Heritage

Prague Castle

#1of 9 places to visit in PraguePrague, Prague, Czech Republic

Also known as Pražský hrad · Hrad

Quick answer

Opening hours: 06:00–22:00 and 09:00–17:00 and 09:00–16:00. Entry: CZK 450. Allow 3.5 hrs. Best time: 09:00 - 10:00.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 5 min read

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Photo: Tilman2007 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Opening hours: 06:00–16:00; Castle grounds 06:00-22:00 daily, year-round. Ticketed interiors 09:00-17:00 from April to October and 09:00-16:00 from November to March.
Entry fee: CZK 450; Ticket from
Time needed: 3.5 hrs
Best time of day: 09:00 - 10:00
Best months: Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct
Address: Pražský hrad, 119 08 Praha 1 - Hradčany, Czech Republic

About Prague Castle

Prague Castle charges CZK 450 for the basic four-sight ticket covering the Old Royal Palace, St George's Basilica, St Vitus Cathedral and Golden Lane, as of 2026, and spreads across roughly 70,000 square metres, which Guinness World Records lists as the largest ancient castle complex in the world. The hilltop compound above the Vltava river has served Bohemian princes and kings since about 870 and is the working seat of the Czech president today. The courtyards are free to enter from 06:00 to 22:00 daily, so only the interiors need a ticket. Sandstone and limestone façades in Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque layers stand side by side, and a walk through the three courtyards works as a compressed tour of a thousand years of building.

Best time of day: 09:00 - 10:00. At opening, before tour groups fill the Second Courtyard and the cathedral queue builds.

Prague Castle timings

Opening hours: 06:00–16:00; Mon–Sun 06:00–22:00 and 09:00–17:00 and 09:00–16:00; Castle grounds 06:00-22:00 daily, year-round. Ticketed interiors 09:00-17:00 from April to October and 09:00-16:00 from November to March.
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Sun	06:00–22:00 and 09:00–17:00 and 09:00–16:00

Good to know: Last entry to interiors is about 30 minutes before closing. Interiors are closed on 24 December while the grounds stay open, as of 2026; verify at the official site.

Opening hours compiled from hrad.cz and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Prague Castle ticket price

Entry fees for Prague Castle
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	CZK 450
Concession (student / senior)	CZK 300
Children	CZK 300

The basic tour ticket (Old Royal Palace, St George's Basilica, St Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower) costs CZK 450 adult, CZK 300 reduced (ages 6-16, students to 26, seniors 65+) and CZK 950 family, valid for two consecutive days with one entry per building, as of 2026. A second ticket for the permanent exhibitions (Picture Gallery, Story of Prague Castle, Powder Tower, Rosenberg Palace) is listed at CZK 300 adult by Prague City Tourism. SOURCE CONFLICT: sources label these bundles differently as 'Circuit A' and 'Circuit B' and some third-party pages show older prices; verify circuit names and prices at the official site hrad.cz before buying. The courtyards and gardens need no ticket.

Prices compiled from hrad.cz and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Prague Castle

Quiet
Moderate
Busy
Very busy

06:00 - 09:00
Courtyards Before Ticket HoursBest time to go
Grounds open from 06:00 with no ticket needed; the courtyards and gardens are nearly empty, though interiors do not open until 09:00.
Quiet
09:00 - 11:00
Opening Rush
Tour groups reach the Second Courtyard security gate and the St Vitus queue lengthens; arriving at 09:00 sharp gives the shortest waits.
Busy
11:00 - 15:00
Midday Peak
Screening lines, the noon guard ceremony and cruise-day coach groups combine; Golden Lane and the Old Royal Palace are shoulder to shoulder.
Very busy
15:30 - 17:00
Late Afternoon Thinning
Groups leave before closing; last entries are about 30 minutes before the interiors shut and light on the city view is softer.
Moderate

History of Prague Castle

Prague Castle dates from about 870, when Prince Bořivoj of the Přemyslid dynasty founded the Church of the Virgin Mary on the ridge above the river. St George's Basilica followed in the 10th century and keeps a Romanesque interior of pale sandstone behind a red Baroque façade. Charles IV began the Gothic St Vitus Cathedral in 1344, and Benedikt Rejt raised the Vladislav Hall in the Old Royal Palace in the late 15th century, its ribbed vault spanning the room without central pillars.

