Explore the historic Prague Castle complex. Book your skip-the-line tickets today.
Buy TicketsPrague Castle, known in Czech as Pražský hrad, sits high on the hill above the Vltava river and the red roofs of the old town. Founded around 880 AD by Prince Bořivoj of the Přemyslid Dynasty, expanded under the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in the 14th century and again under the Habsburgs, the complex is officially the largest ancient castle in the world according to Guinness World Records — an irregular polygon roughly 570 metres long covering 7.28 hectares. Today it is still the official seat of the Czech president. Booking a Basic Tour (Circuit A) online is the only way to skip the busy ticket queues at the gates: timed entries sell out daily in summer. For planning, see our visitors guide, the latest opening hours and our best time to visit page.
The smartest way to visit Prague Castle
Walk past the ticket-office queues at the Second Courtyard or Golden Lane gates with a pre-purchased Basic Tour voucher. Queues at the castle ticket offices regularly reach 30–60 minutes in summer — pre-booking is the difference between a relaxed visit and a half-hour wait in the sun.
Add the official 3-hour audio tour in 11 languages — narrators walk you through the Vladislav Hall, the tomb of St. John of Nepomuk in St. Vitus, and the tiny goldsmiths' cottages of Golden Lane where Franz Kafka wrote The Country Doctor.
Plans change. Cancel up to 24 hours before your visit for a full refund — no questions asked, no fees, no fine print, no awkward emails.
Show your voucher directly from your phone at the security checkpoint at any of the three castle gates. No printing, no paper, no exchange at a window — straight in.
Prague Castle is not really a single castle at all but a whole walled town on a ridge — palaces, churches, courtyards, gardens, a basilica, a Gothic cathedral and a row of medieval cottages all enclosed inside a kilometre and a half of ramparts. According to Guinness World Records, it is officially the largest ancient castle in the world: an irregular polygon roughly 570 metres long and 130 metres wide, covering 7.28 hectares — about ten times the footprint of Buckingham Palace.
Founded by Prince Bořivoj of the Přemyslid Dynasty around 880 AD, expanded into a Gothic masterpiece by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in the 14th century, remodelled by the Habsburgs and rebuilt repeatedly across the centuries, the complex has been the seat of Bohemian kings, Holy Roman emperors and now the Czech presidents continuously for more than 1,100 years. Stand in the Third Courtyard at any moment of any day and you are standing where Charles IV stood when he laid the foundation stone of St. Vitus Cathedral in 1344.
Visit Prague Castle in 3 simple steps
Pick a date and the Basic Tour (Circuit A) for full access, or Circuit B for a slightly shorter route. Add an audio guide in 11 languages or upgrade to a small-group expert-led tour. The Basic Tour ticket is valid for two consecutive days — perfect if you want to spread the visit across a morning and an afternoon.
Secure checkout with instant email confirmation. Your mobile voucher arrives in minutes, ready to scan at the entry checkpoint — no waiting in any queue at the castle ticket offices, no printing required.
On the day, enter through the main gate at the Hradčanské náměstí (Castle Square), the Powder Bridge gate from the Royal Garden, or the Old Castle Steps from Malostranská metro. Show your voucher at the security check and walk straight in — your ticket is then scanned at each individual interior.
Everything you need to know before your visit