Visiting National Museum - Tickets, Exhibitions & Practical Info (2024)

The National Museum is the largest museum in Prague (and in the whole of Czech Republic) and you can’t miss it as its sits on the top of the Wenceslas Square in the middle of Prague.

In this blog post, you will find my ultimate guide to visiting the National Museum, including it’s history, tips on making the most of your visit, ticket information, and a sneak peek into the museum’s fascinating exhibitions.

I’ve always loved this museum because it used to contain a large collection of stones, fossils and rare geology finds. I remember once I’ve somehow managed to wiggle my way to a fossil department and asked them to help me to identify a fossil that I found on my walks in the Berounka valley.

I guess that the museum staff must have been quite shocked to see somebody so young (I was about 13-14 years old) and a girl (!) that was interested in geology! They did help me to identify the fossil and it’s now part of my own private collection!

The museum has recently gone through a complete renovation and the collections are now very differently organised than when I visited growing up. I miss the old layout, but I know nowadays people want to digest information in small quantities otherwise it might be too overwhelming to see thousands of variations of the same fossil!

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Is the National Museum worth visiting?

I love history and old buildings, so yes, I would always say, the museum is definitely worth visiting.

But, if I had only a few days in Prague and the weather was nice, I’d probably not want to spend the whole day in a museum. Because that’s what will happen if you want to see everything properly. There are so many exhibitions, that it’s practically impossible to see everything in one day and actually enjoy it (information overload and all that!).

You could decide to visit just the main historic building and one or two exhibitions, that you like the look of most (and spend less time there), but since the ticket price is fairly high (280 CZK), you might feel like you wouldn’t get the best value out of it.

My favourite way to visit the museum is during the free museum days (see my insider tips below), when you can see just what you want without feeling guilty that you’ve spent too much on the ticket.

If you decide to visit the museum, just from the outside, walk up to the top of the steps above the fountain, as you’ll get great views of the historic Wenceslas Square.

You can also visit the museum shop for free – in the new building on the side – for tasteful and unusual Prague souvenirs. I’m also going to recommend the museum cafe, which is just next to the shop and free to access even without a ticket. I’ve been several times now – the soup is always great (and excellent value) and the coffee and cakes are lovely too and considering that the cafe is kind of in the centre of Prague it’s surprisingly not overpriced!

Make sure you don’t miss

When the museum re-opened after the major renovation in recent years, they also allowed access to the glass dome on the top of the building. It’s a pretty cool place because you get to see the whole of Wenceslas Square and also see a great panoramic view of Prague.

Insider tip

If you want to see the National Museum for free, plan your trip to Prague around the free opening days, which are usually on the main Czech public holidays, especially 28. 10 (Czech Independence), 17. 11 (Velvet Revolution) and also 1.6 (International Children’s Day) and 18.5. (International Museum Day).

Address Location

Vaclavske Namesti 68, Prague 1

How to get to the National Museum

The National Museum is at the top of the long Wenceslas Square and you can see it easily from the far end as you come out from the quirky narrow streets leading from the Old Town Square. The National Museum also has its own underground station ‘Muzeum’ and it’s only 5-7 minutes walk from the main train station in Prague – Hlavni Nadrazi.

Opening Times Opening Hours

Open every day through the whole year from Monday to Sunday from 10 am – 6 pm (closed Christmas Day)

Entrance Fee

280 CZK, concessions 180 CZK, children under 15 years FREE

Is the National Museum English-friendly?

Yes, it is! All the permanent and temporary exhibitions are labelled with Czech and English signs. Most younger staff will be able to speak English at least a little, if you need anything during your visit. Since the National Museum is the most visited museum in Prague, all the staff are used to dealing with foreign tourists.

The best time to visit to avoid the crowds

The National Museum is really big, especially now when the new building was added with new exhibition, cafe and shop. This means, that it never really feels crowded. The exhibitions are done well with plenty of space in between, so it never really feels too busy.

But if you really want to have the museum to yourself, visit during weekdays (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday). Monday is open as well, but a lot of other museums and some attractions in Prague are closed, so people tend to visit the National Museum, which is open.

The free museum days are of course very busy with local visitors and families, so whilst you get your admission for free, it might be fairly crowded, especially at the popular exhibitions and at the viewing glass dome upstairs.

How much time to allow for your visit

If you want to visit all the exhibitions and galleries, you can easily spend a whole day there. I’d recommend that you allow a minimum of 2 hours if you want to see the glass dome (for the views), the main historic building entrance and one or two smaller exhibitions.

Refreshments

There are two cafes in the museum – one in the old museum building and one in the new building. Both cafes serve hot food, soups, cakes, snacks and hot and cold drinks.

Souvenir Shop

The museum souvenir shop is in the new building and you can visit it even without a ticket. There is a separate entrance directly opposite the Museum station underground exit. If you are looking for nice and well-designed souvenirs from Prague, I’d definitely recommend that you pop in.

The Historical Museum building history

The National Museum was originally founded in 1818 and at the beginning was a collection of different artefacts donated by private noblemen in Bohemia. The museum was originally hosted in the Sternberg’s Palace at Hradcany and other palaces in Prague until the main building opened in 1891.

The building is very impressive from the outside and also inside – with the large entrance vestibule, the adjoining monumental hall of the main staircase, illuminated by a beautiful glass ceiling, and above all, the Pantheon hall located under the glass dome. The Pantheon is entered through the most beautiful doors in the entire building designed by Josef Schulz. The unique floor of the Pantheon hall with a rose radial pattern is composed of marble slabs imported from Italy, Austria, Belgium, and Spain.

