There are many ways you can get to Prague castle; from the easiest way to get there by tram no. 22 to a scenic walk along the top of the Petrin or Letna Hills; or away from the crowds through secret gardens and moat tunnel.
Over the years, I’ve walked to Prague Castle in all sorts of directions and challenged myself to try different routes, so that I can share with you the best way to get to the castle and also show you the most scenic places along the way.
And of course, all the routes to Prague Castle can be also done in a reversed order, so if you want to you can take the tram up to the castle and then walk down choosing the different routes, depending on how much time you have.
How much does it cost to get to Prague Castle?
The cheapest way to get to Prague Castle is of course to walk there! Saying that, if you buy a single ticket for 40 CZK it’s valid for trams and underground for 90 minutes, which is plenty of time to get you to the top of the Prague Castle complex from practically anywhere in Prague.
Taxis start from 150 CZ for a standard car (booked via Uber app), which can be a good option if you are travelling as a family.
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- Tram 22 route – The self-guided tour of Prague >>
The Easy & most direct route to Prague Castle
This is the best and easiest route to get to Prague Castle. Take tram no. 22 or 23 from the Malostranska Underground or tram stop at the bottom of the castle hill. You can also catch the tram from Ujezd (when you come down from Petrin Lookout Tower), Malostranske Namesti (the Lesser Town Square) or National Theatre or Narodni Trida if you are closer to the Vltava River and the centre.
Travel to the ‘Prazsky Hrad’ Prague Castle stop (the 2nd stop). The announcement will be in English and Czech, so you don’t need to worry that will miss your stop. Then you just need to cross the street and walk for about 5 minutes before you see the entrance to the castle grounds and the guards.
Best for: Easiest and most direct route involving the shortest amount of walking, which is on level pavements. Suitable for wheelchairs (you might need to wait for low level access tram)
Steep walk using the Old Castle Stairs
From the Malostranska Underground stop or tram stop walk through the little park and then take the Old Castle Stairs to the Na Opyši Castle gate. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the gate.
There is a ticket office for the Prague Castle next to Golden Lane, so you can start exploring the castle grounds from the lower parts. There are usually fewer people there too because most people start from the ticket office in front of the St.Vitus Cathedral.
Best for: Quick access to the castle (the lower part of the castle grounds), the shortest way to get to the St.Wenceslas Vineyard or Golden Lane, not wheelchair friendly
Scening walk down to the Prague Castle from Pohorelec
If you prefer to add a short, scenic walk, then travel a few stops further beyond the Prague Castle stop to the Pohořelec stop on the tram 22 and walk downhill to the main castle entrance, which takes about 10 minutes (without any detours). The entrance is via IV square which is on the left hand next to the main entrance.
If you fancy seeing more of the Hradcany area before you walk down to the castle take a detour to see the New World area, the Loretta Monastery and Church or the Czernin’s Garden (open summer time at the weekends only)
Best for: Longer walk, but still easy walking down the hill, including some cobbled stoned streets and paths
Steep hike with great views over the Lesser Town house roofs via the New Castle Stairs
Start your walk from the Lesser Town Square – Malostranske Namesti. You can get there by trams no. 22, 23, 12 or 15 or when you walk across the Charles Bridge from the Old Town Square you also end up at the Lesser Town Square.
Walk towards Nerudova Street and then turn into Zamecka Street. After about 50 metres turn left into Thunovska Street. This street will lead to you to the so-called New Castle Stairs which will take you directly to Hradcany Square in front of the main entrance to the castle. The entrance to the castle for pedestrians is next to the main entrance.
Best for: Anyone who wants to take a shorter, but steeper walk and see great views of Prague at the same time. Not suitable for wheelchairs (steps)
The secret way through the lower castle gardens
This is one of my favourite secret ways to get to Prague Castle, which is away from the crowds and you get to the top through the beautiful terraces of Fürstenberg Garden.
From the Malostranska Underground or tram stop walk through the little garden towards the Valdstejska Street (on the corner you will see the National Gallery at the Waldstein Riding School.
The entrance to Fürstenberg Garden is next to the Polish Embassy. The entrance to the garden is 50 CZK (about £1.70 or just over $2) and the garden is open every day between 9-am – 7-pm in the summer and 10 am 6 pm in the winter. I always get a hot chocolate or coffee in a take out cup at the entrance and sit on the bench in the garden to enjoy the views.
You can spend as much time as you like in the garden – it’s quite large with a lot of different paths and levels. The garden is full of quince trees and in autumn you can buy their own quince jam in the entrance shop.
When you reach the top of the garden, you will see a little cafe, which belongs to the garden too and this will lead you to nearly the top of the New Castle Steps and you will enter the castle grounds from the lower part – close to the historic Golden Lane at Prague Castle with its pretty houses and shops.
Best for: Romantic way to get to the castle away from the crowds, includes steep hike and steps
Walk to the Castle through the Royal Garden
Take tram no. 22 or 23 from the Prague centre or Malostranska Underground Stop or Tram Stop and get off at the ‘Letohradek Kralovny Anny’ stop (the Summer Palace of Queen Ann). Walk through the garden and park until you reach the gate that leads to the main walk to the castle entrance. This walk takes about 15-20 minutes.
