Prague City Pass or Prague Card: which one to choose?

Prague has a lot to offer. The capital of the Czech republic boasts beautiful buildings, interesting museums, affordable prices and plenty of attractions.

If you're not satisfied with just roaming the streets and want to visit some of the cities most interesting sights, join a tour or visit a museum, you may want to consider one of the three discount passes Prague has to offer.

I know, three is a lot and having to choose between all they have to offer can be a bit overwhelming. Not to worry: I broke down what you get for them clearly and discuss whether it's best to get the Prague Card or the Prague City Pass.
 

Prague Welcome Card, Prague City Pass or Prague Card

What is the Prague City Pass?

The Prague City Pass is your ticket to the city’s best attractions. For the price of the Prague Pass, you will get free admission to dozens of famous sites without having to waste your precious vacation time waiting in queues.

The Pass is valid for 30 days following the date of first entry (the first time you use it) and costs 1,390 CZK (US $59) for adults and 990 CZK (US $42) for children. However, you should note that the pass is only valid for the Prague Castle and its associated attractions for 2 days and is only valid for 7 days for the Jewish Museum and synagogues.
 

Prague City Pass benefits: what's included?

You can find an exhaustive list of everything included with the Prague City Pass below. It also includes the normal price of the attraction alongside each one so you can calculate your savings as you go along.
 

Free entry to Prague’s top attractions

The below are all accessible normally with the Prague Castle Circuit B ticket, which costs 250 CZK (US $10):

• Prague Castle
• Old Royal Palace
• St George’s Basilica and Convent
• Golden Lane
• St. Vitus Cathedral
• Vladislav Hall

The below are all accessible normally with one ticket for 350 CZK (US $15):

• Jewish Museum
• Maisel Synagogue
• Spanish Synagogue
• Pinkas Synagogue
• Old Jewish Cemetery
• Klausen Synagogue
• Ceremonial Hall

Free sight-seeing tours

In addition to free entry to the above attractions, your pass also includes a free 45 minute guided bus tour and a river cruise with commentary.
 

25% discount on other Prague attractions

• Airport transfers
• Black Light Theatre
• Car Rental
• Český Krumlov Visit
• Český Krumlov Overnight Trip
• Communist Walking Tour
• Country Bike Tour to Karlstejn
• Czech Beer Tasting
• Czech Dinner
• Dinner Cruise
• Don Giovanni Marionette
• Dresden Day Trip
• Folklore Garden
• Ghost Walking Tour
• Glass Factory Nizbor
• Golden City Tour of Prague
• Hluboka Trip
• Karlovy Vary Spa
• Karlstejn Castle
• Konopiste Chateau
• Kutná Hora Trip
• Limousine Service
• Lunch Cruise
• Mariánské Lázne
• Mozart Tour
• Music Fountain
• Old Timer Tour
• Pilsner Brewery
• Prague City Bike Tour
• Prague in One Day
• Prague Lunch Cruise
• Prague Pub Crawl
• Prague Venice
• Private Car Tour
• Private Group Guide
• Royal Route Walking Tour
• Segway Tour of Prague
• Strelecky Ostrov
• Svata Klara – 6-Course Meal
• Sweet Prague River Cruise
• Tandem Jump
• Temple or Foot Massage
• Terezín
• Vienna Day Trip
• Vltava River Dinner

Example itinerary with and without the card

Now you have seen what the Prague City Pass has to offer, let’s put these discounts into practice:

Day One:

• Morning – Prague Castle and its included attractions
• Afternoon – River cruise

Day Two:

• Morning – Jewish Museum and its included attractions
• Afternoon – Hop-on hop-off bus tour

With this itinerary, in 48 hours, you would get a good taste of what the city has to offer. With the card in tow, the whole itinerary would cost the price of the Prague City Pass (1,390 CZK) and nothing more. Without the card, the costs would be:

• 250 CZK for Prague Castle + attractions
• 350 CZK for Jewish Museum + attractions
• Approximately 300 CZK for the guided bus tour (this depends on which company you go with so this is an average price)
• Approximately 400 CZK for the river cruise (as above, this price is varied)

That gives us a grand total of 1,300 altogether, which suggests that the Prague City Pass might not as good value as it claims to be. However, it could tip the balance if you throw in evening activities.

