Short answer. The main ticket for the buildings at Prague Castle is the Main circuit, which covers four buildings: the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica, Golden Lane and St Vitus Cathedral. It is valid for two days and each building can be entered once. You can walk the courtyards and the open gardens without a ticket. On top of the entry you can choose an introduction, an audio guide or a live guide. We read the castle’s pages and the partner cards on 24 October 2026. We are not the castle, and we leave prices to the cards, which show the current ones.
What is the “Main circuit”?
The castle sells tickets by groups of buildings, each numbered on its map. The Main circuit is the group of four: the Old Royal Palace (I), St George’s Basilica (III), Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower (V) and St Vitus Cathedral (VIII). The “Permanent exhibitions” ticket is another group: The Story of Prague Castle (II), the Castle Guard Exhibition (IV), the Picture Gallery (VI) and the Rosenberg Palace (IX). The cathedral’s Great South Tower has a separate ticket. Some third-party sites use letters such as Circuit A, B or C; the castle’s own pages call it the Main circuit. Special exhibitions and concerts have their own tickets.
Do I need a ticket to walk around?
No. The castle’s visitor regulations say that entry to the complex is free except for the buildings open to the public. The grounds are open from 6:00 to 22:00 all year. You need a ticket for the four buildings above. There is one thing to know: the castle’s page on the cathedral says that, because of construction work, the free part has not been accessible since 25 October 2023 until further notice, so a circuit ticket is needed to enter. People attending services enter without a ticket. We read this on 24 October 2026 and could not confirm whether it has changed since.
Entrances have security checks. The castle asks visitors not to bring large baggage, and tells them to leave bags and umbrellas where there is a designated place before entering a building.
When is it open?
The historic buildings are open from 9:00 to 17:00 from 1 April to 31 October and from 9:00 to 16:00 from 1 November to 31 March, and they are closed on 24 December. The cathedral’s last entry is 16:40 in summer and 15:40 in winter, and the cathedral tower’s last entry is 17:30 or 16:30. We could not confirm a last entry for the other buildings, so arrive well before closing. The cathedral opens at 12:00 on Sundays. Check the castle’s closures page before you go: it lists days when buildings are closed for ceremonies or works.
Where are tickets sold?
The castle sells circuit tickets in its information centres in the Second and Third Courtyards, open every day from 9:00 to 17:00 (9:00 to 16:00 in winter). Its tickets page also says the Main circuit can be bought online through the GetYourGuide ticketing network. The cards of our partner Tiqets, a third party, are another way, and they come with a choice of introduction, audio guide or live guide.
The castle’s own audio guide and tours
The castle rents an audio guide of about three hours in English, Czech, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Korean. Its own guides lead tours in English, German, Italian, Spanish, French and Russian, on top of a valid ticket. Its guided tours page says at least four people are needed, payment is made at the Third Courtyard information centre and booking in advance is recommended.
Which ticket types are there on the partner’s cards?
All cards for the castle are on the castle tickets page. This is what they say, as of 24 October 2026.
- Entry only. The card lists the four buildings of the Main circuit, access to the castle complex and a map. A guide or audio guide is not listed, and the card says the ticket cannot be cancelled.
- Entry with an introduction. A 20-minute introduction in English, a map and the four buildings. You collect your ticket from a representative, and the card says a live guide and a guided tour are not included.
- Entry, audio guide and introduction. You meet a representative in front of St Vitus Cathedral for a brief introduction in English, then follow an online audio guide on your phone with the map. Live guide and headphones are not included.
- Entry and audio guide. A self-guided visit with a digital audio guide on a mobile or tablet and an orientation map. The card leaves out a live guide and earphones. Other cards add an audio guide with restaurant discount vouchers, an audio guide with a one-way minibus transfer from Old Town Square, or the audio guide plus the Hall of John of Luxembourg.
- Guided tours. The 2.5-hour tour card lists entry to the four buildings and a live guide, in Czech, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. A second guided tour card lists no inclusions in its details, so read its page. A Hradčany tour card combines a guide through the district with entry and a digital audio guide. A private tour is for up to ten people and includes a tram ticket.
- Introductions and district walks. A 30-minute guided introduction near the cathedral and a two-hour walk of the castle district both leave out entry to the buildings, as their cards say. An augmented reality experience of the grounds has options with entry and audio guide.
- Combined tickets. The castle with Lobkowicz Palace; the castle with the National Museum and the Old Town Hall clock tower, with a digital audio guide; the castle with the clock tower and the Jewish Quarter. Lobkowicz Palace and its concerts also have their own cards: the card of one concert says the palace entrance is not included.
- City passes and cruises. Two cards describe multi-attraction city passes that list the castle among their attractions: read the card to see exactly what a pass covers. A nearby river cruise card, with an audio guide, shows the castle from the Vltava.
Cancellation terms differ: some cards allow cancellation up to a set time before the visit, and some, such as the entry-only card and the 2.5-hour tour card, say it is not possible.
Which one should I choose?
For a self-guided visit, the plain entry or the Main circuit from the castle’s centres is enough. For commentary without a group, choose a card with an audio guide, with or without the introduction. For stories and context, choose a guided tour, and check whether the card includes entry or only the guide. If you plan to see Lobkowicz Palace or another museum on the same day, a combined card may be simpler than separate tickets. For the other attractions in this guide, read the overview of tickets, and for the way up to the castle, getting around Prague. The castle’s own pages on opening hours and current closures are at hrad.cz.
