In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Prague needs less booking than most capitals. Prague Castle is 450 CZK for the Main circuit, valid two days, with no timed slot, and is sold at the Castle or online through GetYourGuide. The Jewish Museum is one 600 CZK ticket for every open site and is closed on Saturdays. The Old Town Hall tower is half price in its first hour, and the Clementinum is the one sight with tickets released two weeks at a time. The Petřín funicular has been running again since 22 September 2026. The Prague Visitor Pass pays back only for a heavy sightseer. Prague charges a tourist tax of 50 CZK a night. The currency is the koruna, not the euro. Or book a tour: the Castle tour with a local guide and entryad (from £44.30) and the Kutná Hora day trip with the Bone Churchad (from £58.79) put the guide and the transport in one booking (GetYourGuide).
What to book before you go
Prices are the adult rate in koruna. Buy from the operator: look-alike ticket sites turn up in search results.
| Sight | Book how far ahead | Adult price | Book at | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prague Castle | No timed slot; a ticket is valid two days | 450 CZK, Main circuit | hrad.cz, or GetYourGuide | St Vitus Cathedral opens at 12:00 on Sundays. Buildings close at 17:00 until 31 October and 16:00 from 1 November. |
| Jewish Museum | Not required; the museum recommends buying online | 600 CZK, all open sites | jewishmuseum.cz | Closed Saturdays and Jewish holidays. Closes at 16:30 from 18 October. |
| Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock | Not required | 350 CZK, plus 100 CZK for the lift; 450 CZK online | prague.eu | Half price in the first hour after opening. The interiors tour is paid for on the day. |
| Clementinum | Yes: tickets are released every Monday for the following two weeks | 380 CZK | prague.eu | E-tickets only. The 9:00 English tour is half price. |
| Petřín Tower and funicular | Not required | 250 CZK tower, 300 CZK with the Mirror Maze; funicular 100 CZK | prague.eu | The lift is 150 CZK extra. The tower opens at 10:00 from 1 November. |
| Charles Bridge towers | Not required | 250 CZK Old Town tower, 340 CZK for both bridge towers | prague.eu | St Nicholas Bell Tower is due to reopen on 6 October. The towers close at 18:00 in October and November. |
| Vyšehrad | Not required | Free; basilica 180 CZK; underground tour 330 CZK | praha-vysehrad.cz | The fortress is free all year. |
| Prague Visitor Pass | Buy online, activate on arrival | 2,700 CZK for 48 hours, up to 3,900 CZK for 120 | praguevisitorpass.eu | One visit to each site, and the Jewish Museum is shut on Saturdays. |
| River cruise | Not required with Prague Steamboats; GetYourGuide cruises need a date | 360 CZK, Prague Steamboats’ hour | praguesteamboats.com | The hourly timetable ended on 28 September; to 1 November it runs on weekends. |
| Pilsner Urquell Experience | Book online | 579 CZK, the Original Tour | pilsnerexperience.com | Open daily 11:00 to 20:30, closed on 25 December and 1 January. |
- Castle tickets. The Castle’s ticket page says the Main circuit can also be bought through GetYourGuide. Every other Castle ticket is sold only at the Castle, in its information centres.
- The Jewish Museum’s own guided tour, with admission, is 1,000 CZK. GetYourGuide’s “Jewish Quarter Ticket” costs about 1,120 CZK because it adds an introduction, so it is not a cheaper way in.
- Prague City Tourism. It says it is the only official seller of its towers, the Clementinum and Petřín, and that tickets bought elsewhere may not be valid. GetYourGuide’s listings for them are Prague City Tourism’s own.
Does the Prague Visitor Pass pay back?
The pass is 2,700 CZK for 48 hours, 3,300 CZK for 72 and 3,900 CZK for 120 for an adult. It includes public transport and one visit to each of more than 70 sights, among them the Castle, the Old Town Hall, the Clementinum, the Jewish Museum, Petřín, the bridge towers and Vyšehrad basilica (Prague Visitor Pass). Is the Prague Visitor Pass worth it? has the sums.
- It does not pay for the usual four. The Castle, the Old Town Hall with its lift, the Jewish Museum and Petřín cost 1,800 CZK at the door.
- It pays for a heavy list. At door prices it breaks even at about five of the dearest sights in 48 hours, seven in 72 and eight in 120, with transport counted.
- Each site is one visit, and the Jewish Museum is shut on Saturdays.
Opening times that change
- Prague Castle: the grounds are open daily 6:00 to 22:00. The historical buildings are open 9:00 to 17:00 until 31 October and 9:00 to 16:00 from 1 November to 31 March, and closed on 24 December (hrad.cz). The Old Royal Palace was closed from 3 September to 1 October 2026 and is fully open from 2 October.