As most of the evening activities include dinners or ticketed performances, prices for this will vary greatly so I won’t speculate on specific savings. Suffice to say that you could end up just about saving money by making the most of the 25% discount.

And there's the additional benefit of not having to worry about cash or card fees when you use the City Pass as almost everything will be paid upfront.
 

Is the Prague City Pass worth it and if so, when?

Personally, I don't think so. Its main selling point is that it is valid for 30 days, but this duration is cut down to two days for Prague Castle and seven days for the Jewish Museum. On top of that you will need to pay for your own public transport as it is not included.

However, there is one scenario that I can think of in which the Prague City Pass would be worth purchasing. If you happened to be in Prague for a month and planned on exploring the city to the fullest extent during that time, the pass would likely be worthwhile. Thanks to the 25% discounts on a number of fun tourist spots, restaurants, tours etc, you could end up saving a lot of money as you make your way through your activity-packed 30 days in Prague.
 

Where to buy Prague City Pass?

You can buy the pass online and either print it off yourself or collect it from Gray Line Stand at 38 Narodni Street.

Alternatively, you can buy the pass once you are in Prague. The official website says the pass can be bought from a number of retailers across the city but there doesn't seem to be a list as to where exactly these are.

My advice is to buy it online from GetYourGuide to avoid any confusion or time-wasting when you get there. GetYourGuide has the additional benefit that they allow you to cancel up to 24 hours beforehand.
 

Practical tips for getting the most out of your Prague City Pass

If you want to extract as much value as possible out of your Prague City Pass, you will need to really make the most of those venues offering 25% discount. Eat at the restaurants, hire the cars, go on the tours. This way you will get to see as much of Prague as you could possibly want and you can benefit from decent savings along the way.

You should also bear in mind that the pass is valid for 30 days. These passes aren’t designed to be given away. You pay for what you get. So, if you are buying 30 days worth of discounts, you will be paying accordingly. Therefore, you should only invest in the Prague City Pass if you are staying in Prague for at least half of the total duration of the pass (around two weeks). This gives you time to really make the most of it.
 

What is the Prague Card?

Now let’s move on to the second of Prague’s three city cards: the Prague Card. Just like the Prague City Pass, this Prague City Card grants you free entry into a number of attractions across the city. The card can be bought to last 2, 3 or 4 days and the Prague Card prices are as follows:

2-days adult: 62 EUR (1,602 CZK/ US $68)
2-days child/student: 46 EUR (1,189 CZK/ US $51)

3-days adult: 72 EUR (1,860 CZK/ US $80)
3-days child/student: 53 EUR (1,370 CZK/ US $59)

4-days adult: 83 EUR (2,145 CZK/ US $92)
4-days child/student: 61 EUR (1,577 CZK/ US $67)

Unlike the Prague City Pass, the Prague Card has a rate for students, which might make it more appealing to someone visiting Prague on their university holidays or on a gap year.
 

Prague Card benefits: what's included?

Where it was possible to include, the list below shows you the normal price of entry alongside the attraction so you can calculate your savings as you go along.
 

