closed for visits during 2019).

This garden area in medieval times was occupied by different fortifications of Prague Castle, but over time these defenses lost their meaning.

To replace them, various gardens emerged, distributed in the form of terraces, as they extend along the slope of the hill.

In the 18th century, during the Baroque era, the gardens were most popular, being decorated with fountains and sculptures.

Over time they were abandoned until, finally, in 1989 a complete remodeling of the area was undertaken.

The result is pleasant gardens that extend throughout the south facade of Prague Castle, in the form of a terrace, with various baroque architectural elements, such as fountains, statues, a pergola, an obelisk, etc...

During your walk through the gardens you will be able to look at the various viewpoints from which you will have different Panoramic views from the city of Prague.

These South Gardens of Prague Castle They are also used in summer for various cultural events, from exhibitions to music concerts.

In short, the visit of Prague Castle It should be one of the main stages of your trip to Prague, although you must plan your time very well and decide, depending on your availability, which monuments and museums you are going to visit.

This decision is key when purchasing a ticket to visit the castle.

Prague Castle visit schedules

The schedules to visit the monuments of the Prague Castle They vary depending on the time of year.

Thus, the monumental complex is open from 6 a.m. to 22 p.m., and the visiting hours of the monuments, from April to October, are from 9 a.m. to 17 p.m., and the rest of the year, from November to March, from 9 a.m. until 16 p.m.

Prague Castle ticket prices

As for Prague Castle ticket pricesUnder normal conditions, there are several circuits to visit, although currently, only a single circuit is available.

This ticket includes a visit to the St Vitus Cathedral; the Royal Palace; la Basilica and Monastery of Saint George; and Golden Alley.

Here you can consult the ticket prices to visit Prague Castle.

Finally you have to keep in mind that you cannot take photos inside the monuments, unless you pay an additional fee of 50 CZK, 2 euros, which will allow you to do them, of course, without using a flash or tripod, except in the exhibitions and the Painting Gallery.