Prague Castle Guided Tour with Entry Ticket

Prague Castle, a Thousand Years on the Hill

Prague Castle was founded around 880 by Prince Bořivoj and has been the seat of Bohemian princes and kings, Holy Roman emperors and, today, the Czech president. Covering about 70,000 square metres, it is listed as the largest ancient castle complex in the world, a town of palaces, churches, courtyards and gardens stretched along the ridge above the Vltava.

How to get to Prague Castle without the steep climb: our tour includes the tram ticket, and tram 22 takes you right to the castle stop. Prague Castle opening hours are longer in summer than in winter, but the courtyards are busiest from late morning, which is why a guided Prague Castle tour with ready tickets saves you time and stress.

St Vitus Cathedral

Work on St Vitus Cathedral began in 1344 under Emperor Charles IV, with the architects Matthias of Arras and then Peter Parler, but the building was only completed in 1929. Inside you see the St Wenceslas Chapel, its walls set with semi-precious stones and painted with medieval scenes, the silver tomb of St John of Nepomuk, and a vivid Art Nouveau window designed by Alphonse Mucha.

The Czech crown jewels are kept in a chamber above the chapel, locked with seven keys and shown to the public only on rare occasions. Our guide leads you through the nave and the ambulatory, where your ticket gives access, and points out the royal tombs and the gargoyles on the Gothic exterior. Many visitors say St Vitus alone makes Prague Castle worth visiting.

The Old Royal Palace and Vladislav Hall

The Old Royal Palace was the residence of Bohemian kings for centuries. Its highlight is Vladislav Hall, finished around 1502 by Benedikt Ried, a vast room with a late-Gothic vault of intertwined stone ribs, once so large that knights rode their horses up the wide Riders' Staircase to joust indoors.

Next door is the Bohemian Chancellery, where in 1618 Protestant nobles threw two royal governors and their secretary out of the window, the famous Defenestration of Prague that helped spark the Thirty Years' War. Your guide explains the event on the spot, one of the most memorable stories of any Prague Castle guided tour.

St George's Basilica and Golden Lane

Behind its red Baroque façade, St George's Basilica, founded in 920, is the oldest surviving church building inside the castle, with a bare Romanesque interior, twin white towers and the tomb of St Ludmila, the first Czech saint. Its simplicity is a striking contrast after the grandeur of the cathedral.

Golden Lane is a row of tiny, brightly painted houses built into the castle wall in the late 16th century for castle guards and craftsmen. Franz Kafka rented house number 22 from his sister in 1916 and 1917 and wrote there. Today the houses show how people lived in them over the centuries, and the lane is the perfect end to the tour.