Prague Castle Tickets
Do you want to see Prague Castle but are confused about which Prague Castle ticket to buy? Don't worry! We are here to help you! This is our guide to Prague Castle, how to visit, what the skip-the-line ticket means, and which Prague Castle ticket will take you where.
We also offer a tour to Prague Castle which includes tickets: Prague Castle Tour w/ Tickets to Interiors.
The Basics
Prague Castle is the largest castle complex in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. There are many ways to explore the complex—you can spend as little as an hour there or even up to two days if you wish. Please remember that Prague Castle is the active residence of the Czech President, which means most of the palaces within the complex are not open to the public, except during the special Open Doors events held once or twice a year.
Prague Castle For FREE
Yes, you've read it right. You can see Prague Castle for free. Not everything though, of course! To make it simple, all of the outside parts of the castle are for free. To be more detailed, 4 courtyards of Prague Castle 4 gardens are free to access. If you are not a history buff and care more about the visuals and great photos, visiting Prague Castle for free might be just enough.
- Opening hours to visit for free are 6 am - 10 pm.
- It takes around 1-3 hours to see Prague Castle for free.
Do you need tickets for Prague Castle?
You don’t need a ticket to visit Prague Castle if you only want to explore the castle grounds—such as the courtyards, which are accessible all year round, and the gardens, which are open only in summer. You’ll need a Prague Castle ticket if you wish to enter the interiors, including St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, the Golden Lane, and other sites.
Which Prague Castle ticket to get?
There is only one ticket that covers all of Prague Castle's important sights such as St Vitus Cathedral, St George's Basilica, Golden Lane, and the Old Royal Palace - Prague Castle Circuit ticket. You cannot get individual tickets to these attractions. However, there are a few other places in Prague Castle where you will need to get a ticket, we will mention them below.
Prague Castle - Circuit Ticket - Admissions and what they cover
This is the ticket you should go for if you want to get the most out of your visit and see the best sights, and the most important interiors of the castle. With the Circuit Ticket, you will see the interiors of:
- St. Vitus Cathedral
- Old Royal Palace
- The Basilica of St. George
- the Golden Lane
It gives you access to the Tomb of St. Wenceslas, the place of the Third Prague Defenestration (some sources prefer to call it the Second), Alchemy Chambers, the House of Franz Kafka, and more.
- The new price of the Prague Castle-Main Circuit ticket is 450 czk per person, starting from March 1st, 2024!
- 6-16-year-old kids, and full-time secondary school and university students up to 26 years old get a discounted price of 300 czk per person once they present their IDs or student IDs.
- A family of 1-5 children under 16 and 2 adults can get it for 950 czk.
The interiors have a few written info boards that explain the basics. If you want to go a little bit more into details, you can get the audioguide, or get a guide directly at the castle (cheapest option but not always available, since it is a "wait and see if more people book" type of tour), or book a Prague Castle Tour which includes a ticket.
- Opening hours of Prague Castle Interiors: Summer 9 am - 5 pm, Winter 9 am - 4 pm.
- It takes around 3 - 6 hours to see Prague Castle with the Main Circuit Ticket.
Other tickets
Yes, there is more...
- The Tower of St. Vitus Cathedral: It costs 200 CZK, and you can climb the tower for a great view. There is no elevator. You've been warned!
- Prague Castle Permanent Exhibitions - This circuit costs 300 czk per head and includes Rosenberg Palace, Prague Castle Picture Gallery, Castle Guard, and the Story of Prague Castle exhibitions. It will take you 3 hours minimum to see everything comfortably.
- The admission fee to Prague Castle Picture Gallery alone costs 200 czk.
- Prague Castle Horse Riding School and the Summer Palace of Queen Ann often host temporary exhibitions as well, but they aren't included in the Prague Castle circuit.
Why You Might Not Want to Buy Prague Castle Tickets Online
Prague Castle offers online ticket purchases for its interiors and exhibitions through its official website, hrad.cz. During the reservation process, you’ll need to select the date and time of your visit. However, unexpected closures at the castle can occur, and you may only learn about them upon arrival. Unfortunately, refunds are not possible if you have already purchased an e-ticket.
For this reason, we recommend buying your tickets directly at one of the Prague Castle ticket offices. They are located in the second courtyard (next to the Picture Gallery entrance), the third courtyard (in front of St. Vitus Cathedral entrace), and at the entrance to the Golden Lane.
With that said, it’s still better to purchase your ticket from the official Prague Castle website rather than from various reseller sites, some of which may not be reliable. On our Prague Castle with Tickets tour, we always buy tickets at the official ticket office, right before heading to St. Vitus Cathedral.
Skip-the-Line Ticket?
Many attractions around the world offer skip-the-line tickets, which are a great way to save time by avoiding long queues. However, Prague Castle has a different system when it comes to this offer. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid standing in line for individual sites such as St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, and others. So, when you see a skip-the-line ticket for Prague Castle sold online, remember that the only line you will actually skip is the ticket office line.
Here’s how it works: a licensed guide goes to the ticket office ahead of you and buys your ticket, effectively standing in line instead of you, because guides have a separate designated ticket office. That is quite different from what most visitors imagine, which can be a disappointment if you thought there would be a separate entrance for skip-the-line ticket holders.
You can only get a skip-the-line ticket as part of a guided tour. Prague Castle itself does not sell such tickets at its information centers.
Some companies sell “skip-the-line” tickets for less than 20 euros. This means they go to Prague Castle ahead of you, wait in line to purchase the ticket, and then hand it over to you—perhaps providing a short introduction before letting you explore on your own. Remember, you will not get a fully guided tour for this price.
Prague Castle Tickets as Part of the Visitor Pass, Prague Card, and Other Similar Services – Is It Worth It?
The Visitor Pass and Prague Card also include admission to Prague Castle and often claim that you won’t have to stand in line if you buy their products. This is slightly misleading, as you will still have to queue to enter individual attractions; the only line you’ll skip is the ticket office one. These passes work similarly to the skip-the-line tickets sold on GetYourGuide and other platforms.
The Prague Visitor Pass does have an information center where you can collect your tickets before heading to the attractions covered by the pass. The office is located in the third courtyard of Prague Castle, near the post office.
Our Local Guide Tip
- Prague Castle gets the most crowded around noon. The reason for that is the main change of guards that takes place at 12 pm at the Giant's Gate. If you want to visit the interiors with the least amount of people, we suggest visiting at 1 pm. Get the tickets in the morning, see the change of the guards at 12 pm, and then visit the interiors. We see the Big Change of Guards on our Prague Castle Free Tour at 11 am every day!
Where can I buy tickets for Prague Castle?
- You can buy the tickets physically in Prague Castle. There are multiple ticket offices, just choose the one with a shorter line. Don't go to the one you see first (For example the Golden Lane ticket office, which has nobody ever standing there)
- Here is the official website of Prague Castle tickets.
- Bear in mind, that some websites resell Prague Castle tickets for a higher price without including additional services, like a guided tour, in the cost.
See other Prague Travel Tips.
Author: Valeriia Zahradnikova and Vaclav Zahradnik, Prague guides certified by Prague City Tourism agency. Valeriia and Vaclav have worked in tourism for over 6 years and have guided thousands of Prague visitors.
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