Prague Castle and Lobkowicz Palace Combined Entry Tickets

St Vitus Cathedral

St Vitus Cathedral is the spiritual and visual centre of Prague Castle. Work on the Gothic cathedral began in 1344 and continued, with long pauses, until 1929, so medieval chapels sit beside neo-Gothic towers and 20th-century stained glass, including a celebrated Art Nouveau window. Inside you find the Chapel of St Wenceslas, its walls set with semi-precious stones and painted scenes, and the dazzling silver tomb of St John of Nepomuk.

Coronations of Bohemian kings took place here and many of them are buried in the royal crypt. Allow 30 to 45 minutes to walk the nave and the chapels. On Sunday mornings the cathedral opens to visitors only after services, around midday, so plan the rest of the circuit first that day. The tower climb is not included in this ticket.

Old Royal Palace and Vladislav Hall

For centuries the Old Royal Palace was the residence of Bohemian princes and kings. Its showpiece is Vladislav Hall, completed in 1502 with a late Gothic ribbed vault that spans the huge room without a single column. It was used for coronation banquets, markets and even indoor tournaments, and riders reached it on horseback up the broad Riders' Staircase.

Next door is the Bohemian Chancellery, where the famous Defenestration of 1618 took place, an event that helped spark the Thirty Years' War. From the palace balcony you also get one of the best views over Prague. Plan around 30 minutes here, then step out into St George's Square for the next stop on the circuit.

St George's Basilica and the Golden Lane

St George's Basilica was founded around 920 and is the best-preserved Romanesque church in Prague Castle. Behind its brick-red baroque façade you find a plain, beautiful interior with two white towers, early medieval tombs of Bohemian princes and the chapel of St Ludmila. It takes only 15 minutes to visit but feels very different from the soaring cathedral nearby.

A few steps downhill, the Golden Lane is a row of tiny houses built into the castle walls in the late 16th century for the castle marksmen, later lived in by goldsmiths and craftsmen. Several houses are furnished to show how their residents lived, and an upper gallery displays armour and weapons. Is the Golden Lane worth visiting? Yes, especially early or late in the day when the lane is quieter.

Lobkowicz Palace museum

Lobkowicz Palace is the only privately owned building inside the Prague Castle complex. Built in the 16th century and owned by the Lobkowicz family since 1627, it was confiscated twice in the 20th century and returned to the family after 1989, opening as a museum in 2007. The collection spans family portraits and old master paintings, ceramics, arms and armour, and a remarkable archive of original musical manuscripts and scores.

The included audio guide brings the rooms to life with the family's own stories, told across five centuries of Czech history, from royal service to exile and return. The palace opens from 10:00, so many visitors start with the castle circuit at 09:00 and come here afterwards. Allow about an hour, and step onto the terrace for a wide view over the Lesser Town rooftops.

Planning your Prague Castle visit

Prague Castle opening hours for the circuit buildings start at 09:00, with closing at 17:00 from April to October and 16:00 from November to March. The castle grounds are busiest in the late morning, so arriving at opening time gives you the cathedral at its calmest. Security checks at the entrance gates can take a few minutes in high season.

How to get to Prague Castle: tram 22 stops at Pražský hrad and Pohořelec, close to the main courtyards, while from Malostranská metro you can walk up the Old Castle Steps in about 15 minutes. Catch the changing of the guard at the main gate on the hour, with the full ceremony at noon, and finish with a walk down through the Lesser Town to Charles Bridge.