Prague Castle and Malá Strana: How to Visit

Prague Castle is less a single building than a walled town on a ridge: three courtyards, a cathedral, palaces, a basilica, gardens and a lane of tiny houses, home to Czech rulers for over a thousand years and still the office of the president. Below it, Malá Strana spills down the hill in a jumble of Baroque palaces, embassies and church domes. Together they make a full day, and the order you visit them in matters.

Go up first, walk down after

Take tram 22 to the Pražský hrad stop and enter through the Royal Garden and the northern gate, which usually has shorter security queues than the main gate on Hradčany Square. You then see the castle in the morning and walk downhill all afternoon, rather than climbing the New Castle Steps or Nerudova street in the heat.

What the castle ticket covers

The courtyards and gardens are free to walk through. The main ticket covers the interiors that matter most:

• St Vitus Cathedral: begun in 1344 and finished only in 1929. A small area by the entrance is free; the ticket takes you past the silver tomb of St John of Nepomuk, the jewelled Wenceslas Chapel and the stained-glass window designed by Alfons Mucha.
• The Old Royal Palace: its Vladislav Hall has a ribbed vault wide enough that knights once rode in on horseback for tournaments.
• St George's Basilica: a Romanesque church with a Baroque front, the oldest surviving church in the complex.
• Golden Lane: a row of tiny houses built into the castle wall. Franz Kafka wrote in number 22 in 1916 and 1917.

The ticket is valid for two days, with one entry to each building, so you can split the visit. The cathedral's Great South Tower needs a separate ticket. Check prices and opening times on the official Prague Castle site. The changing of the guard happens on the hour at the main gate; the noon ceremony in the first courtyard comes with a fanfare and draws a large crowd.

Strahov Monastery

Ten minutes' walk west of the castle, Strahov's two Baroque library halls are among the most beautiful rooms in the city. You view them from the doorway, which keeps the visit short. The monastery brewery next door serves its own beer.

Down through Malá Strana

Walk down Nerudova, reading the house signs (the Two Suns, the Golden Horseshoe) that served as addresses before street numbers. At the bottom, the green dome of St Nicholas Church dominates Malostranské náměstí; its interior is high Baroque at full volume. Then turn off the main route:

• Wallenstein Garden: a formal garden with peacocks, an artificial dripstone wall and free entry in season.
• Kampa Island: a quiet park by the river, reached past the Lennon Wall, covered in graffiti since the 1980s.
• Petřín Hill: climb up for the lookout tower and the view back across the castle and the Old Town.

End the day by crossing Charles Bridge toward the Old Town as the lights come on. If you are staying on this side of the river, our accommodation guide explains what Malá Strana is like at night.