Free entry to Prague’s famous attractions

• Antonin Dvorak Memorial – 30 CZK
• Antonin Dvorak Museum – 50 CZK
• Bedrich Smetana Museum – 50 CZK
• Bilek Villa – 120 CZK
• Charles Bridge Museum – 170 CZK
• City Library of Prague – 120 CZK
• City of Prague Museum – 150 CZK
• Comenius National Pedagogical Museum – 60 CZK
• Convent of Saint Agnes – 220 CZK
• Ctenice Chateau – 100 CZK
• Czech Museum of Music – 120 CZK
• Czech Police Museum – 50 CZK
• House at the Golden Ring – 150 CZK
• House at the Stone Bell – 120 CZK
• Jewish Museum in Prague (including Maisel Synagogue, Pinkas Synagogue, Old Jewish
• Cemetery, Klausen Synagogue, Jewish Ceremonial Hall, Spanish Synagogue, Robert Guttmann Gallery) – 350 CZK
• Kinsky Summer House – 70 CZK
• Lapidary of the National Museum – 50 CZK
• Lobkowicz Palace – 295 CZK
• Loreto Prague – 150 CZK
• National Memorial on the Vitkov Hill – 120 CZK
• National Museum – 260 CZK
• National Museum New Building – 250 CZK
• Nelahozeves Castle – 120 CZK
• Naprstek Museum – 100 CZK
• Old Custom House in Podskali – 60 CZK
• Old New Synagogue – 200 CZK
• Petrin Mirror Maze – 90 CZK
• Petrin Observation Tower – 150 CZK
• Planetarium Prague – 150 CZK
• Powder Tower – 100 CZK
• Prague Castle Circuit B (including Daliborka Tower, Golden Lane, St. George’s Basilica, Old
• Royal Palace, St. Vitus Cathedral) – 250 CZK
• Prague Zoo – 200 CZK
• Roztoky Castle – 50 CZK
• Schwarzenberg Castle – 220 CZK
• St. Peter & Paul Basilica – 50 CZK
• Sternberg Palace – 220 CZK
• Trade Fair Palace – 250 CZK
• Troja Chateau – 120 CZK
• Vysehrad Casemates and Gorlice – 60 CZK
• Vysehrad Galler – 20 CZK
• Vyserhad Gothic Cellar – 50 CZK
• Zdenka Braunerova Studio – 50 CZK
• Stefanik Observatory – 80 CZK

70% discount

• Powder Tower Mihulka
• Prague Castle Circuit A
• Rosenberg Palace
• Story of Prague Castle

50% discount

• Apple Museum
• Cinderella Shadow Theatre
• Concerts at Prague Castle
• Dancing House
• Ghosts, Legends & Dungeon Tour
• Lesser Town Bridge Tower
• New Mill Water Tower
• Old Town and Medieval Underground Tour
• Old Town and Medieval Underground Tour After Dark
• Old Town Bridge Tower
• Saint Henry Tower
• St. Nicholas’ Town Belfry

30-49% discount

• Audio guide Tours – 30%
• Beer Museum – 30%
• Black Light Theater Metro – 30%
• Bohemian Garnet Museum – 35%
• Chocolate Museum – 30%
• Communism and Nuclear bunker Tour – 33%
• Ghosts & Legends of Old Town – 40%
• Lego Museum Prague – 40%
• Prague Castle After Dark – 40%
• St. Vitus Great South Tower – 40%

20-29% discount

• Castle Fragrances – 20%
• Cesky Krumlov – 25%
• Chapel of the Holy Cross – 20%
• Cruises to Devil’s Channel – 25%
• Crystal Dinner on Board – 25%
• Czech Repubrick – Lego Exhibition – 25%
• Dinner on Board – 25%
• Dresden with Zwinger – 25%
• Ecotours – 25%
• Folklore Garden – 25%
• Franz Kafka Museum – 20%
• Karel Zeman Museum – 25%
• Karlovy Vary and Moser Glass Factory – 25%
• Karlstejn Castle – 25%
• Kutna Hora and Ossuary – 25%
• Lunch Cruise – 25%
• Lunch Cruise on the Vltava River – 25%
• Much Museum – 20%
• Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague – 20%
• Museum of Senses – 20%
• Night Dinner Cruise – 25%
• Prague Castle Picture Gallery – 20%
• Prague Ghosts & Legend Museum – 30%
• Segway Experience – 25%
• Smalterie – 20%
• Staropramen Visitor Centre – 25%
• Sweet Prague Cruise – 25%
• Terezin – 25%
• The Black Angels of Prague Castle – 25%
• The Dark Shadows of the Old Town – 25%
• Wax Museum of Legends – 30%
• World War II & Anthropoid Tour – 30%
• Zizkov Television Tower – 28%

