Prague Castle: 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 to encounter grand halls and churches that bestowed power and prestige alike on Bohemian Kings, Holy Roman Emperors, the presidents of the First Czechoslovak Republic, Nazi Reichsprotektors, and Communist Party leaders. Destroyed and rebuilt over 1100 years, the major sites on this Prague Castle tour give you a new feel for Europe’s architectural styles (Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, even modernist) while your historian guide helps you to grasp the dramatic conflicts and personal styles of the ruling regimes which presided over Prague from this hill.

Explore the ancient Christianity of the 12th-century Romanesque St. George Basilica.

Discover fascinating details of St. Vitus Cathedral, the symbol of Prague.

Experience the intricate vaulting of the Vladislav Hall, built for indoor jousts.

Stroll through the Golden Lane, where small shops served the Castle in eras past

April-October: Take in the 500-year-old Royal Garden, the first formal garden in all of Central Europe.

Tour Details

Price

Private tour – $240 (1-10 persons)
*your guide all to yourself

 

Small groups – $55 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: Metrocafe, Klárov 1, 118 00 Praha 1-Malá Strana. Look for the café connected to the entrance of the Malostranska Metro


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 350
  • Students & seniors: CZK 175

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 72 hours prior to your scheduled tour, Insight Cities offers a full refund. We cannot refund cancellations within 72 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

During the 1100 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 those famously tossed from its 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.

upward view of 2 church steeples and elaborate circle windowConstructed and reconstructed in every architectural style, incorporating Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Rococo, Renaissance, and Neoclassical monuments, the Castle buildings have also 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, which rears its austere original Romanesque towers 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 whiteHighlights of this Prague Castle walking tour include the aforementioned sites as well as a detailed visit to the glorious St. Vitus Cathedral, founded by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and full of treasures, including its be-gemmed Saint Wenceslas Chapel and the art nouveau window by Alphonse Mucha. Children will enjoy our stroll through the Golden Lane, where small shops served the Castle in eras past. We 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!

If you are visiting April-October, we’ll take in the Royal Garden, the first formal garden in all of Central Europe, strolling by the Singing Fountain cast in bell bronze, the 500-year-old greenhouses, and the Renaissance Ball Game Hall where tennis was played by sporty aristocrats.

large white house with white eaves and fountain amongst garden

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