How much are Prague Castle tickets, and which circuit should you buy?

Prague Castle ticket prices and what each one includes

The castle administration sells a small set of tickets. The one most visitors want is the Main circuit, because it is the only ticket that gets you into St Vitus Cathedral beyond the entrance area, the Old Royal Palace, St George's Basilica and Golden Lane. The prices below are from the official price list on hrad.cz, which is marked valid from 1 March 2024 and was still the current list in November 2026.

Reduced prices apply to children aged 6 to 16, full-time students up to 26 and adults 65 and over, with ID. Children under 6 go free. The family ticket covers one to five children under 16 with up to two adults. Tickets are non-refundable.

Where to buy tickets

Tickets are sold at the information centres inside the castle, and the castle's ticket page names GetYourGuide as its online seller for the Main circuit. Buying online saves a queue at the ticket desk in summer, but it does not skip the security check at the gate.

Skip unofficial 'castle tickets' sold on the street or bundled into a cheap walking tour unless the listing says exactly which buildings are included. The castle courtyards are free, so a tour that only walks the grounds is not getting you into the cathedral nave or Golden Lane. More on Prague's common traps in our Prague tourist scams guide.

Opening hours by season

The castle has two sets of hours: the complex itself, and the buildings you need a ticket for.

• Castle grounds (courtyards, streets, St George's Square): daily 6am to 10pm, all year, free.

• Historic buildings: daily 9am to 5pm from 1 April to 31 October, and 9am to 4pm from 1 November to 31 March. The buildings are closed on 24 December.

• St Vitus Cathedral on Sundays opens to visitors only from 12:00, after morning services, and it can close at short notice for liturgical reasons. For example, hrad.cz lists shorter hours on 16 November 2026. Check the closures page on hrad.cz the day before you go.

The castle gardens (Royal Garden, South Gardens, Stag Moat) run their own season, opening in March and closing for winter, so do not plan a garden walk between November and March.

What you see on the Main circuit

• St Vitus Cathedral. The Gothic cathedral is the reason most people come. The ticket gets you into the full interior, past the free area by the west door, including the ambulatory and the St Wenceslas Chapel seen from its doorway.

• Old Royal Palace. Its huge Vladislav Hall was used for coronation banquets and even indoor jousting, and the Ludwig Wing is where the 1618 defenestration took place.

• St George's Basilica. A Romanesque church behind a red Baroque front, and the oldest surviving church building in the castle.

• Golden Lane. A row of tiny houses built into the castle wall, with small displays of how people lived there. Franz Kafka's sister rented No. 22, and he wrote there for a time.

The tower climb is a separate ticket and has a few hundred narrow steps, so add it only if you want the view and are happy with stairs.

Security checks and what you cannot bring

Everyone entering the castle complex can be searched by the Police of the Czech Republic, and refusing means you are not let in. In practice there are checkpoints at the main entrances, and queues build at the busiest ones in late morning. The visitor rules ban weapons, pyrotechnics, flags and banners, and drones. Selfie sticks are not allowed inside buildings.

Travel light: a small bag goes through faster, and some buildings ask you to leave luggage and umbrellas at a designated spot before you go in.

The changing of the guard

The main ceremony happens every day at noon in the first courtyard, the Courtyard of Honour in front of Matthias Gate, with a fanfare and the full guard. Smaller changes of the sentries at the gates happen through the day, but the noon one is the one worth timing your visit around.

Arrive at least 20 to 30 minutes early to get a spot near the gate, and do not step closer than half a metre to a guard on duty; the visitor rules forbid it.

Getting there: tram 22 to Pražský hrad

The castle's own advice is the simplest route: take tram 22 to the stop Pražský hrad, turn left and walk about 5 minutes to the second courtyard. Tram 22 runs through the centre, so it is easy to pick up from Národní třída or Malostranské náměstí.

A good one-way plan is to arrive at the top on tram 22, walk through the castle from west to east, and leave by the Old Castle Stairs down to Malostranská metro station (line A). Alternatively, ride tram 22 one stop further to Pohořelec and walk downhill past Strahov to Hradčany Square, about 10 minutes. If you are choosing a base, Malá Strana is the closest neighbourhood; see where to stay in Prague.

How long to allow, and how to avoid the crowds

Allow 2.5 to 4 hours for the Main circuit at a normal pace: about an hour for the cathedral, 30 to 45 minutes each for the Old Royal Palace and Golden Lane, and a short stop in St George's. Add an hour for the Permanent exhibitions ticket, or for the noon guard change and a coffee.

The quietest times are the first hour after the buildings open at 9am and the last hour or so before closing. Late morning to early afternoon is the peak, when tour groups arrive and the security lines are longest. Weekdays outside summer are calmer; see the best time to visit Prague for the season trade-offs.

Frequently asked questions