Prague Castle
Getting to Prague Castle is easy, just look around. No matter where you are in Prague you can see it sitting higher than all other points. Located on the west side of the Vltava River, there are public buses that will take you closer to the entrance, but the walk is roughly a mile from the Old Town center, and the walk across the Charles Bridge to get to the castle is worth the effort. The city is completely built around the complex, so the roads are in great condition, and the streets are lined with businesses selling any and everything you could imagine. Take some time to wander through the back alleys to find much less crowded restaurants and shops that may give you a better deal. One warning, for those of you who aren't what we would call physically fit, there are quite a bit of steps to get to the entrance, like more than a hundred. You can walk up a steep street to come in on the other side of the palace complex, but that is going to add another mile or more to your walk. When you get there you will have to go through pretty extensive airport style screening, so make sure you don't have anything forbidden on you. The ticket prices are reasonable, but every price in the Czech Republic was inexpensive, so that was expected. They sell you a ticket based on the specific sites you want to go into in the complex. I am telling you now to get ticket Group B. That is the ticket that lets you get into any site on the complex, especially The Story of Prague Castle. A cheaper ticket, Group A, gives you the main sites, but The Story of Prague Castle exhibit is probably the best site there.
After you enter, the first spot to stop is the famous St. Vitus Cathedral. While a church has stood on this site since the early 10th Century, construction began on this Gothic cathedral in 1344, and took several centuries to complete. Originally founded by the patron saint of Czechs, Wenceslas, the church standing now was built by another one of their great kings, Charles IV. Another church that could rival any of the great cathedrals of Europe, St. Vitus is a massive church that houses many beautiful religious paintings and relics. The most famous of these relics is the body of St. Wenceslas himself. Murdered in his late twenties by his brother and other conspirators who wanted to seize control of Prague, this is the St. Wenceslas of the "Good King Wenceslas" Christmas carol fame. Known for his kindness, he was later sainted, and has been a point of pride for the people of Prague for a thousand years. Outside of the church is a wonderful mosaic known as the Last Judgement which has been on display since 1371. Removed for a short time during the 19th Century, the original mosaic was returned to the building in the early 20th Century, and has been on display ever since.
When you get done there walk down to the end of the complex for a vantage point that will give you some of the best pictures of Prague. After you get your pictures you can go to the Rosenberg Palace, but I would highly recommend against it. While one of the several museums at Prague Castle, there are very few real items actually there, and many of them are not even in their cases. They had a display of coins from the early years of Prague, but none (literally none) of the more than 40 coins were in the case. It was just three giant empty cases with labels for nothing. There is also an area called the Golden Lane. It is supposed to take you back to what life was like in the medieval times, with shops and recreations of living quarters. You may like it, but I did not find it exciting at all. The street is narrow, short, and the recreations are tiny which only allow one or two people at a time into the rooms. Keep working back towards the front of the complex and go through St. George's Cathedral, a Romanesque church from the 11th Century that is small, but impressive. When you are done go to The Story of Prague Castle. An extensive museum that is spread out across the cellars of the palace complex, this exhibit is fascinating as it takes you from the early days of the Czech people and walks you to modern times with wonderful real artifacts. One thing you will notice quickly about Czech museums across the whole country is that they love English speaking tourists, and every sign we came across in every museum was in Czech first, but also was in well written English, making it a fun tour for American visitors.
The last site in the complex is the tour of the Old Royal Palace itself. Construction was completed on this place in 1185, and it has been expanded several times since then. While there are not many rooms included in the tour, the ones on display are impressive. The first room you enter is a royal dining hall that looks like it could seat a thousand people. Next you will visit the royal meeting room where the king would hold council with his advisors. Then you get a chance to go upstairs and see a room decorated with the coats of arms of the families that have supported the ruling monarchs over the last thousand years. Sadly, pictures are not allowed in the palace, so you will have to take my word on it, but it is worth the half hour it will take you to wander through there.
If you want, and we did, you can easily spend an entire day inside the walls of the castle. The ticket is good for two consecutive days of visits, so if you don't finish on the first day don't worry, just come back tomorrow. When you are done right outside of the gates of the castle is the national museum of art, and several other historic homes worth a look. Also, make sure you stick around for the changing of the guards. While not quite as dramatic as the change at Buckingham Palace, these soldiers still stand at attention for what must feel like forever and keep a watch over a long gone royal family that has been out of power for more than a century.
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