- Jewish Museum: 9:00 to 18:00 until 17 October and 9:00 to 16:30 from 18 October to 31 December, closed every Saturday and on Jewish holidays (jewishmuseum.cz).
- Old Town Hall: 9:00 to 20:00 every day from April to December, 10:00 to 19:00 from January to March.
- The Astronomical Clock’s statues: restorers are replacing eight statues in two stages. The first four were back by 24 July, and the next four are due back in October 2026.
- The towers: Petřín Tower is open 9:00 to 18:00 in October and 10:00 to 18:00 in November and December. The Charles Bridge towers are 10:00 to 18:00 in October and November.
- Cruises: Prague Steamboats’ hourly timetable ran daily to 28 September and runs on Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00 to 17:00, from 29 September to 1 November.
Charles Bridge and Prague Castle from the Vltava. Photo: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Prague tourist tax
Hotels and other accommodation charge 50 CZK per person per night, for each started day except the day of arrival, and children under 18 are exempt (Prague 1). The hotel collects it on top of the room price, so check whether the price you booked includes it.
Getting in from the airport
Václav Havel Airport has two terminals: Terminal 1 takes flights from outside the Schengen area, including the UK, and Terminal 2 takes Schengen flights (PID). Prague airport to the city centre compares the options.
- Trolleybus 59 and the metro: trolleybus 59 runs to Nádraží Veleslavín, where you change to metro line A. It replaced bus 119 on 6 March 2024. A 90-minute PID ticket covers both, at 50 CZK on paper or 46 CZK in the app, and PID gives about 35 minutes to the centre.
- Airport Express bus: 200 CZK, about 40 minutes to the main station, and it does not take ordinary PID tickets. The Prague Visitor Pass covers it. The stops at the main station have moved while its building works continue, so follow the signs and the PID app.
- Taxi: the city’s cap on taxi fares ended on 30 September 2026. The airport’s official taxi is Uber Airport, which shows a fixed price in the app before the ride (Prague Airport). A licensed taxi shows a TAXI sign, a yellow sticker and the driver’s ID card; ask for a printed receipt.
Getting around
Prague has no tap-in, tap-out card: you buy a ticket, and every mode takes the same one (PID fares). The PID Lítačka app is the cheapest way; a ticket must be active at least 60 seconds before you board. Trams, buses and trolleybuses have a terminal that sells tickets for a contactless card; the metro has none.
| Ticket | In the app | On paper |
|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | 36 CZK | 39 CZK |
| 90 minutes | 46 CZK | 50 CZK |
| 24 hours | 140 CZK | 150 CZK |
| 72 hours | 340 CZK | 350 CZK |
The 24-hour and 72-hour tickets cover the Petřín funicular, and the 30-minute and 90-minute tickets do not. From 1 January 2026 a ride without a ticket is a 2,000 CZK surcharge, or 1,200 CZK if you pay on the spot (PID). The metro stops at about midnight; night trams and buses run after that. Prague public transport has the rest.
Before you travel: the EU border
The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 (EU), and DPP, the transport company, warns that passport control in Terminal 1 may take longer than usual. The EU says British nationals will need an ETIAS travel authorisation from the last quarter of 2026 (UK nationals and ETIAS), and that it will cost €20 (ETIAS fee).
Day trips
Most Prague day trips are train or bus rides that need no booking, and a tour pays only where the transport is awkward. Day trips from Prague compares them on fare and what a tour costs. The ones with something to know:
- Kutná Hora: the Sedlec Ossuary has timed entry, and photography is banned there.
- Český Krumlov: the castle interiors are closed from November to March, but the town is open.
- Karlštejn: a train and a walk. The Chapels tour is a separate ticket and is closed from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027.
- Terezín: a memorial, reached by bus 413 from Praha-Letňany, with one tour to compare.
- Karlovy Vary and Dresden: both are about two hours each way.
- Bohemian Switzerland: the Gabrielina trail is closed until further notice, and a tour beats the public transport.
Food, drink and evenings
Where to eat in Prague covers the Czech dishes and where to eat them. Prague food tours compared sets the walks and workshops side by side, and Prague beer tours and the Pilsner Urquell Experience covers the 579 CZK Original Tour. For the evening, Prague ghost tours and the medieval dinner and classical concerts in Prague say what to book. In October 2024 Prague banned organised pub crawls at night, and ordinary guided tours may run from 06:00 to 22:00.
What changed in 2024 to 2026
- 6 March 2024: trolleybus 59 replaced bus 119 to the airport.
