Best museums in Prague

Timely visits to historic buildings such as the Powder Tower or modern new constructions such as the Dancing House are altogether one of the best things to see or do in Prague. At the same time, a tour of some of the city's most famous and important museums is one of the best things to do in Prague no matter what time of year you choose to visit or even the ages of your companions.

The truth is that there are museums of history, art, curiosities and some that combine all three in the same space. I invite you to continue reading this publication, as I have compiled information on the 10 best museums in Prague so that you can get a more concrete and exact idea of the type of expectations you will experience and the things you will find in each one of them.

The National Museum of Prague will always be the immediate reference when thinking about the best museums in the Czech capital. This is the oldest institution dedicated to the preservation of history and art in the Bohemian region. Since its creation in 1818 it has moved several times, but today it has been located in the famous Wenceslas Square since the beginning of the 20th century.

The central hall of the building serves as a sort of pantheon for some of the most illustrious personalities of the Czech Republic and is accompanied by other exhibitions dedicated to the thousand-year history of the region and the country. The museum has several facilities throughout the city, but the new National Museum building and the building known as the Naprstek Museum are arguably the most important and best connected to the curatorship seen in the main building.

The main building is a true architectural spectacle and is a neoclassical structure that was developed by the same architect who built the State Opera House. The Zoology section may be the most interesting part of the museum for the younger members of the family, while the section focusing on the prehistory of Bohemia, Slovakia and Moravia is a must for the more adult visitors.

A visit to this museum, as well as a timely tour of most of the other establishments on this list, is one of those things to see or do in Prague in winter. For the internal air-conditioning of this imposing building is a sure protection from the cold temperatures of the Central European winter.

Useful information:

• Entrance fee: adults pay around 9 euros, while children between 6 and 15 years old usually pay around 6 euros. Children under these ages are free of charge.
• Opening hours: Open Monday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. The first Tuesday of each month is usually closed for maintenance and it is common for there to be one or two specific activities throughout the year that may extend its opening hours.
• Location: The main museum building is located at the southern end of Wenceslas Square. It is accessible by public transport via the metro, getting off at Muzeum station on the A and C lines.

The Museum of Communism in Prague is an institution that is created to navigate from a reflective perspective the history of the regime that took power in the Czech Republic from the end of World War II until the fall of this political system in the Velvet Revolution.

The museum is divided into 6 sections, ranging from the origins of communism as a viable option and a favourable state project to its fall after years of censorship, political persecution and limitations on civil liberties in the country. It is not an excessively large museum in comparison to other facilities such as the National Museum. However, it manages to stand out for its approach to a very relevant historical period for the Czech Republic in its most contemporary period.

It could take you about two hours to go through it in its entirety if you decide to read most of the descriptive texts for each of the exhibits, which are in English and Spanish. This means it's a relatively short activity that can be combined with other plans for the same day.

The Mucha Museum and the Gunpowder Tower are two of the nearest major attractions. Although an excursion to the Terezin concentration camp from Prague could be an interesting activity if you're looking to learn more about the Czech Republic's role during World War II.

Useful information:

• Entrance fee: admission costs around €15 for adults, around €13 for over 65s and there is free admission for children under 10 years of age.
• Opening hours: The museum is usually open daily from 9 am to 9 pm. There are exceptions on special dates such as 24 December and New Year's Day.
• Location: Náměstí Republiky metro station is the best way to get there, as it is located on V Celnici Street less than 200 metres from the famous Powder Tower.

The best known building of the National Gallery in Prague is located on the oldest square in the Old Town. This area is known as Prague' s Old Town and there are several important landmarks such as the street lined with luxury shops called Pařížská or the Tyn Church with its iconic bell towers.

The museum facilities are actually spread throughout Prague and the exhibits are segmented according to historical periods and artistic trends in each of these buildings. For example, the medieval art of Bohemia and Central Europe is exhibited in the St. Agnes of Bohemia Monastery about 300 metres to the north. This is from the Central Gallery building where contemporary works by Warhol, Salvador Dalí and other Czech artists such as Alfons Mucha are exhibited.

