Departing from Prague
Prague Castle & Lobkowicz Palace: Self-Guided Entry Tickets
The only ticket that unlocks the Lobkowicz art collection — Brueghel, Velázquez, and original Beethoven and Mozart manuscripts — alongside all four Prague Castle landmarks
From
$40/ person
Rating
★ 4.4(5,318)
Duration
Flexible — valid all day
Rating
4.4 ★ (5,318 reviews)
Languages
English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Czech, Japanese, Chinese, Russian
Group size
Max 99 people
About This Tour
Lobkowicz Palace is the most overlooked site inside Prague Castle's walls — and the most distinctive. While the major sites (St Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane, the Old Royal Palace) are covered by the standard Prague Castle ticket, Lobkowicz Palace is privately owned by the Lobkowicz family and requires a separate ticket. This GYG purchase bundles both: the Prague Castle Circuit B ticket (all four core sites) and Lobkowicz Palace entry, with audio guides for both included. The Lobkowicz collection is extraordinary by any measure: Brueghel the Elder's Haymaking — one of the six surviving paintings from his Seasons cycle, one of only three outside Vienna; Velázquez and Canaletto originals; and the largest private collection of Beethoven and Mozart manuscript scores in Central Europe, including Beethoven's personal annotated scores with his own handwriting in the margins. The audio guide through the palace is narrated by William Lobkowicz himself — a member of the family that built the collection over five centuries — not by a professional actor, which gives the commentary an unusual directness. This is a self-guided, enter-at-any-time ticket, not a fixed-departure tour. You collect your physical tickets at the Lobkowicz Palace desk (not the main Prague Castle ticket office), then explore the castle and palace at your own pace. Tickets are valid for two consecutive days per multiple reviews. If you prefer a structured experience with a licensed live guide covering the castle's full 1,000-year history, the [Prague Castle Small Group Tour with Local Guide](/tours/czech-republic/prague-castle-guided-tour) covers the same four castle landmarks with a live expert — though it does not include Lobkowicz Palace.
Highlights
- ✓Lobkowicz Palace — the only privately owned building inside Prague Castle, with the largest private art collection in Central Europe and audio commentary narrated by the Lobkowicz family themselves
- ✓Brueghel the Elder's Haymaking (c.1565) — one of six surviving Seasons cycle paintings, one of only three outside the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna
- ✓Original Beethoven and Mozart manuscripts — including Beethoven's personal annotated scores with handwritten marginalia; the collection contains more original scores than most national music archives
- ✓Prague Castle Circuit B — St Vitus Cathedral (the largest Gothic cathedral in Central Europe), the Old Royal Palace, St George's Basilica, and Golden Lane (where Kafka famously wrote in 1916–17)
- ✓Audio guides in 9 languages for both sites; self-guided and enter-at-any-time — no fixed departure slot
- ✓Two-day validity (per multiple reviews) — use Day 1 for the castle circuit and Day 2 for Lobkowicz at your own pace
Ready to book this tour?
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Itinerary
Collect your physical tickets at the Lobkowicz Palace desk inside Prague Castle — not at the main castle ticket office. Exchange your GYG voucher for two physical tickets: the Prague Castle Circuit B ticket and the Lobkowicz Palace ticket. The audio guide is issued at the same point.
St Vitus Cathedral — begun in 1344 under Emperor Charles IV, completed in 1929 — is the largest Gothic cathedral in Central Europe and the burial place of Bohemian kings, Holy Roman Emperors, and Czech patrons. The nave's scale, the medieval stained glass, the Wenceslas Chapel (built over the grave of St Wenceslas in 1367), and the Crown Chamber (which holds the Bohemian Crown Jewels, viewable only on special openings) are covered by the audio guide.
The Old Royal Palace includes the Vladislav Hall — a late Gothic throne room of 1502 whose ceiling vaulting is the largest of its kind in Bohemia. Knights once rode horses into this hall for indoor jousting tournaments. The Defenestration of Prague (1618) took place from the windows of the adjacent chancellery, triggering the Thirty Years' War.
St George's Basilica — the oldest surviving church building inside Prague Castle, founded around 920 and rebuilt in Romanesque form in 1142. The austere twin-towered façade and plain interior contrast sharply with the cathedral's Gothic elaboration; the crypt contains the tomb of St Ludmila (the first Bohemian martyr).