10-19% discount

• Candytopia – 10%
• Fashion Arena Outlet – 10%
• Mozart Dinner – 15%
• Premium Outlet Prague Airport – 10%
• Restaurant Na Baste – 15%

Other discounts and offers

• Save 100 CZK on concerts at St. Francis Church
• Save 100 CZK on concerts at St. Nicholas Church
• Special gift from the Hard Rock Cafe Prague
• Two free drinks at Ice Pub Prague
• Save 400 CZK on Johnny’s Prague Photo Tours
• Save 300 CZK on Prague All-Inclusive Tour

Free tours & other stuff

• Free bus tour of the city (usually worth 400 CZK)urs
• Free Prague Venice Cruise (usually worth 340 CZK)urs
• Free mobile app with an interactive guide to the attractionsurs
• Free detailed map of the city

Example itinerary with and without the card

As with the Prague City Pass, it is helpful to see what those discounts could look like when translated into a real holiday. So, let’s imagine you have two days in Prague and create a hypothetical itinerary for your trip. It could look something like this:

Day One:

• Morning – Jewish Museum and its included attractionsurs
• Afternoon – Prague Castle and its included attractionsurs
• Evening – River Cruiseurs

Day Two:

• Morning – Prague Zoours
• Afternoon – City of Prague Museumurs
• Evening – Cinderella Shadow Theatreurs

Unlike the previous itinerary, I have included an evening activity in this timetable because you could theoretically use the card to save extra money with its discounts on restaurants, theaters, etc.

Without the Prague Card, the above itinerary would cost 2,180 CZK. With the card the itinerary comes to the price of the card plus 245 CZK for the theatre, totaling 1,850 altogether. As you can see, if you buy the card you will end up saving 330 CZK (approximately US $14).

However, you will also need to make sure that your day is filled to the brim with activities in order to make the most of the card.
 

Is the Prague Card worth it and if so, when?

On the face of it, the Prague Card looks like it might be worth it. However, there are some major flaws with the card, which you should consider before buying. The first is that the time frames are not very long. Even if you opt for the four-day card, because of the price increase it is still hard to extract lots of value from your card.

Another issue is that the cards are valid for days, rather than consecutive hours. So a card validated at 12 pm on Friday will end at the end of Saturday rather than 12 pm Sunday. This means you need to validate the ticket first thing in the morning to be able to enjoy its full value. However, the card doesn’t start the countdown until you validate it – it doesn't start it at the moment of purchase. So, you could purchase the card in the evening and validate it the next morning to extract the most value.

The card offers free entry to a lot of Prague’s most famous attractions and paying one lump sum for all that access instead of constantly handing over money is a benefit.

However, Prague is a really cheap city and often entry prices are as low as 50 CZK. This means you need to visit A LOT of attractions to cancel out the price of the card. And, while the cards offers free or discounted entry to loads of places, you won’t have enough time to even make a dent in that list.

On the other hand, you get a free river cruise and bus tour, which are great ways to see the city in a relaxed environment.

Ultimately, it is up to you to decide if it is worth buying the Prague Card. If you want to pack every minute of your vacation with activities then it might end up making the trip cheaper. But, if you want to have some time just to chill in the park or wander around the city soaking up the atmosphere then the card is probably going to be a waste of money.
 

Where to buy the Prague Card?

I recommend to buy the Prague Card online. GetYourGuide offers free cancellation up to 24 hours beforehand, so you can always change your mind.

Once you bought your card, simply print off the voucher and redeem it for the physical card in one of the sales points around the city. You can also buy the card at these sales points. Just take the time to look at all the options beforehand online so that you don't end up buying the wrong card for your visit.

The sales and collection points are:

• Be Prague, Airport Terminal 1
• Prague Castle Museum Shop
• Charles Bridge – TIC Mostecka 4
• Jewish Museum in Prague
• TIC Central Bohemian Region
• Black Light Theatre Metro
• Prague Trips & Tickets
• Wenceslas Square – Akasi Ticket Office
• Main Railway Station – Tourist Point
• Florenc Bus Station – Information Centre

Practical tips for getting the most out of your Prague Card

As I mentioned before, the main flaw of the Prague Card is that it simply does not give you enough time to get your money’s worth. Therefore, if you want to extract as much value as possible from the card you need to plan your days meticulously.

