Museum of Fantastic Illusions Entry Tickets Prague

Inside the Museum of Fantastic Illusions

The Museum of Fantastic Illusions brings together one of the largest collections of optical illusions in Prague, spread over themed rooms on Vodičkova Street. Instead of looking at objects behind glass, you become part of every exhibit: you stand in front of a painted scene, find the marked spot for the camera and the illusion appears in your photo. Each installation comes with a short explanation of how the trick fools the brain.

The museum is designed for all ages, so children laugh at the effects while adults enjoy figuring out how they work. If you are wondering whether the Museum of Fantastic Illusions is worth visiting, it is one of the best indoor things to do in Prague with kids, and an easy hour of fun between bigger sights such as the castle or the Old Town.

The best illusions to try

Start with the magic chair, where two people sit at opposite ends and one appears tiny while the other looks like a giant. Nearby, the head-on-the-table illusion seems to serve your head on a dinner plate, and levitation installations let you hover in the air or hold up impossible objects. Tilted rooms and mirror effects play with balance and perspective, so you feel the illusion as well as see it.

The large-format trick paintings are the stars of the photo tour: you can lean over a cliff edge, escape a giant creature or cross a collapsing bridge without leaving the floor. Take turns with your group and use the marked photo points; the effect works best when the camera is held at the height shown on the floor.

Planning your visit: opening hours and tickets

The Museum of Fantastic Illusions opening hours are daily from 09:00 to 21:00, with last entry at 20:00. On 24 and 31 December the museum closes early at 15:00, with last entry at 14:00. Your Museum of Fantastic Illusions tickets are valid for one day and let you skip the ticket queue, so you can walk in when it suits your plans.

Mornings and late evenings are the quietest times, which makes it easier to get clean photos without other visitors in the frame. Bring a fully charged phone or camera, as most people take far more pictures than they expect. Children must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over, and the visit is entirely indoors, so it works in any weather.

Wenceslas Square and the New Town

The museum sits in the New Town, a few minutes' walk from Wenceslas Square, the long boulevard that has been the stage of modern Czech history. At its top stands the equestrian statue of St Wenceslas, after whom the square is named, in front of the grand neo-Renaissance National Museum. The area is full of shopping arcades, cafés and art nouveau façades.

How to get to the Museum of Fantastic Illusions: take the metro to Můstek or Muzeum on Wenceslas Square, or a tram to Vodičkova or Václavské náměstí, then walk a couple of minutes. From here the Old Town Square is about 10 minutes on foot, so you can combine the museum with a stroll through the historic centre.