Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rembrandt, and El Greco
(150 Kč, Tue-Sun 10:00-
18:00, closed Mon).
T h e bl a c k B a r o q u e
sc u lpt u re in t he m idd le
of the square is a
plag ue
c o l u m n ,
erected as a token
of gratitude to the saints
who saved the population
from the epidemic, and an
integral part of the main square of many Habsburg towns.
he statue marked
TGM
honors
Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
(1850-1937), a university prof and a pal of Woodrow Wilson. At
the end of World War I, Masaryk united the Czechs and the
Slovaks into one nation and became its first president (see sidebar
on the next page).
ss
Prague Castle (Pražský Hrad)
For more than a thousand years, Czech leaders have ruled from
Prague Castle. Today, Prague's Castle is, by some measures, the
biggest on earth. Four stops mat-
ter, and all are explained here:
St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal
Palace, Basilica of St. George,
and the Golden Lane.
Hours:
Cast le sights a re
open daily April-Oct 9:00-17:00,
Nov-Ma rc h 9:00 -16:00, last
entry 15 minutes before closing;
grounds are open daily 5:00-23:00. St. Vitus Cathedral is closed
Sunday mornings for Mass. Be warned that the cathedral can
be unexpectedly closed due to special services—consider calling
ahead to confirm (tel. 224-373-368 or 224-372-434). If you're not
interested in entering the museums, you could try a nighttime
visit—the castle grounds are safe, peaceful, floodlit, and open late.
Tickets:
The cathedral is free. For the other castle sights,
rather than buying the comprehensive long-tour ticket (350 Kč), I
recommend getting the short-tour ticket (250 Kč, covers the Old
Royal Palace, Basilica of St. George, and the Golden Lane; buy
in palace, Basilica, or the ticket offices on the two castle squares).
To save time, skip the packed Golden Lane during the day, and
return at night for a romantic, crowd-free visit (free before 9:00
and after 18:00).
To u r s :
Hour-long tours
in English depart from the main
ticket office about three times a day, but cover only the cathedral
and Old Royal Palace (100 Kč plus entry ticket, tel. 224-373-368).
