Castles · Tour

Summer Ends in the South Gardens, Winter at the Wenceslas Vineyards

A free walking tour of Prague Castle, about two hours from start to finish, covering the churches, the courtyards and the palaces around them. The group meets at Malostranská metro station and takes a tram up to Pohořelec. From there: the statue of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, the Strahov Monastery seen across the valley with the history of the 12th-century abbey, the Czernin Palace, which is the largest Baroque palace in the city, and the Loreta with its chapels. On the Castle District square, the palaces are taken one by one: the Tuscan Palace, the Carmelite church of St Benedict, the Schwarzenberg, the Salm, the Archbishop's and the Sternberg, with the city spread out below. At noon comes the changing of the castle guard, the version with music. Then the first courtyard from outside, and the second, third and fourth walked through. The accessible part of St Vitus Cathedral is entered; the Old Royal Palace and St George's Basilica, founded in 920 and the oldest building still standing inside the castle, are seen from the outside. The end depends on the season. Summer, 1 April to 31 October: through the Southern Gardens, finishing there with the Third Defenestration of Prague. Winter, 1 November to 31 March: the gardens are seen from the Golden Lane and the Black Tower instead, and the walk ends by the Castle Steps beside the 10th-century Wenceslas vineyards, with the view over the city. The castle is the president's residence, so it can close for official visits. When that happens you are told well in advance.