- 1 January 2024: the Old-New Synagogue became part of the Jewish Museum’s standard ticket.
- 14 October 2024: the city banned organised pub crawls at night.
- September 2024 to 22 September 2026: the Petřín funicular closed after the floods, was rebuilt and reopened.
- 2025 to 2026: the Prague Visitor Pass rose by 300 CZK on every length, and the Old Town Hall’s adult ticket went from 300 to 350 CZK.
- 1 January 2026: the surcharge for riding without a ticket became 2,000 CZK, or 1,200 CZK on the spot.
- 10 April 2026: the EU Entry/Exit System became fully operational.
- 11 May 2026: restoration of the Astronomical Clock’s statues began, with the last four due back in October.
- 3 September to 1 October 2026: the Old Royal Palace at the Castle was closed.
- 14 September to 6 October 2026: St Nicholas Bell Tower is closed.
- 30 September 2026: the cap on taxi fares ended.
- Last quarter of 2026: ETIAS is due for British travellers.
- 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027: the Christmas markets run on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square; Prague’s Christmas markets guide has the dates and hours.
Plan the trip
- Where to sleep: where to stay in Prague compares the areas, and hotels near Old Town Square lists the hotels on the square.
- Getting there and about: Prague airport to the city centre compares trolleybus 59, the Airport Express and the taxi, and Prague public transport has the PID fares.
- When to go: best time to visit Prague gives the weather by month, and Prague’s Christmas markets has the winter dates.
- The sights: Prague Castle, the Astronomical Clock and Old Town Hall, the Jewish Quarter, Petřín, the Charles Bridge towers, Vyšehrad and the river cruises each have a ticket guide, and the Prague Visitor Pass guide runs the sums.
- How many days: 3 days in Prague and Prague in one day build the plan round the bookings.
- Food and drink: where to eat in Prague ranks the restaurants by how many sources name them, Prague food tours compares the walks and the chimney-cake workshop, and Prague beer tours covers the Pilsner Urquell Experience, the microbreweries and Plzeň.
Itineraries
Day-by-day plans for a first visit.
Itinerary
3 Days in Prague: Itinerary with What to Book
Three days in Prague: Prague Castle and Malá Strana on day one, the Old Town, the Jewish Quarter and a river cruise on day two, and a day trip to Kutná Hora or the beer experience and a concert on day three. What to book, the Clementinum tour sold two weeks ahead, the Jewish Museum closed on Saturdays, and why the Visitor Pass does not pay back.
Itinerary
Prague in One Day: Itinerary and Bookings
With one day in Prague, start at Prague Castle at 9:00, walk down through Malá Strana and over Charles Bridge to the Old Town, see the Jewish Quarter if it is not a Saturday, and finish with a river cruise. The bookings for each stop, opening times, a Saturday version, and a plan for a layover at the airport.
Which ticket to buy
The official ticket, the tours that include entry, and which sells out first.
Tickets
Prague Castle Tickets: Circuits, Price, Hours
The Prague Castle Main circuit costs 450 CZK, is valid for two days and covers St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St George's Basilica and Golden Lane. The Castle sells it in its information centres and names GetYourGuide as its online seller. Prices, tours, the order to go round, hours and the rules.
Tickets
Prague Astronomical Clock Tickets and Tower Visit
Watching the Prague Astronomical Clock is free; the Old Town Hall tower costs 350 CZK at the door, plus 100 CZK for the lift, and half price in the first hour after opening. Online skip-the-line is 450 CZK. Prices, the interiors tour, the statues being restored until October, and the Clementinum next door.
Tickets
Prague Jewish Quarter Tickets: What One Ticket Covers
One Jewish Museum ticket costs 600 CZK, is valid for three opening days and covers the Maisel, Pinkas, Klausen, Spanish and Old-New synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery. The museum is closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays. What GetYourGuide's Jewish Quarter products cost against the museum's own guided tour.
Tickets
Petřín Tower and Funicular: Tickets and Reopening
The Petřín funicular has carried passengers again since 22 September 2026, after about two years closed, at 100 CZK a ride. The tower costs 250 CZK, the lift 150 CZK extra, and the tower and Mirror Maze together 300 CZK. Prices, hours, the order to go round and how to get up the hill.
Tickets
Charles Bridge Towers: Tickets, Hours, Which Tower
Walking Charles Bridge is free. The Old Town Bridge Tower costs 250 CZK, the Lesser Town Bridge Towers 200 CZK and a combined ticket for both 340 CZK. The Powder Gate Tower and St Nicholas Bell Tower are 200 CZK each, and St Nicholas is due to reopen on 6 October 2026. Prices, hours, steps and the order to go round.
