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Prague Castle Ticket Guide: Main Circuit Choice, Timing, and Visitor Rules
Prague Castle is not one building with one ticket. It is a walled complex on a hill, and most first-time visitors buy the wrong ticket or arrive too late to see the parts they came for.
ByMomentBook Editorial·Published
Prague Castle is not one building with one ticket. It is a walled complex on a hill, and most first-time visitors buy the wrong ticket or arrive too late to see the parts they came for. This guide is for anyone planning a half-day visit: it explains which ticket covers which buildings, what the guided tour and audioguide really cost, and when the doors close so you can plan the order of your afternoon.
The decisions that matter most are simple. The Main circuit ticket costs 450 CZK and covers the four core sights including St. Vitus Cathedral, while the Permanent exhibitions ticket costs 300 CZK and covers a different set of rooms. The paid buildings close at 17:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter, the cathedral takes its last entrance at 16:40, and on Sundays it does not open until 12:00. Get the ticket decision and the timing right, and the rest of the visit is easy.
What to know first
Main circuit (450 CZK adult) covers Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, Golden Lane, and St. Vitus Cathedral; the Permanent exhibitions ticket (300 CZK adult) is a separate product for four different buildings.
Tickets are valid for two days, but each building can be entered only once, and purchased tickets cannot be refunded.
Paid historical buildings close at 17:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter; the cathedral's last entrance is 16:40 in summer and 15:40 in winter.
On Sundays St. Vitus Cathedral opens at 12:00 instead of 9:00; plan around the noon start.
Guided tours cost 250 CZK per person per hour on top of a valid ticket, need a minimum of four people, and are best booked in advance.
The castle grounds stay open until 22:00, but that does not mean the buildings stay open; check the closing time of the building you want, not the complex.
Expect random security checks, no large baggage, and a strict no-drone rule around the castle.
South facade of St. Vitus Cathedral with the 14th-century Last Judgment mosaic, Prague Castle
The Main circuit ticket (450 CZK adult, 300 CZK discount, 950 CZK family) gives one entry to Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower, and St. Vitus Cathedral. These are the buildings most visitors picture when they think of the castle, and the cathedral alone usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.
The Permanent exhibitions ticket (300 CZK adult, 200 CZK discount, 700 CZK family) covers The Story of Prague Castle, the Castle Guard Exhibition, the Prague Castle Picture Gallery, and Rosenberg Palace. Choose this only when you want exhibitions and a quieter route; it does not include the cathedral.
Two single tickets also exist: the Picture Gallery (200 CZK adult) and the Tower of the Cathedral with a View (200 CZK adult). The tower ticket makes sense for a short visit when the cathedral interior is not your priority.
Discount rates apply to youth aged 6–16, full-time secondary and university students up to age 26 inclusive, and adults 65 and older.
Family tickets cover one to five children under 16 with a maximum of two adults.
Free entry applies to children under 6, disability ID card holders, teachers accompanying school groups, and licensed EU guides with clients holding valid tickets.
Buy at the information centres inside the castle; the Main circuit can also be booked online through the GetYourGuide network linked from the official site.
Guided tour or audioguide: what the extra cost buys
A guided tour with a Prague Castle guide costs 250 CZK per person per hour in addition to a valid ticket, in English, German, Italian, Spanish, or French. A minimum of four people is required, advance booking is recommended through the official Reservatic system, and payment is accepted only at the Information Centre in the 3rd Courtyard, opposite the cathedral entrance.
The audioguide is the cheaper and more flexible option: 350 CZK per device for about three hours, with a 500 CZK deposit per device. It contains 96 stops, covers the interiors of St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George's Basilica, and the Old Royal Palace, and is available in Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, and Korean.
Choose the guided tour when you want to ask questions and have the route explained live. Choose the audioguide when you want to move at your own pace, need Korean or Russian, or are visiting with children who will not sit still for an hour of guided walking.
Plan the timing: summer and winter hours
In the summer season (April 1 to October 31) the historical buildings open at 9:00 and close at 17:00. St. Vitus Cathedral keeps the same hours from Monday to Saturday, but on Sunday it opens at 12:00, and its last entrance is always at 16:40.
In the winter season (November 1 to March 31) the buildings close one hour earlier, at 16:00, and the cathedral's last entrance moves to 15:40. The Great South Tower of the cathedral runs 10:00–18:00 in summer (last entrance 17:30) and 10:00–17:00 in winter (last entrance 16:30).
The exhibition halls keep 10:00–18:00 all year. The castle grounds are open 6:00–22:00 every day, and the Royal Garden, Stag Moat, and South Gardens open at 10:00 and close between 17:00 and 20:00 depending on the month; they are closed from November to the end of February.
For the shortest queues, enter right after 9:00 on a weekday and see the cathedral first. Arriving after 15:00 in summer gives you roughly two hours of building time, which is enough for the Main circuit at a relaxed pace.
Getting there: tram 22 and the metro
The easiest approach is tram 22 to the Pražský hrad stop, then a five-minute walk to the 2nd Courtyard. Nearby tram stops include Pohořelec and Královský letohrádek, and metro line A (green) reaches the castle from either Malostranská or Hradčanská.
A pleasant alternative is to take the metro to Malostranská and climb the Old Castle Stairs up to the Na Opyši gate. In summer you can also ride tram 22 to Královský letohrádek and walk through the Royal Garden to the Riding School area.
Tram service at the Pražský hrad and Královský letohrádek stops was suspended from March 21 to July 17, 2026 for track reconstruction. That period has ended, but check the official page for current diversions before relying on a specific stop.
Security, baggage, and the rules that change the visit
The castle is the working residence of the president, so the entrances run random security checks. Most checkpoints were removed in April 2023, but searches still happen, and refusing a search means you will not enter.
Firearms, cutting or stabbing weapons, explosives, pyrotechnics, and hazardous substances are prohibited; there is no firearm storage at the castle.
Drones are strictly prohibited in and around the castle, which sits inside a no-fly zone.
Do not bring large baggage into the castle area; travel light and use lockers at your hotel or station.
The gate from Hradčanské náměstí into the South Gardens is exit-only.
The castle can close buildings or the whole area for operational or state-ceremonial reasons, sometimes at short notice.
Common mistakes
Buying the Main circuit ticket and assuming it covers the exhibitions: it does not; those are a separate 300 CZK ticket.
Arriving on a Sunday morning and finding the cathedral shut until 12:00.
Showing up at 16:30 in summer and missing the 16:40 last entrance to the cathedral.
Counting on the grounds being open until 22:00 and discovering the paid buildings closed at 17:00.
Expecting to join a guided tour on the spot: the minimum is four people and advance booking is recommended.
Walking in with a large backpack or drone and being turned around at security.
What to check before you go
The current price list and opening hours on the official hrad.cz visitor page; prices shown here follow the list valid from 1 March 2024.
The cathedral service schedule if you plan a visit during Sunday morning.
The guided-tour calendar on the Reservatic system if you want a live tour.
The latest tram service notice if you planned to use the Pražský hrad or Královský letohrádek stops.
The front-page notice on hrad.cz for state-ceremonial closures, which can happen without much warning.