The Veletržní palác, located across the Vltava River, is a large functionalist building that also has permanent exhibitions by the National Gallery of another group of contemporary artists such as Picasso, Monet, Klimt, Renoir, and Van Gogh. It features works related to the Czech field of fine arts ranging from furniture to photographs and scenographic design.

Visiting some or all of this gallery's installations is a recommended activity that adds to the plans to see or do in Prague during the summer due to the fact that there are usually special activities or exhibitions involving all the museum's venues simultaneously.

Useful information:

• Ticket price: admission to this museum costs about 20 euros per person approximately and lasts for a week during which the bearer can move freely between one venue and another until he or she has seen all the permanent exhibitions.
• Opening hours: The standard opening hours for all the National Gallery's sites are 10 am and 6 pm for Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Wednesdays the opening is extended to 8 pm and no venue receives visitors on Mondays.
• Location: There is no single location, but the Czech St. Agnes Monastery, the Kinský Palace, the Šternberský Palace and the Exhibition Palace are some of the landmark names to get to all the facilities of the National Gallery in Prague.

The Museum of Franz Kafka, the greatest representative of Czech literature and one of the most important authors of 20th century contemporary literature, is located on Chilená Street, directly opposite the Old Town of Prague, between the Charles Bridge and the Mànes Bridge.

In the museum there are exhibitions detailing important aspects of the author's life, such as his creative relationship with the city of Prague and the cultural influence his work has had on the country and on the literary genre in general. There are also several photographic compilations of his life and family environment, first editions of his books, sketches, letters and all kinds of Kafka's personal items.

The fountain at the entrance of the museum is one of the most iconic places in the city and the dark and confusing exhibition on the famous work of The Metamorphosis are some of the must-see details of this museum. When you visit, you can take the opportunity to walk around Vojanovy sady Park, as it is an important site in the city. It is also often a meeting point for some of the best excursions around Prague.

Useful information:

• Ticket price: admission costs approximately 7,59 per person although family tickets for 4 people are also available for €20.
• Opening hours: The museum is open every day of the week from 10am to 6pm.
• Location: It is located on the Vltava bank on Cihelná Street. It is accessible by public transport from Malostranska station or the tram station of the same name.

The Mucha Museum, located in the baroque Kaunický Palace in the centre of Prague's New Town, is a cultural establishment devoted entirely to the works of the artist Alfons Mucha. He was a Czech Art Nouveau painter who is internationally regarded as one of the greatest representatives of Art Nouveau.

In the museum there are several exhibits featuring posters, oil paintings, sketches, decorative panels and three-dimensional works. Most of which are works that were created during his stay in Paris. In fact, inside the museum there is a replica of the studio that the artist lived in the French capital during the Belle Epoque.

This museum is most recommended for art fans and especially for admirers of Art Noveau. Although it is also a recommended activity among the plans to see and do in Prague at Christmas due to its proximity to Na Příkopě boulevard, which is usually quite decorated from the end of November to the beginning of January.

Useful information:

• Ticket price: admission costs about €11 for adults and about €7 for over-65s and minors.
• Opening hours: open every day of the week from 10 am to 6 pm. Just like most of the museums listed in this compilation.
• Location: The museum is located on Panská Street. It is easy to reach from the Mustek or Muzeum stations of the city metro.

Culture has always been a very important aspect of Czech society and so it is not surprising to learn that there is a Czech Museum of Music in Prague. The premises are the former church of St. Mary Magdalene and consist of an exhibition of over 400 instruments that have been part of the musical history of Bohemia and Central Europe from the medieval period to the present day.

The inner hall of the building impresses most visitors with its majesty. It is located in the centre of the Malá Strana district and the Kampa Island with its respective museum of modern art are other attractions you can enjoy in this section of the city.

The Vrtba Garden is another place you can't miss when visiting this museum, mainly due to the fact that it's a place that won 't keep you busy for too long.

Useful information:

• Ticket price: admission costs approximately 11 euros for adults while there is a discount to 8 euros per ticket for minors and for the over 65s.
• Opening hours: Open every day of the week from 10am to 6pm, except Tuesdays.
• Location: located on Karmelitská Avenue in the heart of the Malá Strana district. You can get there by public transport if you get off at Hellichova station on the city's tram system.