Tickets
Is the Prague Visitor Pass Worth It?
The Prague Visitor Pass costs 2,700 CZK for 48 hours, 3,300 CZK for 72 and 3,900 CZK for 120, with public transport and one visit to each of more than 70 sights. At door prices it pays back at roughly five paid sights in 48 hours and seven in 72, and not for the usual four-sight trip.
Tickets
Prague River Cruises Compared: Which to Book
Prague Steamboats' 55-minute Vltava cruise costs 360 CZK and goes through the Mánes lock twice; GetYourGuide's one-hour cruises start at £10.45. Boats, piers, the Devil's Channel, the winter timetable, dinner cruises from £44.47 and the jazz boat compared, with the cruises the Prague Visitor Pass includes.
Tickets
Vyšehrad: Free Fortress, Basilica and Tickets
Vyšehrad, the fortress above the Vltava, is free to enter all year. The Basilica of St Peter and St Paul costs 180 CZK, and the underground tour to the Gorlice hall, where original Charles Bridge statues stand, is 330 CZK, or 295 CZK online. Prices, hours, the order to go round and how to get there by metro.
Tickets
Prague Ghost Tours and Medieval Dinner Compared
The medieval dinner at U Pavouka runs at 16:30 and 20:00 every day, with unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks, from £54.53 on GetYourGuide. Ghost walks last 75 minutes to 2 hours from £16.19 and end by 22:00, the limit on guided tours in Prague. The ghost walks, underground tours and dinner shows compared, with their routes and ages.
Tickets
Classical Concerts in Prague: Venues and Tickets
A church or palace concert in Prague is an hour of well-known pieces from £21.30, with the Mirror Chapel in the Clementinum from £26.13 and Lobkowicz Palace daily at 13:00. The Czech Philharmonic's own programmes at the Rudolfinum run from CZK 550 to 1,800, with a CZK 100 last-minute ticket for students. The venues, programmes, prices and booking compared.
Day trips from Prague
Out and back in a day, with the tours compared against going on your own.
Day trip
Day Trips from Prague: Train, Bus or Tour, Costed
Kutná Hora is a 51-minute train and about 732 CZK with entries, Karlštejn is 33 minutes and £16, Český Krumlov is 2½ hours each way, and Bohemian Switzerland needs a tour. The day trips from Prague compared on fare, time and what a tour costs.
Day trip
Kutná Hora Day Trip from Prague: Train or Tour
Kutná Hora is a 51 to 56 minute České dráhy train from Prague. The Sedlec Ossuary is timed entry at 220 CZK, photography is banned, and St Barbara's is 180 CZK. About 732 CZK for the day on your own; tours from £42.60.
Day trip
Český Krumlov Day Trip from Prague: Worth It?
Český Krumlov is 2½ hours each way from Prague by RegioJet bus (209 to 279 CZK). Castle Tour I is 300 CZK, closed Mondays, and the interiors close for the winter from November. Tours from £60.11, or stay a night.
Day trip
Karlštejn Castle Day Trip from Prague: Train or Tour
Karlštejn is a 33-minute train from Praha-Smíchov, 76 CZK each way, then a 15-minute walk uphill. The basic tour is 300 CZK and needs no booking; the Chapel of the Holy Cross is a separate 640 CZK tour booked by phone, and closed from 1 November 2026.
Day trip
Terezín Day Trip from Prague: Bus, Train or Tour
The Terezín Memorial, a Gestapo prison and Jewish ghetto, is a direct bus 413 from Praha-Letňany (56 to 62 minutes). One 310 CZK ticket covers the Small Fortress and the ghetto sites for 4 days; guided tours must be booked in advance. Tour from £46.95.
Day trip
Karlovy Vary Day Trip from Prague: Bus or Tour
Karlovy Vary is a 2 hour 5 minute RegioJet bus from Prague, 159 to 259 CZK each way. The colonnades are free, the Diana cable car is 165 CZK return and the last bus back leaves at 20:00. A day costs £17 to £24; tours from £50.27.
Day trip
Dresden Day Trip from Prague: Train or Bus
Dresden is 1 hour 55 minutes by RegioJet bus from Prague, 299 to 499 CZK each way, or 2 hours 15 minutes by train. The Zwinger is closed Mondays, the Residenzschloss and Green Vault Tuesdays; the Frauenkirche is free. A Bastei tour is £33.23 to £63.90.
Day trip
Bohemian Switzerland Day Trip from Prague: Tour
Bohemian Switzerland by train means Prague to Děčín, a bus of a few a day to Hřensko and a hike to Pravčická brána (125 CZK); the Bastei Bridge is in Germany. Tours with lunch and entries are £84.35 to £149.10, and the Gabrielina trail is closed.
