Prague is one of the top budget European destinations, if you are having plans to travel to Europe and you are not willing to spend too much of your money then please read the remainder of my blog. Prague by far is cheaper than other destinations like London, Rome, Paris and Venice, when you are in this city you can get engrossed in its rich historical monuments, culture and art. The magnificent Prague Castle is the star attraction in this city, your holidaying in Prague is incomplete if you don’t take a tour of it and I will be giving a good insight on touring the Prague Castle for your sightseeing purpose.
This world famous landmark attraction lies atop a hill overlooking the vitava river and it is easy to reach the castle, the easiest way to reach it is taking Tram number 22 from Prazsky hrad tram stop from the city or alternatively you can use the metro service from either of Malostranska and Hradcanska metro stations within the city to reach the castle. Taking a guided tour of the castle is a must-do thing when you are in Prague and don’t forget to take pictures of the stunning views overlooking the castle.
What can you expect from the Prague Castle Tour
The Prague Castle is the largest and most ancient castle on this face of the earth and today it is the official office of the Czech President. The castle complex is home to some wonderful churches, palaces, museums, St Vitus Cathedral and the charming Golden Lane and was a seat of power to the Kings of Bohemia, the Emperors of Rome and the Presidents of Czechoslovakia.
You will be stepping back in time to discover the rich history of the Prague Castle and how Czech religion has evolved over the years when you visit St Vitus Cathedral and the Romanesque St George. You will also be getting a chance to discover the rare artifacts and art in the St Vitus Treasury Exhibition, the largest church treasury in Czech that features panel paintings from the medieval times and the Picture Gallery at the Prague Castle that has some hard to find European paintings. Apart from churches and museums you’ll also get a chance to discover the ancient palaces lying inside the castle complex such as Old Royal Palace and Rosenberg Palace.
Taking the tour
Make sure you make a prior plan about the different attractions that you want to visit inside the castle complex for your sightseeing. Most attractions can be toured individually or a better way is to buy some kind of a guided package tour that will include free entry to the landmarks of your choice inside the complex. You’ll need to dedicate at least 2 to 3 hours minimum for getting a good tour of the castle attractions but my advice to you is dedicate at least half a day for your sightseeing activities of the complex as most audio tours and guided tours last for long hours and the good thing about such tours are they are very educational. In view of the long tour hours I recommend you to eat your breakfast before you get on the guided tour. And again another important point that must make total sense is any tour to the Prague Castle without a guide is useless! So I strongly recommend a guided tour.
Like in any city you’ll be finding a lot of tour operators offering you various options for your castle tour at different prices, choosing the right castle tour can make the biggest difference. Getting around the castle complex must be easy because all the attractions like the museums, palaces and Churches lie in close proximity to each other.
I will classify the tours into three categories a) individual tours where in you explore each attraction individually on your own b) Audio tours- these tours are very educational, hiring an Audio guide is your gateway to a wealth of information that includes facts and stories about each attraction c) Guided tours- A guided tour is one where you’ll be hiring an informative guide for your sightseeing activities and you can expect the guide to be with you throughout the trip giving you historical insight on the attractions like St Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace to name a few. Expect to shell out CZK 100 for an hour long tour and so if your sightseeing lasts for 3 hours you pay CZK 300. Most guides in Prague can speak Spanish, English, French and Russian. Just be mindful of the peak season (June to August) when the castle complex will be highly crowded, my advice is book your guide well in advance in order to avoid any kind of inconvenience especially during the peak season. When you select a guided tour make sure you buy an all inclusive tour that includes free entry tickets to the attractions along with the guide, the thing to feel happy about is most guided tours can be customized so you’ll only be visiting the places of your interest.