The Illusion Art Museum in Prague is an establishment focused on optical illusions and interactive magic located in the new section of the city just off Melantrichova Street. This section of Prague is one of the epicentres of the nightlife in the Czech capital, but during the day it really is a fun place to visit with the family or on your own.

The optical illusion of the chair is one of the most iconic elements of this museum and the proximity of this site to the Prague Astronomical Clock makes this another must-see place to visit.

On your way to the square on which the famous 600-year-old mechanical clock stands, you could pass by the curious Prague Sex Machine Museum. This is an interesting institution that seeks to delve into the history of human intimacy and the evolution of human sexual habits.

Useful information:

• Entrance fee: tickets usually cost 12 euros for adults while children between 15 and 6 years of age usually pay 8 euros. Children under the age of 6 are free.
• Opening hours: The museum is open daily from 9am to 9pm.
• Location: located on Melantrichova Street, the museum is less than a minute's walk from the Mustek metro station.

The Toy Museum is located in the north wing of the Prague Castle, a neo-Gothic building with several museums inside, which in its entirety represents one of the most impressive constructions on the planet. It is also one of the most significant tourist attractions in the Czech Republic.

Inside the museum you will find everything related to toys as a basic element of the history of mankind. There are pieces from Ancient Greece as well as exhibits of more modern items such as Barbies. There are handcrafted items hundreds of years old as well as all kinds of traditional Bohemian and Central European toys.

This is definitely one of the best things to do in Prague with children. Although it is an attraction it can be quite interesting even for a group of adult travellers. Along with a visit to the cathedral and a few other activities it is also one of the things to see and do in the Prague Castle district.

Useful information:

• Ticket price: admission is fairly inexpensive, as it is usually around €3 for adults, while children and over 65s pay half price. Family tickets are available for two adults and two children for a total of 4.5 euros.
• Opening hours: The museum is usually open every day of the week from 9.30am to 5pm.
• Location: It is located inside Prague Castle, so the best way to get there is by metro, getting off at Malostranská station.

The Jewish Museum in Prague is one of the oldest institutions dedicated to the preservation of Jewish culture in Europe. As in the case of the National Museum in Prague and the National Gallery in Prague, it is a permanent exhibition that is subdivided among various sites in the city.

The 6 synagogues that still remain after World War II, the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague and the Roberta Guttmanna Gallery are the facilities that comprise this important historical preservation organisation. There are permanent exhibitions on the Holocaust and the extent to which it affected Czech society, but there are also exhibitions on the history of Judaism in Bohemia and Moravia.

Touring the exterior of these buildings is also one of the things to see or do in Prague at night, as they are all located in a touristy and important quarter of the city's oldest historic centre.

Useful information:

• Entrance fee: the combined ticket for all synagogues and the cemetery, with the exception of the Old-New Synagogue, costs about €9 approximately. Children under the age of 6 are free, and children between 6 and 15 usually pay 6 euros per admission ticket.
• Opening hours: from November to March the doors are usually open every day of the week except Saturdays from 9am to 4pm. From April to October the weekly format of closed Saturdays is maintained, but they start at 10 am and receive visitors until 6 pm.
• Location: All synagogues are located in the western section of Prague's Old Town. For this reason the best way to get there by public transport is to get off at the Staroměstská station of the Prague metro.

The Prague Museum of Torture and Elements of Torture is located on Celetná Street, just a few metres from the Old Town Square. Its Czech name is Muzeum útrpného práva. Basically it is a space set up to look like a gloomy dungeon in which there are more than 400 artefacts used for medieval torture throughout Europe and particularly in the Bohemian region.

The experience can be frightening for many people due to the fact that many of the exhibits are accompanied by a strange lighting and musical ambience. This is intended to transport the visitor to a realistic scenario of how the Holy Inquisition was carried out.

Useful information:

• Ticket price: the approximate entrance fee for an adult is usually around 6.50 euros, while children between the ages of 15 and 6 usually pay half of approximately 4 euros.
• Opening hours: Open every day of the week from 11am to 6pm between Monday and Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays it starts welcoming visitors at 10 am and closes its doors at 8 pm.
• Location: Its location on Celetná Street makes it accessible by public transport from the Náměstí Republiky station as well as from the Staroměstská station.