Where to stay
Areas and hotels, chosen for a visitor rather than a resident.
Where to stay
Where to Stay in Prague: Areas Compared
For a first visit, Rough Guides names the Old Town as the best area, with hotels in Gothic and Baroque buildings off Old Town Square, and Malá Strana under the Castle as the best for families. The areas compared, with the hotels and their addresses, which have no lift, the airport routes, and the tourist tax of CZK 50 per person per night.
Where to stay
Hotels Near Old Town Square, Prague
Stay by Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock, the Old Town Hall tower (CZK 350, plus CZK 100 for the lift) and the Jewish Quarter are on foot. Hotels from about 120 m to 580 m from the square, with straight-line distances, what each has, where to park, and how to reach them from the airport and the metro.
Airport transfers
From the airport to the centre, every option priced and timed.
Getting around
Tickets, passes and the transport a visitor actually uses.
What's on, month by month
Festivals, holidays and closures that change a visit.
Events
Best Time to Visit Prague, Month by Month
Prague month by month from ČHMÚ's Klementinum averages: highs of 20.9 to 26.5°C from May to August, 68.6 mm of rain in June and 8 hours of daylight in December. Signal Festival from 15 to 18 October, the Christmas markets from 28 November, Easter on 28 March 2027 and the shops the public holidays close.
Events
Prague Christmas Markets 2026: Dates and Hours
The Prague Christmas markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square run from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, 10:00 to 22:00, with the tree lit on 28 November. Náměstí Míru opens on 20 November, Náměstí Republiky on 25 November, and the shops and restaurants over Christmas Eve close early.
Food and drink
Where to eat, what to order and when to book.
Food and drink
Where to Eat in Prague: Czech Food, Beer and Dinner
Where to eat in Prague, ranked by how many independent sources in English and Czech name each place: Lokál, Kantýna and U Fleků, canteens with a half-litre of Pilsner Urquell from 25 CZK, Czech restaurants, grand cafés and the Michelin-starred tables, with the hours, the booking rule and the one thing that decides a visit.
Food and drink
Prague Food Tours Compared: Which Is Worth Booking
Prague food tours from £46.86 for a 2-hour Old Town walk to £122.69 for an evening tour, a chimney-cake workshop from £17.81 and a cooking class with a market tour at £118.44, compared on length, tastings and price, with the operators' own prices beside GetYourGuide's.
Food and drink
Prague Beer Tours and Tastings: What to Book
Prague beer tours compared: the Pilsner Urquell Experience at 579 CZK and from £18.15 on GetYourGuide, a tasting with snacks from £25.56, a three-brewery walk from £54.53, the real Pilsner Urquell brewery in Plzeň at 430 CZK and beer spas from £67.31, with the operators' own prices.
Common questions
Do I need to book Prague Castle in advance?
No timed entry is needed. The Main circuit ticket is 450 CZK, valid for two days, with each building entered once. It is sold at the Castle's information centres, and online through GetYourGuide, which the Castle names as its online seller.
Is the Jewish Museum open on Saturdays?
No. The Jewish Museum is closed on Saturdays and on Jewish holidays. One 600 CZK adult ticket covers every open site, including the Old-New Synagogue, and is valid for three opening days.
Which Prague sight needs booking weeks ahead?
The Clementinum. Its tickets are e-tickets only, released every Monday for the following two weeks, and the tours are limited in size. Everything else on this page can be bought on the day.
Is the Prague Visitor Pass worth it?
Only for a heavy sightseer. It costs 2,700 CZK for 48 hours, 3,300 CZK for 72 and 3,900 CZK for 120, and at door prices it pays back at about five of the dearest sights in 48 hours and seven in 72. A trip built on the Castle, the Old Town Hall, the Jewish Museum and Petřín costs less without it.
Is the Petřín funicular running?
Yes. It carried passengers again from 22 September 2026, after about two years closed, and runs daily from 7:00 to 22:15, every 10 minutes. A single ride is 100 CZK, or 90 CZK in the PID Lítačka app, and it is free with a 24-hour or 72-hour ticket.
How much is the tourist tax in Prague?
50 CZK per person per night, for each started day except the day of arrival, with children under 18 exempt. The hotel collects it on top of the bill.
How do I get from Prague airport to the centre?
Trolleybus 59 to Nádraží Veleslavín, then metro line A, on a 90-minute PID ticket at 50 CZK on paper or 46 CZK in the app; PID gives about 35 minutes to the centre. The Airport Express bus to the main station is 200 CZK and takes about 40 minutes. Bus 119 no longer runs.