Prague Castle

Prague Castle is not one building but a walled town on a ridge above the Vltava, and it is the single sight that defines the city. Princes of the Přemyslid dynasty founded it in the ninth century, Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors ruled from it, and since 1918 it has been the seat of the head of state, which is why a guard in blue uniform still stands at the gates. The complex is often described as the largest ancient castle complex in the world, and it unfolds as a sequence of courtyards, each grander than the last. Everything is dominated by St. Vitus Cathedral, begun by Emperor Charles IV in 1344 and only finished in 1929, so its Gothic choir and its neo-Gothic nave are six centuries apart and somehow seamless. Inside are the jewel-box Chapel of St. Wenceslas, walls inlaid with semi-precious stones, the silver tomb of St. John of Nepomuk, and a stained-glass window designed by Alfons Mucha. Across the square, the Old Royal Palace holds Vladislav Hall, a vast late-Gothic room with ribbed vaults like curling vines, and the chancellery from whose window two royal governors were thrown in 1618, the defenestration that helped start the Thirty Years' War. Beyond lie the red-fronted Basilica of St. George, founded in the tenth century, and Golden Lane, a row of tiny houses built into the fortifications where servants and goldsmiths lived and Franz Kafka once rented number 22 as a writing room. The courtyards and gardens are free and open from early morning until late evening; the main circuit ticket, around 450 CZK for adults in 2026 (roughly the price of a modest lunch in euros), covers the cathedral interior, the Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, Golden Lane and the Daliborka Tower, and is valid for two days.

Arrive early and from the top. Most visitors walk up from Malá Strana via the steep Nerudova street or the New Castle Steps, or ride tram 22 or 23 to the Pražský hrad or Pohořelec stops and walk downhill through the complex, which saves your legs and lets you end in Malá Strana for lunch. There are security checks at the entrances, so leave large bags at the hotel. Head straight for St. Vitus as the historic buildings open: the cathedral queue is the longest in the castle by mid-morning, and on Sunday mornings it is closed to visitors for services, usually opening from around noon. The changing of the guard happens on the hour at the main gate, and the full ceremony with fanfare at noon draws a dense crowd in the First Courtyard, so either arrive well before or skip it for a quieter moment.

Working the circuit: inside the cathedral, the ticketed section lets you walk the ambulatory past the royal mausoleum and the Nepomuk tomb, and look into the Wenceslas Chapel from its doorway; the chamber above, where the Bohemian crown jewels are kept, is opened only on rare state occasions. The Great South Tower is a separate ticket (around 200 CZK) and a steep spiral climb, rewarded with the best view of the castle roofs and the city. In the Old Royal Palace, look for the Rider's Staircase, built so knights could ride into Vladislav Hall for indoor tournaments. Golden Lane is busiest from late morning, and the little houses are furnished as the homes of their former occupants, with a corridor of armour above. The privately owned Lobkowicz Palace, at the far end, is not on the state circuit but holds a remarkable family collection, including original Beethoven and Mozart manuscripts, and has its own ticket.

Make it a half-day. Allow three hours for the circuit at a steady pace, longer with the tower. The castle gardens on the south side, terraced down toward Malá Strana, open in the warmer months and give some of the most romantic views in Prague. In winter, the historic buildings close earlier in the afternoon, so start in the morning. A good shape for the day is castle in the morning, lunch in Malá Strana, Charles Bridge in the afternoon, and a return to the castle hill at dusk, when the courtyards empty and the cathedral is floodlit. Families should note that the cobbles are hard on strollers and the climb from Malá Strana is steep, so the tram to the top is the kinder approach.