The National Museum exhibitions & what you can see

Miracles of Evolution Exhibition

The exhibition tells captivating stories of evolution and presents the animal world as you don’t normally see it in museums – without shelves and display cabinets. Birds will literally fly over your head or fish will swim past you (not for real, but it’s pretty well done!).

Apart from the original and rare exhibits, you will also see brand new animal models, including a great white shark, a whale, and the largest model of a giant squid in the world, which measures 17 meters in length. This exhibition is great for kids as you can look directly into the mouth of an enlarged snake head, try the strength needed to close an open giant shell, or navigate narrow underground passages like a millipede.

Windows to the Prehistoric World exhibition

This exhibition contains over two thousand exhibits, mainly from the field of palaeontology, but also mineralogy. Among the fossils is the Cooksonia barrandei – the fossil of the oldest identified terrestrial vascular plant in the world.

Another hall is dedicated to the Mesozoic era. The main exhibit here is the model of the only Czech dinosaur, Burianosaura augustai. The Cenozoic era will take you to a landscape of volcanoes, which significantly defined the character of the subtropical landscape in the northern part of Bohemia. The Quaternary period represents the conclusion of the story of prehistoric nature in the present-day Czech Republic.

The History Exhibition

This exhibition covers the history of the Czech lands from the 8th century to the First World War. Covering a total area of 1300 m², you can see over 2000 exhibits that together narrate a captivating story of Czech history.

The “History of the 20th Century” Exhibition

Opened in July 2021 in the New Building, this exhibition is exceptional both in its scope and complexity. It presents nearly 1,000 exhibits over almost 2,000 m², detailing the history of the Czech lands between 1914 and 2004, including the insights into how the Czech and Czechoslovak politics changed over the years.

Children’s Museum in the National Museum

In June 2023, a new exhibition called the Children’s Museum was opened in the New Building. This carefully prepared, unique concept emphasizes children’s creativity and imagination, and through interactivity, it focuses on exploring the world around us and uncovering new perspectives and connections. It is also a place for shared experiences and intergenerational learning, where generations of children, parents, and grandparents meet during joint exploration.

The Children’s Museum is designed for children from the age of 4, and you need to buy a separate timed ticket for this exhibition. These can be purchased for a 1.5-hour time slot 30 days in advance online or at the ticket offices for a flat rate of 120 Czech crowns. Other exhibitions and displays of the National Museum are free of charge for children up to 15 years old.

Special exhibitions

Each year, the new building of the National Museum hosts a special exhibition and these are always really well prepared and put together. Over recent years, I’ve visited exhibitions about the First Ladies’ fashion style (wives of Czech Presidents), the First Republic film actresses and this year it’s the Czech Life and history in 1950s. All the exhibitions have both Czech and English display signs.

The History of the New Building of the National Museum

The oldest part of the New Building of the National Museum, designed by Jaroslav Rössler, was completed in 1937 and was originally used as the Prague Stock Exchange for both money and goods.

After 1948, the exchange was abolished, and the seat of the parliament was relocated here from the Rudolfinum, then known as the Federal Assembly. However, the building wasn’t big enough, which led to the first expansion in 1964, designed by Czech architects Karel Prager, Jiří Kadeřábek, and Jiří Albrecht. The design included a large steel welded beam (known as the Vierendeel truss, named after the Belgian engineer Arthur Vierendeel) and a pylon, which allegedly became a secret memorial to Jan Palach. The reconstruction of the building was completed in 1973.

After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1995, Radio Free Europe broadcasted from there, but moved out in 2010 and handed over the building to the National Museum.

The new building expanded the museum’s exhibition capacity by more than 3000 square meters, providing new spaces for museum staff, visitors, a museum shop, and conference and multimedia halls. During the reconstruction of the Historical Building of the museum, both buildings were connected into a single unit by an underground tunnel.

Other branches of the National Museum

The National Museums has so many collections, which are also held at different branches. I see them as a separate museums as they are individual buildings, but they are looked after by the National Museum.

Here is the complete list of National Museum branches:

National Museum complex (Historical and New Building of the NM) – Wenceslas Square 68, Prague 1
Czech Museum of Music – Karmelitská 2/4, Prague 1
Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures – Bethlehem Square 1, Prague 1
Ethnographic Museum of the National Museum – Kinský Garden 98, Prague 5
National Memorial on Vítkov Hill – At the Monument 1900, Prague 3
Antonín Dvořák Museum – Ke Karlovu 20, Prague 2
Bedřich Smetana Museum – Novotného lávka 1, Prague 1
Lapidarium of the National Museum – Exhibition Grounds 422, Prague 7
Memorial to František Palacký and František Ladislav Rieger – Palacký 7, Prague 1
Jaroslav Ježek Memorial (The Blue Room) – Kaprova 10, Prague 1
Museum of Czech Puppets and Circus – Large Square 43, Prachatice
Vrchotovy Janovice Castle – Vrchotovy Janovice
Bedřich Smetana Memorial – Jabkenice 33, Jabkenice
Josef Suk Memorial – Křečovice near Sedlčany
Jan Palach Memorial – Smetanova 337, Všetaty
Villa of Hana and Edvard Beneš – Dr. E. Beneš 201, Sezimovo Ústí

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This blog post was originally written on 10 April 2024 and last updated on 10 April 2024

Visiting National Museum – Tickets, Exhibitions & Practical Info (2024)