Prague Castle: Palaces, a ceremony and the pact

It was simple: Any time that either of us got too cold, we would retreat and find the nearest cafe or pub so that we could defrost our cold limbs.

We were in Prague, and it was cold. Our trip to the city was organised by Chris, my boyfriend, as a surprise for my birthday (best gift EVER). Although we had warm clothes and had, pretty much, all of our layers on in one go, I don’t think either of us could have anticipated that it would be *that* cold.

Unperturbed, we woke up early for our full day of sightseeing, with the pact made to remind us that a warm drink could, happily, always be at hand when my South African predisposition towards warmer climes kicked in. (Chris is British, so I have no idea what his excuse is!)

Even though the ‘surprise’ element of the trip meant that I hadn’t been able to plan, my obsessive reading of other travel blogs and Prague-related stories put one particular attraction in focus: Prague Castle.

So, with our scarves wrapped up tightly, that’s precisely the direction in which we set off.

[Disclaimer: We cheated. Since there were street-side vendors selling mulled wine and cider everywhere, we literally had a warm drink ‘on hand’ most of the time anyway!] 

For anyone new to Prague, you’ll be happy to know that the castle is easy to find. This is due to its prominent position on top of a hill overlooking the rest of the city. It’s especially visible from the ever-crowded Charles Bridge; from there, it’s as simple as following the signs/other tourists!

Prague Castle in the distance.

The walk up to the castle is as memorable as the final destination. Lined with cafes, boutique clothing stores, souvenir shops and vendors selling all manner of delicious hot food and drink, the narrow roads are simultaneously shared by trams, cars, people and pigeons. Along the way, we kept getting distracted, and my favourite stop involved a Gingerbread Museum.

Eventually, we reached the slope leading up to the castle and Hradcany Square, the massive plaza in front of the main gates. After taking in the views, we realised that we had arrived just in time to see the changing of the guard ceremony.

There are crowds, there is energetic stomping, there are trumpets playing – and it’s all rather fun to watch. While there is a changing of the guard every hour on the hour, the 12:00 ceremony is an elaborate affair, where banners are exchanged while hundreds of people look on.

The changing of the guard ceremony, Prague Castle. Photo credit: Chris Sharpe.

And the crowds! Photo credit: Chris Sharpe.

Add trumpets, and now you have a real ceremony. Photo credit: Chris Sharpe.

When the last of the ceremony party disappeared from view, we turned our attention to the castle.

To get a true sense of the size and importance of it, I now present Prague Castle, in numbers:

* The castle was founded in the 9th Century
* At 7.28 hectares, with a length of 570 metres and an average 128 metres in width, Prague Castle is a World Record holder as the largest ancient castle in the world
* Three courtyards, four palaces, four churches and numerous other buildings – these are just some of the places you’ll see within the castle
* And, it wouldn’t be a castle without its bling, so: 18 sapphires, 20 pearls, 15 rubies, 25 emeralds – these can all be found on the royal crown of Bohemia, which is locked away safely inside the castle

In truth, Prague Castle is really a complex of different sections, gardens and structures, the scale of which reminded me of my visit to the Alhambra in Granada. If you’re planning to visit Prague Castle, set aside the majority of a day to do so.

There are a few options when it comes to tickets. It’s free to roam the castle grounds and gardens, but you’ll need a ticket to visit any of the buildings. The most popular are the short and long tours. The long tour, or Circuit A, costs CZK350 for adults, and includes admission to St Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, Story of Prague Castle, Basilica of St George, Powder Tower, Golden Lane, Prague Castle Picture Gallery and Rosenberg Palace.

On the advice of the ticket seller, we opted for the short tour, or Circuit B, as we were only in Prague for a short stay. This tour costs CZK250 and includes the four most renowned attractions: Old Royal Palace, Basilica of St George, Golden Lane and St Vitus Cathedral.

All tickets are valid for two days, which proved handy, as the cathedral was closed on our first day in Prague. We came back the next day to visit it.

We started our tour at the Old Royal Palace.

The entrance to the Old Royal Palace.

Built in the 12th Century, this palace was originally built as a home for Czech princesses, but was later used as the king’s own residence. You’re not allowed to take photos inside, but there’s plenty to see within these walls. 

From the massive Vladislav Hall with its vaulted ceiling to rooms completely lined with painted coats of arms, we ended our tour of the palace by seeing a replica of the crown jewels (the very ones described above).

As we moved back outside and through the different courtyards, we could see visual clues of just how old this castle really is. The main hint is the number of architectural styles present in a single space. From the massive Gothic cathedral of St Vitus towering over the entire complex to the Renaissance and Romanesque stylings of the other buildings, it’s said that every popular architectural style of the last millennium can be found here.

Strike a pose!

Colourful buildings within Prague Castle.

And, it just so happens that the pink building you see above was the next stop on our tour.

St George’s Basilica dates back to the 10th Century, although what you see today is mostly a result of 19th Century restorations. Within this colourful exterior is a surprisingly sparsely decorated interior. Only fragments of the original frescoes remain, yet, with the high wooden ceiling, it’s easy to get a sense of how grand the church must’ve looked in its heyday.

After making our circuit of the church, we moved on to the Golden Lane.

With the picture-perfect lane before me, where all of the houses display a bright hue of paint and feature a low doorway, I couldn’t help but immediately think of Lord of the Rings‘ Hobbiton. Minus the rounded doors and hobbits, of course!

The cottages of Golden Lane were built in the 16th Century. While these were originally the homes of the castle guard, they were later taken over by goldsmiths. Even later, in the 20th Century, they were occupied by artists, including the likes of author Franz Kafka.

The Golden Lane.

Nowadays, the cottages have been remodelled to resemble parts of a village: a tavern, a bookshop, a goldsmith and a tiny film museum. There’s so much to see along this single lane, with multiple museums and displays sometimes occupying the same building.

As mentioned, the last stop on our tour occurred the next day, which was as equally chilly as its predecessor.

The imposing exterior of St Vitus Cathedral.

And it was the stop I was most looking forward to. After queuing in the thankfully fast-moving line of people, we entered St Vitus Cathedral.

We were excited.

Perhaps a little too excited…

Although this cathedral was founded in the 14th Century, it was only completed in the 1930s. Boasting a tower of almost 97 metres, with many relics as well as tall stained glass windows that flood the interior with colour and light, St Vitus Cathedral is one of the prettiest cathedrals I’ve ever visited.

Inside St Vitus Cathedral.

A wooden map of medieval Prague.

Moving your way around the cathedral may be slow-going, especially at bottlenecks created by people stopping to take photos, but this only served to give us more time to appreciate the side chapels, decorative features and paintings around us.

While St Vitus, the patron saint of Bohemia, does have a tomb within the cathedral, it’s completely modest next to that of St John of Nepomuk. A silver tomb weighing two tonnes, complete with angels and velvet drapes? This has to be the most elaborate resting place I’ve witnessed!

If there is one place you visit within Prague Castle, I recommend that it’s the cathedral. There’s also an option to climb the tower, although that costs an extra fee. 

As we left the cathedral and Prague Castle, we realised that, despite not having had any feeling in our hands and feet for most of the day, we had never once thought about halting our sightseeing to make good on our pact. I reckon that’s the ultimate test of quality; where a sight has you so completely absorbed that you forget about everything else.

But, never fear, we retired to the nearest bar as soon as this realisation dawned on us, where Chris drank his beloved Czech beer while I consumed my own body weight in mulled cider.

To find out more about Prague Castle, its history as well as ticket prices, take a look at the official website.

The view from Prague Castle.