Prague Castle was the stage for the Second Defenestration of 1618, when Protestant nobles threw two imperial governors from a palace window and set off the Bohemian Revolt that led into the Thirty Years' War. Since 1918 the castle has been the seat of the head of state, and the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik reworked its courtyards, gardens and stairways for the first Czechoslovak president in the 1920s and 1930s.

Rules & etiquette at Prague Castle

Prague Castle runs airport-style bag screening at its entrances, so expect an X-ray scanner and a queue at the Second Courtyard gate that commonly runs 20 to 40 minutes at midday in peak season. Large bags may be refused at building entrances, and each ticketed building admits you once per ticket within the two days of validity. Follow posted signs on flash and tripod use, which vary by building, and note that drone flights over the castle sit inside controlled airspace and are effectively prohibited.

Prague Castle is a working government site, so uniformed guards, police and roped-off presidential areas are normal. Cover shoulders and knees when you enter St Vitus Cathedral, which remains an active church. Cafés in the First and Second Courtyards charge tourist prices; tipping in Czech restaurants is customary at around 10 percent, handed over when paying rather than left on the table.

Tips for visiting Prague Castle

1
Prague Castle is easiest to enter from the Malostranská side: ride tram 22 up to the Pražský hrad stop, then walk down the Old Castle Steps at the end of the visit. Buy tickets online or at an information centre inside the Third Courtyard rather than joining the ticket-desk line, and use the two-day validity to split the sights across a morning and the following day.
2
Prague Castle's ceremonial changing of the guard takes place in the First Courtyard, with the full ceremony with fanfare at noon (verify times at the official site). Pickpockets work the packed queue at the security gate and the crowded Golden Lane, a row of tiny 16th-century houses painted in pastel colours, so keep zips closed. For a cheaper lunch, walk five minutes to Nový Svět rather than eating at the castle gate.

How to reach Prague Castle

The red star is Prague Castle; the numbered pins are the 8 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.

Pražský hrad, 119 08 Praha 1 - Hradčany, Czech RepublicDirections in Google Maps

From Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG)
17 km · 50-60 min
CZK 50 paper / CZK 46 app (90-minute Prague ticket, as of 2026)
From Prague Old Town (Staroměstská metro)
2 km · 15-25 min
CZK 39 paper / CZK 36 app (30-minute ticket) or CZK 50 / 46 (90-minute)
From Prague Main Station (Hlavní nádraží)
4 km · 25-30 min
CZK 50 paper / CZK 46 app (90-minute ticket)

Nearest airport

From Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG)

approximately 17 km west of the centre; bus 119 to Nádraží Veleslavín then metro line A, about 40 minutes door to door.

Nearest station

From Malostranská (metro A), then a 10-minute uphill walk or tram 22 to Pražský hrad; Hradčanská (metro A) is the alternative from the west.

Prague Castle FAQs

How much does Prague Castle cost to enter?

The basic Prague Castle ticket costs CZK 450 for adults and CZK 300 reduced, as of 2026, with a family ticket at CZK 950. The ticket covers the Old Royal Palace, St George's Basilica, St Vitus Cathedral and Golden Lane, and stays valid for two consecutive days with one entry per building; verify prices at hrad.cz.

Is Prague Castle free to enter?

Yes, the castle grounds and courtyards are free to enter from 06:00 to 22:00 daily, but the interiors need a ticket. Watching the changing of the guard and walking the three courtyards cost nothing.

How long does a visit to Prague Castle take?

Plan 3 to 4 hours for the basic ticket sights, plus 30 minutes for the security queue in peak season. Adding the exhibitions ticket or the cathedral tower can stretch a visit to a full day.

Is there a dress code at Prague Castle?

There is no dress code for the courtyards, but shoulders and knees should be covered inside St Vitus Cathedral, which is an active church. Large bags may be refused inside the buildings and all bags are screened at the entrance.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places