Kingdom of Railways: Visit the largest railway model museum in the Czech Republic

If you, like me, love railways, the Kingdom of Railways Museum should definitely be on your list!

It’s a great place to visit, if you are a fan of trains and miniature models and the exhibition is so large, that you can easily spend best part of day here.

The Kingdom of Railways is the largest model railway display in the whole Czech Republic and since it’s open every day until early evening, including public holidays, it’s the perfect place to visit any time.

I’ve visited the museum a couple of times (the ticket is relatively pricey) and really enjoyed looking around. It’s also my ‘go to’ place I recommend for anyone who is railways fan.

MORE MUSEUMS IN PRAGUE

My favourite reasons for visiting the kingdom of Railways Museum

This is a great place to visit, when it’s not a great day weather wise as you can easily spend best part of a day here. I’ve really enjoyed looking around the large exhibitions, reading the detailed information boards about the railway history and had a fun trying out the model car racing.

I love that I was able to sit in a retro tram and underground metro, train and even try on the ‘driving’. The train cafe was a definitely nice touch and as I was leaving I also visited the tram history exhibition outside the main hall.

Most of the models have some form of interaction. You can start the commuter train, cut down a tree, start a circus performance, listen to the sound of a steam locomotive, and so on.

I also like the simulation of day and night above the tracks, which alternates at twenty-minute intervals. It gradually gets dark, street lamps and lights in the windows turn on, and after five minutes, it smoothly dawns again.

MORE MUSEUMS IN PRAGUE

What to see inside the museum

The museum exhibition takes up an impressive 600 m² across two floors, so there is really lots to explore.

The museum is working towards recreating the whole Czech Republic train lines system. 6 out of the 14 planned regions are already working and the model trains are running on a staggering 460 square meters of model railway.

It’s fun to walk around trying to guess the landmarks of each regions, which are perfectly executed miniatures, such as Křivoklát or Karlštejn Castles, the Main Railway Station in Prague or Karlovy Vary colonnade. The attention to detail is amazing and to complete the railway models, there are almost 30,000 model people presented in scenes from everyday life.

Apart from the main model railway, you will also see interesting attractions in places where the model railway will be completed over time. There are simulators of real trains, trams and other vehicles, such as the historic T3 tram, Karosa public transport bus or motorized railcar series 810.

The museum also has a separate exhibition of an urban model of Prague. On an area of 114 m2, at a scale of 1:1000, you can see a very detailed model of Prague, as it was at the end of the 20th century.

There is also play area for small children with wooden trains and toys, large collection of paper models, and you can also have a go at racing model toy cars.

I also like that there is a permanent exhibition on the history of railways in the Czech Republic, so the museum is definitely not just for children.

MORE MUSEUMS IN PRAGUE

Best time to visit

If you want to visit during slightly quitter times, I’d suggest to visit during weekdays and perhaps towards the afternoon. The weekends and public holidays are always busy because more parents have time off and the tickets are also slightly more expensive.

The museum is also often visited by school trips, which normally happen during the weekdays in the morning (which is why I’m suggesting to arrive slightly towards the afternoon – the museum doesn’t close until 7 pm, so you will still have a ton of time to see everything).

I visited in the winter, when it was freezing outside and dark after 2 pm, so it was the perfect way to spend a super cold winter day. The whole museum is underground, so you won’t see a daylight anyway.

MORE MUSEUMS IN PRAGUE

Kafka’s Museum >>

How much time to allow for your visit

With this museum, this is a super loaded question, because if you are in to trains, you can easily spend here a whole day! The entrance ticket (for adults and older children) is fairly pricey, so you want to allocate as much time as you can to your visit to get the most out of it.

Since there is so much to see, play with, do and try I’d really suggest to allocate at least 1/2 day (4 hrs) and a minimum of 2 hrs if you want just a quick visit.

Refreshments & Facilities

The museum has a little cafe, which is set up as a different sets of trains. There is even a real train carriage and part of carriage, that has ‘windows’ with simulated countryside passing by. The cafe serves cakes, hot and cold snacks and good choice of hot and cold drinks. The prices are very reasonable, so there is no reason, not to stop for a tea.

Practical Information for visiting the Kingdom of Railways Museum

ADDRESS LOCATION: Stroupeznickeho 23, Prague 5, Smichov

OPENING TIMES: Open all year round, Monday – Sunday, 9 am – 7 pm

TICKET COST: 400 CZK weekends, 350 CZK weekdays for adults, seniors, students; 50 CZK (under 1 metre tall), there are further discounts available if you purchase your tickets online, have a Prague ‘Litacka’ (Prague public transport card – 15%), have a train ticket (10% off), seniors (over 65 years old) have a 25% discount Monday – Friday after 2 pm.

How to get there from the centre of Prague

To get to the Kingdom of Railways from the Old Town Square in the city centre, you can take the following route:

From the Old Town Square, walk to the Staroměstská metro station (line A) – about a 5-minute walk.
Take the metro line A (green line) to the Můstek station. You can also walk directly to Mustek from Old Town Square, which is only about 5 minutes walk – it depends if you are closer to the Staromestska Station or Mustek
At Můstek, transfer to metro line B (yellow line) and take it to the Anděl station.
Exit the Anděl station and walk about 5 minutes to the Kingdom of Railways. The museum is just round the corner from the main tram stops and the Novy Smichov shopping centre.

Alternatively, you can take tram 9 from Wenceslas Square tram stop directly to the Anděl stop, which is right next to the shopping centre and the museum is just round the corner. The tram ride takes approximately 20-25 minutes.

There is also number 15 which you can take from Namesti Republiky tram stop (close to Municipal House) or Malostranska (if you happen to be closer to Prague Castle). This journey takes about 20 minutes and takes you to Andel tram (and underground station).

Local’s tips on what to see nearby

Since I live nearby, this is a part of Prague I know really well. If you want to follow the railway theme, you can visit the ‘Na Perone’ cafe (The railway platform) opposite the museum (don’t miss the retro painting on the side of the house with train and a 1930s dressed girl). I’ve recently had a breakfast there and it was really good!

Just around the corner, right next to the Novy Smichov shopping centre you will see sport shop in a building with large windows. The front of the building is all that remains from the original Ringhoffer factory hall. This is where most of the train carriages and trams were made since 1853 until mid 20th century. You can see a commemorative plague on the building in the form of a front of the train and another ‘hall’ building further up across the street.

The pavement area in front of the Andel underground station has regular Tuesday and Friday farmer’s markets and also great Easter and Christmas markets, which I always pop in to when I walk by (the poppy seeds cakes with plum filling are absolutely delicious!)

PIN TO KEEP FOR LATER