Extra detour – before you start your walk to the garden, turn round to see the little square in front of the Pisecka Brana (Pisek Gate). The gate is part of the original town fortification and the only four that survived. The other three are part of the Vysehrad Fortress Area on the other side of the town.
There are often markets and various events happening in front of the gate and the gate itself has a cafe (you can sit inside the actual gate or in front of it). I always like to stop there as it’s quiet and definitely less busy before you walk into the hustle and bustle of Prague Castle.
Best for: Pleasant stroll through park mostly level walk
Walk to the castle through a tunnel and a park moat
If you want to feel like you are on a completely private mission to take over the castle and get to the gates without anyone noticing you, follow my next suggestion of walking to the castle through the castle moat! Today, the moat is more like a lovely green park with a little stream called Brusnice.
To start the walk, you need to walk up the hill on ‘Pod Bruskou’ street (that swiftly changes to ‘Chotkova’ street). It’s the same street you see the trams going up the hill. Keep to the left and you will find the entrance to the walk next to the public toilets ( don’t worry it gets more sophisticated as the walk continues…).
The walk will first follow the street and then take you down to the moat. The first bit is quite steep and narrow, but then it turns into a regular park path. Carry on up the moat until you get to the tunnel and walk through. At the end of the moat you’ll climb a little incline and arrive next to the castle gate at the Powder Bridge (Prasny Most).
Extra detour – you can walk up to the other side of the hill to see the Thomas Garrigue Massaryk’s view.
Best for: no crowds, lovely green walk involving few steps and sharper incline at the end
Walking the king’s coronation route to Prague Castle
If you want to have a good hike up Prague Castle and experience history first-hand, then the best way is to take the route that was taken by all kings on their coronation day. It starts next to the historic Powder Gate, which used to be next to the original Prague castle where the king would start the procession.
The route will take you through the Old Town Square, Small Square and then through streets Jilska and Husova to Karlova Street taking you directly to the famous Charles Bridge.
Once you are on the other side of the river, continue through Mostecka Street to Malostranske Namesti and up by the side of the St. Nicholas Church into Nerudova Street. Once you reach the top, turn right into the street ‘Ke Hradu’ which will take you to the main entrance to the castle grounds.
This is quite amazing route that will take you through the historic centre of Prague, where practically every house has its own history and it’s interesting to look at and you can also stop at many of the coffee shops and restaurants along the way.
This walk is about 3 km long, but most of it is up the hill, so it can easily take 45 minutes. If you want to walk slowly to admire the views or stop somewhere on the way, plan 1-2 hrs for your walk, so it doesn’t feel rushed.
If you like the idea of this walk, but don’t fancy the steep climb to the castle, you can also take this route down from the castle after you take the Prague Castle Tour (using the first option to get there using a tram 22 to get to the Prazsky Hrad stop).
Best for: long walk to see the centre of the town at the same time and if you don’t want to use any transport
Getting to the Prague Castle by taxi
If you don’t fancy using public transport, you can also take a taxi to the top of the castle grounds ( you can’t actually get directly to the main part of the castle)
The cost (via Uber, Liftago or Bolt) is 150 CZK for a standard car or up to 225 CZK for a large car (up to 6 people). Local taxis or taxis that you’ll see at the taxi stops are very likely to be more expensive, so double-check the price before you agree to take the ride.
There are also taxi stops at Prague Castle stop (at the end of the Powder Bridge close to the tram stop) or at Hradčanské square (in front of the main entrance to the castle) if you want to take a taxi back to the centre.
How to get to Prague Castle by Underground
The nearest underground stations to Prague Castle are Malostranska and Hradcanska. Both involve a bit of walking to get to the castle.
Most people get off at Malostranska Underground Station (Metro Line A – the Green Line) and either take the tram 22 or 23 to the Prague Castle tram Stop or walk about 20 minutes up the Old Castle Stairs to the Na Opyši Castle gate.
If you get off at Hradcanska you can walk towards the street ‘K Brusce’ through the Pisecka Brana (Pisek Gate) and then through the Kings Garden at the Queen Ann’s Summer Palace to get to the castle grounds (side entrance from the Prazsky Hrad tram stop). This would be about a 30-35 minutes walk, but it’s not as steep as the walk from Malostranska Underground.
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Getting to Prague Castle by car & Parking
There is very limited access to the castle grounds by car and there are no big provisions for parking close by either, as Prague Castle tries to encourage visitors to take public transport or walk.
If you rent a car and you want to park close to the Prague castle, then you can use the paid parking at U Prašného Mostu Street or use the street parking (free) further along the street where the trams run (you will see large tourist buses parked there) close to the ‘Prazsky Hrad’ tram stop.
Currently, the hourly rate for parking at Prague Castle is a whooping 300 CZK per hour with a maximum stay of 4 hrs. There is another car park zone close to Jeleni Park further up the hill towards Pohorelec, where the rate is 200 CZK. You can also park in the Pohorelec street itself, but there are not a lot of parking spaces (the cost is 60 CZK and you can stay for 4 hr).
If you park anywhere around the Pisecka Brana (close to the Letohradek Kralovny Anny tram stop) the hourly cost is 50 CZ and you can stay up to 22 hrs if you wish.
Another budget-friendly option is to park around the streets on the top of the Prague Castle complex around Pohorelec, where the hourly rate is 20 CZK and you can stay up to 22 hrs.
This blog post was originally written on 2 October 2023 and last updated on 2 October 2023
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