Golden Lane — the row of 16th-century craftsmen's houses built into the castle fortification walls — includes house No. 22, where Franz Kafka rented a room from his sister Ottla in 1916–17 and wrote several of the stories in A Country Doctor. The lane is now a small-scale open-air museum of castle life across different centuries.
Lobkowicz Palace — the only privately owned building inside Prague Castle — houses five centuries of Lobkowicz family collections: paintings (Brueghel, Velázquez, Canaletto), weapons, porcelain, and the most significant private music archive in Central Europe. The Beethoven collection includes original scores with the composer's own handwritten corrections and marginal notes. The audio guide is narrated by William Lobkowicz and members of his family — a format that gives the collection's backstory a directness that museum-standard commentary rarely achieves.
What's Included
- ✓Prague Castle Circuit B entry ticket (St Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, St George's Basilica, Golden Lane)
- ✓Lobkowicz Palace entry ticket
- ✓Audio guides for both Prague Castle Circuit B and Lobkowicz Palace (9 languages)
Not Included
- ✗Live guided tour commentary — this is a self-guided ticket; for a live guide see Prague Castle Small Group Tour with Local Guide
- ✗Prague Castle Circuit A or C (additional palace exhibitions — available as upgrades at the ticket desk)
- ✗Meals and transport to the castle
Insider Tips
Go to the Lobkowicz Palace desk first — collect your tickets before starting the castle circuit; the desk opens earlier than the palace itself and helps you plan the day
Tickets are valid for two consecutive days per multiple reviews — the castle complex is large (70,000 square metres) and trying to cover everything in one day is rushed; use Day 1 for the four circuit sites and Day 2 for Lobkowicz at a slower pace
St Vitus Cathedral is free to enter from the rear (Third Courtyard entrance) for the nave only; the Circuit B ticket gives full access including the side chapels, Wenceslas Chapel, and the view from the Great South Tower
Lobkowicz Palace has a café on the terrace with views over Malá Strana and the Vltava — a good lunch stop midway through the palace
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I book this self-guided ticket or the Prague Castle Small Group Tour with a live guide?
Choose the [Prague Castle Small Group Tour with Local Guide](/tours/czech-republic/prague-castle-guided-tour) (€52, 4.7★, 11,000+ reviews) if you want a structured experience with a licensed expert covering the full 1,000-year history of the castle in a fixed-departure small group — but note it does not include Lobkowicz Palace. Choose this self-guided ticket ($40, 4.4★, 5,300+ reviews) if you want flexible timing, a lower price, and access to the Lobkowicz Palace art collection — which contains original Brueghel and Beethoven manuscripts unavailable on the guided tour. Both tickets cover the same four castle landmarks (St Vitus, Old Royal Palace, St George's, Golden Lane).
Why do I collect tickets at the Lobkowicz Palace desk and not the main ticket office?
Lobkowicz Palace is privately owned by the Lobkowicz family — it is not part of the Prague Castle administration. Your GYG voucher includes a Lobkowicz-issued ticket that must be exchanged at their own desk inside the castle. If you go to the main Prague Castle ticket office, they will not be able to process your Lobkowicz voucher. The Lobkowicz desk is clearly signed inside the castle complex.
What makes the Lobkowicz collection exceptional?
Three things stand out: Brueghel the Elder's Haymaking (c.1565) — one of six surviving Seasons cycle paintings by the artist, one of only three held outside the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna; original music manuscripts by Beethoven and Mozart, including Beethoven's personal annotated scores; and the audio guide narrated by William Lobkowicz himself, a family member, giving the collection a personal framing that institutional museums cannot replicate. The family collection was confiscated twice in the 20th century — by the Nazis in 1939 and the Communists in 1948 — and returned to the Lobkowicz family after 1989.
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Meeting point
Lobkowicz Palace ticket desk, inside Prague Castle (Hradčany). Collect your physical tickets here by exchanging your GYG voucher — do not go to the main Prague Castle ticket office, which handles a different ticket system. Prague Castle is accessible by tram (No. 22 to Pražský hrad stop) or on foot up the Radničné schody steps from Malá Strana.
From
$40/ person