Tourist Attractions & Monuments Czech Republic

Timetable

Cultural sites, monuments and museums have a weekly closing day, usually on Monday. Some have reduced hours and close for lunch between 30 minutes and 1:30. Some museums are free on the first Tuesday or Wednesday of the month, and the museums belonging to the National Gallery are also free several times a year (calendar on the website). Due to the high number of tourists at certain times of the year, it is often preferable to book tickets online.

To be booked

Major monuments such as Prague Castle or the National Gallery museums should be booked in advance. Also in the provinces, some monuments, even in the off-season, should be booked well in advance due to their Unesco World Heritage status, such as the Tugenhadt Villa in Brno or the Adolf Loos Apartments in Pilsen. Generally speaking, between April and September, the more advance bookings you make, the easier it will be for you during your stay.

Budget & Tips

The pass is valid if you plan to line up all the monuments of Prague in your agenda. But don't take into account the free transportation included, because generally speaking, you won't use it much during your stay, except to get to some outlying areas. So make your profitability calculation based on the price of tickets. Along with hotels, this will be your main expense in the capital.

In the provinces, the city of Brno has also set up a pass system, but elsewhere, apart from possible combined tickets for one, two or three monuments, there is not yet a really economical tourist formula. In order to promote the development of tourism in the provinces, the appearance of a Prague and the rest of the country pass could become a reality, but it is still far from it.

Main events

The Prague Spring is the main festival in the capital and in the country. Dedicated to classical music and great national composers, it brings together the elite of contemporary classical music every year.

Other festivals are beginning to make a name for themselves beyond the borders and the circle of a few enthusiasts. This is the case with the Colors of Ostrava festival, dedicated to international pop music.

The Czech festive and cultural scene is marked throughout the year by numerous festivals highlighting the artistic heritage or Czech crafts (theater, puppets, etc.).

Guided tours

All tourist information offices, in Prague as in the provinces, offer guided tours for individuals and groups alike, sometimes with variations in terms of time taken, themes covered, etc. Most of the time, these tours are offered in English or German, but if you plan ahead, it's often possible to book the services of a French guide.

In Prague, guided bike tours are becoming increasingly popular (some are even organized around a round table where everyone pedals while the lecturer delivers his or her speech). Given the country's profile, guides specializing in history and architecture are still the most numerous, but everywhere in the country's main cities, such as Prague, Brno or Ostrava, more relaxed tours are developing to meet Czechs, microbrewers or craftsmen, for a more up-to-date and real vision of the Czech Republic.

Most sites and museums also offer guided tours, but again, these are mostly in English. The larger sites have set up audiophone systems or downloadable applications with a wider choice of languages, including French.

Smokers

Since 2017, smoking has been banned in public places, including bars and restaurants in the Czech Republic. Opposition was strong at first (the President of the Republic is himself a heavy smoker), a little like in Ireland in the 1990s, but eventually the population grasped the benefits of such a measure and, since the law came into force, there has been a decline in the number of smokers in the Czech Republic. Tobacco prices, on the other hand, are still half those in France.

Tourist traps

In Prague, scams are rare, as almost all guided tours leave from the tourist office and are operated by accredited agencies or independent guides. Nevertheless, in high season, it's a good idea to use an agency, possibly a French-speaking one, to avoid the overbooked groups of certain operators who are not necessarily dishonest, but have little regard for the quality of their services.

Avoid the new museums that open every year (such as the Torture of Illusions Museum, the Chocolate Museum, etc.), which are often nothing more than tourist traps: there are plenty of beautiful things to see elsewhere.