Prague is not a huge city but if you’re not careful you could end up wasting precious time walking long distances between attractions. Consult your map and if there are multiple attractions in the same area you want to visit, do them all in one go. Be logical and consider logistics and you’ll boost your savings with the card.

Also bear in mind that some attractions are closed on Sundays or Mondays, so if you are desperate to see a particular attraction, factor in its opening times.
 

What is the Prague Welcome Card?

Finally, we come to Prague’s third city card: the Prague Welcome Card. Just like the other two cards, the Prague Welcome Card offers you free or discounted entry to a number of attractions. The card is aimed at tourists who want to pack every minute of their trip with activity. It is not for people who want to take it easy or who aren’t interested in visiting any attractions.

The card is valid on the day you buy it and for the next three days, which could give you almost four days of use if you validate it in the morning. The cost of the card is 830 CZK (32 EUR/ US $35) or 1,050 CZK (41 EUR/ US $45) if you add on a public transport ticket.

Unlike the other two cards, the Prague Welcome Card offers you the option to add on a public transport ticket for an extra 220 CZK. We will take a look later to see whether this is actually good value or not.
 

Prague Welcome Card benefits: what's included?

As before, I have included the normal price of the attraction next to the places with free entry so you can see instantly how much you would save. This should help you calculate vaguely whether or not the card is worth buying before I delve into it deeper later on.
 

Free entry to Prague’s attractions

• Astronomical Tower – 250 CZK
• Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul – 50 CZK
• Bílek Villa – 50 CZK
• Cathedral of Ss. Cyril and Methodius – 50 CZK
• Church of the our Lady Snowy – Free
• Church of the Virgin Mary Victorious – The Museum of the Infant Jesus of Prague – Free
• Clementinum – 220 CZK
• Clementium – Baroque Library – 90 CZK
• Customhouse Podskalí – 40 CZK
• Czech museum of music – 100 CZK
• Eco-technical Museum – 60 CZK
• Emmaus Monastery – 40 CZK
• Franz Kafka Museum – 120 CZK
• House at the Golden Ring – 80
• Kampa Museum – 120 CZK
• Mucha Museum – 120 CZK
• Musaion – 80 CZK
• Museum of Antonín Dvořák – 50 CZK
• Museum of Bedřich Smetana – 50 CZK
• Museum of the Capital City of Prague – 60 CZK
• Náprstek museum of Asian, African and American cultures – 80 CZK
• National Museum – 140 CZK
• Pavilion of Battle of Lipany Panorma – Marold Panorma – 50 CZK
• Regional Muzeum Jílové near Prague – 50 CZK
• Strahov monastery – 100 CZK
• The Aeronautical Museum – Free
• The Army Museum – currently closed for renovations
• The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn – Voluntary donation of 25 CZK suggested
• The Czech National-Bank's Exposition – Free
• The Museum of Decorative Arts – 300 CZK
• The Museum of Mass Urban Transportation – 50 CZK
• The Museum of the Police Force – 50 CZK
• The New Town Hall – 60 CZK
• Troja Chateau – 120 CZK
• Vyšehrad – 50 CZK
• Vyšehrad – Brick Gate – 20 CZK
• Vyšehrad – Casemates – 50 CZK
• Vyšehrad – Gothic cellar – 60 CZK
• Wallenstein Gardens – Free
• Wallenstein Palace – Free

Free Public Transport

In addition to the welcome card, you have the option to add on a public transport ticket. If you add it on to the pass, a 72 hour ticket costs 220 CZK. Normally, the same ticket would cost 310 CZK. So, if you plan on using public transport extensively during your trip then it is definitely better value to add it on to your Prague Welcome Card.
 

Prague discounts?

The homepage of the Prague Welcome Card tells you that the card entitles you to a range of discounts on tours, Prague restaurants, shopping, cafes etc. But, it doesn’t go into much more detail than that. There are two shops listed on the website: Mosser Glass, and the Kingdom of Fragile Beauty. Presumably, these are included in the discounts, but it’s not abundantly clear.

