Prague Castle Walking Tour: Power, Glory & Destruction

3-Hour Tour

The Largest Castle Complex in the World

Architectural Details Revealing Centuries of History

Journey through the largest castle complex in the world on our insightful 3-hour Prague Castle walking tour. Explore grand halls and churches that have bestowed power and prestige on Bohemian kings, Roman emperors, First Czechoslovak Republic presidents, Nazi Reichsprotektors, and Communist Party leaders alike. Admire European architectural styles including Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and even Modernist, while your expert historian guide explains the dramatic conflicts and shifting styles of ruling regimes dating back 1,100 years.

Explore the Largest Castle Complex in the World with your expert historian guide on this 3-hour Prague Castle Walking Tour.

Discover castle attractions including the 12th-century Romanesque St. George Basilica, the Vladislav Hall, and the Golden Lane - where quaint shops served the castle in eras past.

Enjoy an in-depth visit to the beautiful St. Vitus Cathedral - home to treasures including Saint Wenceslas Chapel and an Art Nouveau window by Alphonse Mucha.

From April-October, stroll through the 500-year-old Royal Garden - the first formal garden in all of Central Europe.

Architectural flourishes reveal centuries of rich history, showcasing European styles including Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque.

Tour Details

Price

Private tour – $270 (1-10 persons)
*your guide all to yourself

 

Small groups – $75 USD per person
*still intimate with 8 persons or less


Departure time

Private tours

Daily at 10 AM or 2 PM (April-October)
Daily at 10 AM or 1PM (November-March)

 

Small groups

April-October

  • Monday 2 PM
  • Wednesday 2 PM
  • Friday 2 PM
  • Sunday 2 PM

November-March

  • Monday 1 PM
  • Wednesday 1 PM
  • Friday 1 PM
  • Sunday 1 PM

Meeting point

Private tours include a pick-up at your central hotel or flat

 

Small groups: Bagel Lounge Malostranska, Letenská 118/1, 118 00 Malá Strana


Availability

Private tours run daily (*Except October 28, November 17, December 24 and 25, January 1)

 

Small groups: Year-round on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays


Duration

3 hours


Group size

Private tours: 1-10 persons
Groups of over 10 should contact us at info@insightcities.com in order to get a special rate for their party.

 

Small groups: 2-8 persons


Participation requirements

Our walks operate rain or shine, though, in the case of inclement weather, our guides often make alterations for our guests’ comfort.


Not included

Entrance to the Castle:

  • Adult: CZK 450
  • Students & seniors: CZK 300

What to bring

  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Cash or credit card for the Castle entrance fee

About your guide

Read about our Prague guides


Cancellation policy

For cancellations 48 hours prior to your scheduled tour, Insight Cities offers a full refund. We cannot refund cancellations within 48 hours of a scheduled tour as we need to pay our guide.

Overview of Your Tour

distant view of dark brick church with green roof steeple and castle complex surrounds

Prague Castle: Seat of Kings, Emperors, and Regents

Over the 1,100 years that Prague Castle has presided over Prague from atop Hradčany Hill, it has been the seat of Bohemian kings, holy Roman emperors, and the Hapsburgs’ regents (including the regents famously thrown out of the castle windows by enraged Hussites). The largest castle complex in the world, it has imparted prestige not only on the presidents of the first Czechoslovak Republic but also, more ominously, on the Nazi Reichsprotektors and to the Communist Party chairmen of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. During the Velvet Revolution of 1989, demonstrators filled Prague’s streets with the chant “Havel na Hrad!” (“Vaclav Havel to the Castle!”), a call to reclaim the traditional home of Czech leadership for a new era of democratic governance.

To start your 3-hour Prague Castle walking tour, meet your guide in central Prague for the enjoyable tram ride up to the top of Hradčany Hill where this imposing castle’s amazing story began.

upward view of 2 church steeples and elaborate circle window

A Thousand Years of Architectural Change

Constructed and reconstructed in every architectural style, Prague Castle incorporates Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Rococo, Renaissance, and Neoclassical monuments and architecture. Over the centuries, the mighty castle walls have been bombarded by artillery, plundered by marauding armies, and left to deteriorate by indifferent Austrian Emperors.

During phases of feverish reconstruction, the castle’s older structures were renovated according to newer architectural sensibilities, resulting in anachronistic combinations such as the 12th-century St. George Basilica whose original Romanesque towers loom over an elaborate 17th-century Baroque façade.

At the height of its prominence in the 16th century, Prague Castle was transformed into a cultural center by the eccentric Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II, who amassed the largest collection of fine art in Europe and attracted the leading scientists of the day, Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, to his court (along with assorted frauds and alchemists).

old and small buildings along street in pinks and whiteSt. Vitus Cathedral, Saint Wenceslas Chapel, and Vladislav Hall: highlights of your tour

Highlights of this Prague Castle walking tour include a detailed visit to the glorious St. Vitus Cathedral, founded by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, and full of treasures including its bejeweled Saint Wenceslas Chapel and the Art Nouveau window by Alphonse Mucha.

Children will enjoy our stroll through the Golden Lane, where a number of quaint shops served the castle in eras past. We also take in the Vladislav Hall, which was built to host indoor jousting tournaments. Since 1995, parts of the castle have been brilliantly illuminated by lighting paid for by The Rolling Stones as a gift to their friend and former President of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel!

large white house with white eaves and fountain amongst garden

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