One of the largest castle complexes in the world, with St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace and Golden Lane. Here you’ll find which Prague Castle tickets to buy, the weather during opening hours, opening times and tips for your visit.
The castle grounds, with their courtyards and lanes, are open from 6 am to 10 pm and are free. You pay to go inside the historic buildings.
Official “Main circuit” ticket – CZK 450 (price list valid from 1 March 2024). It covers the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica, Golden Lane and St Vitus Cathedral. Valid for two days, but you can enter each building only once; non-refundable. Free under 6; reductions for ages 6–16, students up to 26, over-65s and families. Sold at the castle information centres or online via the official castle website. Audio guide: CZK 250 per hour.
Guided tour with entry on Tiqets – from €49.90. Main circuit ticket included, live guide in English, about 2½ hours. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Our pick: the guided tour. The castle is vast and full of stories (Bohemian kings, emperors, the Defenestration of Prague): on your own you risk seeing mostly façades. A guide explains what you’re looking at, and you can cancel for free if your plans or the weather change.
If you want to spend less, the official ticket with the audio guide is the cheapest option.
Our pick
Guided tour with entry ticket
Main circuit ticket
St Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica and Golden Lane
Live guide in English (also Italian, Spanish, German, French, Czech)
About 2½ hours
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Live guide in English
Choose English when booking · free cancellation up to 24 hours before · 4.7 from 478 reviews
Costs more than the official ticket (CZK 450, about €18) because it includes a live guide for two and a half hours, and you can cancel for free up to 24 hours before.
Today and tomorrow the forecast is accurate hour by hour; up to day seven it is reliable on the trend; the last days give a rough idea. Updated every hour.
Prague Castle opening hours and best time to visit
Today, Friday, October 30: open 09:00–17:00.
Period
Hours
April 1 – October 31
09:00–17:00
November 1 – March 31
09:00–16:00
Castle grounds: daily from 6 am to 10 pm, free. St Vitus Cathedral: opens at noon on Sundays; last entry 20 minutes before closing. Gardens: open March to October, closed November to February.
Best time to visit: May, June and September. Highs are between 20 and 24°C, the gardens are open and it’s less hot and crowded than in July and August.
Summer (July–August): the warmest days, around 26°C, gardens open until 8 pm, but lots of people.
Autumn: pleasant days until October; from November the buildings close at 4 pm and the gardens close.
Winter: highs of 4–6°C, fewer crowds and a magical atmosphere, but short days.
Month by month
Month
Average high
Jan
4°
Feb
6°
Mar
10°
Apr
16°
MayRecommended
21°
JunRecommended
24°
Jul
27°
Aug
26°
SepRecommended
20°
Oct
14°
Nov
9°
Dec
5°
1991–2020 averages for the Prague-Clementinum station: average high. Source: Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ), table published on Wikipedia (article “Prague”).
Prague Castle in the rain: what changes
The castle works in the rain too: St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace and St George’s Basilica are indoors, and the little houses on Golden Lane are small indoor rooms.
Outdoors: the courtyards, the walks between buildings and the gardens (which are closed from November to February).
Security checks: there are checks at the entrances to the castle grounds, and queuing outside is less fun in bad weather, so arrive early.
Refunds: the official ticket isn’t refundable; the Tiqets guided tour can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours before.
Queues and crowds
Prague Castle is the most visited monument in the Czech Republic: about 1.4 million visitors in 2022.
There are security checks at the entrances: at midday and in summer, expect queues.
St Vitus Cathedral and Golden Lane are the busiest spots: head there first, right at opening time.
On Sunday mornings the cathedral only opens at noon because of services.
An hour-by-hour crowd estimate is coming later, always marked as an estimate and with its source.
What to see inside Prague Castle
Inside St Vitus Cathedral
St Vitus Cathedral: the symbol of Prague, begun in 1344 and only completed in 1929, with its stained glass (one window designed by Alphonse Mucha) and the St Wenceslas Chapel.
The Old Royal Palace: with the vast Vladislav Hall and the Bohemian Chancellery, scene of the famous Defenestration of Prague in 1618.
St George’s Basilica: the best-preserved Romanesque church in the city.
Golden Lane: colourful little houses built into the walls; Franz Kafka lived at number 22.
The changing of the guard: at the main gate every hour; the noon ceremony is the grandest.
The cathedral’s Great South Tower: separate ticket, for views over all of Prague.
The history of Prague Castle
9th century: Prince Bořivoj founds the castle around the year 880.
1344: construction of St Vitus Cathedral begins under Charles IV.
1618: the Defenestration of Prague in the Old Royal Palace sparks the Thirty Years’ War.
1918: the castle becomes the seat of the President of Czechoslovakia, and today of the Czech Republic.
1929: after almost six centuries, the cathedral is finally completed.
1992: Prague’s historic centre, including the castle, becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Useful tips for your visit
Arrive at opening time: at 9 am the cathedral and Golden Lane are much quieter.
How long you need: at least three hours for the main circuit; half a day with the gardens and the tower.
Sunday mornings: the cathedral only opens at noon, so plan accordingly.
Your ticket is valid for two days: you can split the visit, but each building can only be entered once.
Security checks: no bulky items, and allow a few extra minutes to get in.
For the best photo: see the castle from Charles Bridge or the Vltava riverbank at sunset.
Getting to Prague Castle
By tram: lines 22 and 23 stop at “Pražský hrad”, near the castle’s north entrance. It’s the easiest way to skip the climb.
By metro: line A to Malostranská, then walk up the Old Castle Stairs.
On foot: from Charles Bridge, walk up through Malá Strana and Nerudova street to the castle, a lovely but uphill walk.
What will the weather be like at Prague Castle this weekend?
Saturday, October 31: Good: cloudy, 7 to 9 degrees, no rain. Sunday, November 1: Good: cloudy, 6 to 9 degrees, no rain.
How much are Prague Castle tickets?
The official Main circuit ticket costs CZK 450 (price list valid from 1 March 2024) and covers St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica and Golden Lane. The castle grounds are free. On Tiqets there’s a guided tour with entry from €49.90.
Can you visit Prague Castle for free?
Partly: the courtyards and lanes of the castle grounds are open for free every day from 6 am to 10 pm, and you can watch the changing of the guard. To go inside the historic buildings, including the main part of the cathedral, you need a ticket.
What are Prague Castle’s opening hours?
The main circuit buildings are open from 9 am to 5 pm from 1 April to 31 October and from 9 am to 4 pm from 1 November to 31 March. The cathedral opens at noon on Sundays. The castle grounds are open from 6 am to 10 pm.
Are there guided tours of Prague Castle in English?
Yes: on Tiqets there’s a live guided tour in English of about 2½ hours with entry included, from €49.90, which can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours before.
How long does it take to visit Prague Castle?
At least three hours for the main circuit. With the gardens, the cathedral tower and the changing of the guard, allow half a day.
Is there a 15-day forecast for Prague Castle?
Reliable forecasts reach about 10 days: here you get the next 10, hour by hour for today and tomorrow and as a trend after that. To pick a month, check the climate month by month.
Where does this data come from?
Forecasts come from MET Norway, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, calculated for the castle’s coordinates and updated every hour during the day and every 3 hours at night. Crowd figures are labelled as estimates, with their source.
Forecast by MET Norway, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, calculated for the castle’s coordinates. Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated every hour. Updated: October 26, 2026.
Guided tour with entry ticketfrom €49.90 · Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