Similarly, the following are included under ‘Leisure’, but it is unclear whether they are free with the card or discounted:

• Nostalgia Tram no.91
• Black Theatre of Jiri Srnec
• Reduta Jazz Club
• Organ Concert
• Concert of the Staircase

Example itinerary with and without the card

While the discounts that come with the card are a little ambiguous, the free entry into the main attractions seems clear enough. So, let’s do what we did with the previous two cards and make a hypothetical itinerary you could follow during your trip. Bear in mind this card lasts 72 hours so it will be a three-day itinerary.

Day One:

• Morning – Astronomical Tower
• Afternoon – The Museum of Decorative Arts

Day Two:

• Morning – Clementium
• Afternoon – Kampa Museum

Day Three:

• Morning – Franz Kafka Museum
• Afternoon – Troja Chateau

As you can see, I haven’t included evening activities in this itinerary as the card doesn’t really offer you any way to save money on evening activities.

Altogether this itinerary would cost 1,130 CZK without the Prague Welcome Card. So, if you bought the card without any transport added on, you would save 300 CZK by buying the card. Thus, in theory, this card would save you money.
 

Is the Prague Welcome Card worth it and if so, when?

When you look at the itinerary example above, it looks like the Prague Welcome Card would save you money. However, as you might have noticed, the Prague Welcome Card does not include entry into the Jewish Museum and its associated attractions, or Prague Castle. Given that these are two of the most popular attractions in the city, the card loses a lot of points in that respect.

If you want to visit the Jewish Museum and Prague Castle, you will end up spending an extra 500 CZK or so on top of the price of the card, making it not worth buying.

Ultimately, Prague is a small city and it is easy to get about by foot, making the public transport add-on a bit of a waste of money. On top of that, the places to which you are granted free entry are not Prague’s top attractions, so you may end up either missing out on them or paying extra to see them.

That being said, if you’re not bothered about going to the touristy bits and are happy with the aforementioned list of lesser-known places then the card might suit your travel needs.
 

Where to buy the Prague Welcome Card?

You can buy your Prague Welcome Card online, which is probably the best idea as you will be able to have it delivered to your home. However, if you would rather get it once you arrive you can buy it at Prague Airport, various hotels, and selected tourist points found here:

Railway station Praha-hlavní nádraží (Prague-central station): Tourist Point
Open: Monday – Sunday: 08.00 – 22.00

Railway station Praha-Holešovice (Prague-Holešovice): Exchange office JVM
Open: Monday – Sunday: 00.00 – 24.00
 

Practical tips for getting the most out of your Prague Welcome Card

As with the other two cards, if you want to make the most of your Prague Welcome Card, you need to plan your days meticulously. You should also check which attractions are actually included with card and which days they are open and closed. Pay careful attention to opening times and where things are in relation to each other.
 

Which one to choose for your trip?

Now, the bit you’ve all been waiting for: crunch time. After everything, the Prague Card is most likely the best value. It doesn’t include a public transport ticket, but as I said, Prague is a small city and you can easily get everywhere on foot (plus that’s a great way to see more of the city).

It also has the largest number of free attractions and discounts, meaning you can really squeeze a lot of value out of it if you are organized with how and where you spend your time.

If your aim, whilst in Prague, is to see and do as much as possible then the Prague Card is your best bet. Plus, it is more flexible in terms of how long you buy it for and it has a student option for those of us lucky enough to be still in formal education!

Get your Prague Card here

That being said, if you don’t want to cram loads into your days and you would rather go at your own pace and soak up the city at your leisure, I wouldn’t recommend buying any of the cards. Buying individual tickets for a couple of attractions that you really want to see will undoubtedly end up being cheaper. GetYourGuide has a large selection of skip-the-line tickets, certified tours, and recommended activities. They often also offer an option to cancel up to 24 hours before your activity, so make sure to check them out.

And that's it! I wish you a lovely trip to Prague.
 

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