Prague Castle Tickets: Which One Should You Buy?
Updated October 13, 2026 · 5 min read
Buy the official Prague Castle entry ticket for €18.46 unless you want a guide. It is the Main circuit: St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica and the Golden Lane. The castle’s own price list charges 450 CZK for the same circuit. A guided 2.5-hour tour costs €49.90 to €52 with the same buildings included; the €35 bundle adds the Lobkowicz Palace.
The five tickets
| Ticket | Price | What you get | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official Entry Ticket to Prague Castle | €18.46 | Main circuit, valid 2 consecutive days, self-guided | 4.4 (22,834) |
| Skip-the-line Castle Ticket and Optional AudioGuide | €17.94 | Same circuit, collected from a representative, 20-minute introduction | 4.3 (11,560) |
| Castle Tour with Local Guide and Entry Ticket | €52 | 2.5 hours, group or private, tram ticket included | 4.7 (11,958) |
| Prague Castle 2.5-Hour Tour Including Admission Ticket | €49.90 | 2.5 hours, starts at Charles Bridge, tram included | 4.7 (9,735) |
| Prague Castle and Lobkowicz Palace Entry Tickets | €35 | Castle circuit plus the Lobkowicz Palace, with audio guides | 4.4 (5,420) |
What the Main circuit contains
Four stops, each of which you can enter once: St Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace with Vladislav Hall, St George’s Basilica and the Golden Lane. The castle’s price list says the ticket is valid for two days and that each building can be entered only once, and children under six go in free. The two-day validity is the useful part: you can do the cathedral and palace one afternoon and the rest next morning.
The castle’s website gives the opening hours of its historic buildings as 9 am to 5 pm from April to October and 9 am to 4 pm from November to March. The cathedral has its own hours and opens later on days with services. The grounds themselves are open from 6 am to 10 pm, and the courtyards can be walked without a ticket.
The self-guided ticket
The €18.46 entry ticket is a plain pass: the booking page says it is scanned at the entrance of each building and you can start at any of the four. There is no guide, and skipping the ticket line does not skip the security check at the castle entrance. The page lists photography without flash and tripod as allowed, and drones and pets (assistance dogs excepted) as not allowed.
The page lists wheelchair accessible as a feature of the ticket. For your own needs, ask the castle or the operator what that covers in each building before you go.
When the skip-the-line version makes sense
The skip-the-line ticket with optional audio guide costs €17.94, a little less, and adds something the plain ticket does not: you meet a representative in front of St Vitus Cathedral, who gives a 20-minute introduction in English and a map, and then you walk the circuit alone. The audio guide is an option (headphones and internet access needed). The listing also reminds you that renovation work can change the order of the stops in the guide.
If you would otherwise stare at the Golden Lane without knowing why it matters, this is the cheap fix.
When a guide earns about €50
Both guided tours take 2.5 hours and include the circuit tickets plus a tram ticket up the hill. The Fun in Prague tour meets at the Malostranská metro station and offers a group or private format, with headphones for the commentary. The Get Prague Guide tour meets at Charles Bridge, crosses it and takes the tram from Lesser Town Square. Its booking page lists people with mobility impairments and wheelchair users among those it is not suited to.
You pay roughly €31 to €34 more than for the plain ticket. For the Old Royal Palace, where the Defenestration of Prague of 1618 happened, a guide is the difference between an empty hall and a story.
The Lobkowicz bundle
The Lobkowicz Palace bundle costs €35, which is about €17 more than the plain ticket. It adds the private museum inside the castle grounds with its art and music manuscripts, and an audio guide narrated by members of the Lobkowicz family. Two details from the booking page: collect the tickets at the Lobkowicz Palace cash desk, not at the castle ticket office, and swap the voucher for official tickets, because the QR code alone is not accepted at the entrance. Baby strollers are not allowed in.
Pick it only if you want a second museum on the same day.
Closures to expect
The castle is the president’s seat, and buildings close for state ceremonies. The booking pages say refunds are not issued for partial closures, and one adds that in September and October some buildings may close around the Crown Jewels exhibition and the Independence Day ceremonies. The castle publishes current closures on its website under “Current closures”. Check it the day before.
The short version
One day, no interest in the stories: the €18.46 entry ticket. Want the context at no extra cost: the skip-the-line ticket with an introduction. Want the full story and a tram ride: a guided tour at €49.90 or €52. Want a second museum: the Lobkowicz bundle.
Check dates and prices for the Prague Castle entry ticket
More castle options are on the Prague Castle tickets and tours page.
