You do not have to pick one. UNESCO lists the Old Town, the Lesser Town (Malá Strana) and the New Town together as one inscribed Historic Centre of Prague, and the two districts you are comparing give you different things. Old Town has the Gothic houses and churches around Old Town Square and the Jewish Quarter sights. Malá Strana has the Baroque St Nicholas Church, Waldstein Palace and Waldstein Garden. If you only have time for one, choose by opening hours and the day of the week (see "Which should you choose" below), not by reputation.
What sets the two districts apart
UNESCO says the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town were built between the 11th and 18th centuries. Prague sits on both banks of the Vltava River, and the historic centre was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1992. UNESCO's page does not say which district is busier, quieter or hillier, so this guide does not either. What it does name is the monuments, and those split fairly cleanly by period and style.
| Old Town (Staré Město) and the Jewish Quarter | Malá Strana (Lesser Town) | |
|---|---|---|
| Named by UNESCO | Gothic arcaded houses with Romanesque cores around Old Town Square; Church of Our Lady before Týn; High Gothic Minorite Church of St James; Early Gothic Old-New Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter (Josefov) | Valdštejn (Waldstein) Palace, which UNESCO places on the left bank of the river |
| Main style | Gothic | Baroque (St Nicholas Church); Italian mannerist garden (Waldstein) |
| Ticketed sights with published fees | Jewish Museum in Prague | St Nicholas Church |
| Garden with published hours | — | Waldstein Garden (the Senate's page does not publish an admission fee) |
UNESCO also lists Prague Castle, St Vitus Cathedral and the Gothic Charles Bridge among the city's key monuments. This guide gives no hours or prices for them (see "What this guide does not cover").
What you can see, and what it costs
Old Town side: Old Town Square and the Jewish Quarter
Around Old Town Square, UNESCO names the Gothic arcaded houses with Romanesque cores, the Church of Our Lady before Týn and the Church of St James. Check each church's own website for current fees and hours before you plan around Týn or St James.
The Jewish Museum in Prague is the one ticketed sight here with clear official numbers. It is not one building: the museum's admission page describes a set of five synagogues plus the Old Jewish Cemetery, and says the basic museum ticket covers all currently open venues. A tour of the entire Prague Jewish Town takes 2 to 3 hours. The hours page lists the Maisel, Pinkas, Klausen and Spanish synagogues and the Old Jewish Cemetery as run by the museum. The Old-New Synagogue is run by the Prague Jewish Community with its own hours, and the admission page does not say whether the basic ticket covers it, so ask at a ticket office before you queue there.
Tickets can be bought online or at the museum's ticket offices (Spanish, Klausen, Pinkas and Maisel synagogues, and the Visitor Centre at Maiselova 15, Prague 1). For individual and family visitors a ticket is valid for 3 opening days; each site can be visited once. For groups of six or more it is valid only on the day of issue.
Malá Strana: St Nicholas Church and Waldstein Garden
St Nicholas Church stands in the middle of Lesser Town Square (Malostranské náměstí). A Gothic parish church consecrated in 1283 stood on the site until 1743. The present church took about a hundred years to build and is the work of Kryštof Dientzenhofer, his son Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer and Anselmo Lurago. The dome and the belfry next to it are each 79 m tall; the belfry belongs to the city, not the church. Inside, the height to the top of the lantern is almost 57 m, the tallest interior in Prague. The church's own website calls it the most famous Baroque church in Prague. Photos are allowed without flash or tripod, and the church asks visitors to dress respectfully. On Fridays and Saturdays during most of the main season (April to December) it also holds sacred-music concerts.
Waldstein Garden is part of the seat of the Czech Senate. It covers more than 14,000 square metres and is the second largest garden in central Prague; only the Prague Castle gardens are larger. The Senate describes it as an Italian mannerist park in two parts. The larger part has the largest Sala Terrena in Prague, a fountain with Venus and Cupid, and an artificial stalactite wall in which careful visitors may spot hidden animal shapes such as frogs and snakes, or grimacing faces. The smaller part has a large pond with an artificial island and a statue of Hercules, plus a glasshouse and the Riding Hall. Peacocks live in the garden; do not feed or touch them, do not use flash, and keep off the grass. Photography is for private, non-commercial use only, and dogs are not allowed.
Fees and rules at a glance
| Venue | Published fees | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| St Nicholas Church: Opening hours and ticket prices | Adults CZK 150; seniors 65+ CZK 90; children and students 10–26 (students with student ID) CZK 90; children under 10 with an adult free; disabled persons free | Last entry is 15 minutes before closing |
| Jewish Museum in Prague: Admission | Adults CZK 600; students under 26 CZK 400; children 7–15 CZK 200; children up to 6 free; disability card holders CZK 100 | Ticket sales end 30 minutes before closing; closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays |
| Waldstein Garden | The Senate's page does not publish an admission fee | Open to the public only from 1 April to 31 October |
When things are open
St Nicholas Church. According to the church's website, hours vary by month and weekday:
| Month | Hours |
|---|---|
| January | 1–4 Jan 9:00–17:00; 5–31 Jan 9:00–16:00 |
| February, March | Daily 9:00–17:00 |
| April | Fri–Sat 9:00–17:00; Sun–Thu 9:00–18:00 |
| May, June | Friday 9:00–17:00; Sat–Thu 9:00–18:00 |
| July–October | Fri–Sat 9:00–17:00; Sun–Thu 9:00–18:00 |
| November | Daily 9:00–17:00 |
| December | Fri–Sat 9:00–16:00; Sun–Thu 9:00–17:00 |
Waldstein Garden. The Senate's season runs from 1 April to 31 October and the garden is closed to the public outside it. In season it is open Monday to Friday 7:00–19:00 and on weekends and Czech public holidays 9:00–19:00; on open-door days it is open 8:00–20:00. The Senate's Czech page announces shorter hours for October: from Thursday 1 October to Saturday 31 October 2026 the garden is open 9:00–17:00 on weekdays and weekends alike.
Jewish Museum in Prague. The museum is open every day except Saturdays and Jewish holidays. This is its published 2026 schedule from September on (the January to August periods have already ended; the summer pattern for 1 May–31 August was 9:00–19:00 at both places):
| Period | Museum-run venues | Old-New Synagogue |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sep–17 Oct 2026 | 9:00–18:00 | 9:00–18:00 |
| 18 Oct–31 Dec 2026 | 9:00–16:30 | 9:00–17:00 |
| 24 Dec 2026 | 9:00–14:00 | 9:00–14:00 |
| 1 Jan 2027 | 11:00–16:30 | not listed |
The Old-New Synagogue usually closes an hour before Shabbat begins, so on Fridays go earlier in the day. The museum also lists closed days for the 2026 Jewish holidays; the last date on that list is 4 October 2026 (Simchat Torah), and the page does not yet show 2027 holiday dates, so check the museum's list if your trip is later.
From Prague airport to the centre
Public transport buses leave from the stops directly in front of the arrival halls of both terminals (Terminal 1 for flights from outside the Schengen Area, Terminal 2 for flights within it). They run at intervals of a few minutes, need no booking, and are charged at regular Prague fares. Buy your ticket before you board. The airport recommends line 59 and metro Line A as the fastest public route.
| Option | Time on the airport's pages | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Line 59 trolleybus to Nádraží Veleslavín, then metro Line A | About 15 minutes on the trolleybus | The airport's recommended fastest route |
| Line 100 bus to Zličín, then metro Line B | About 18 minutes on the bus | |
| Line 191 bus via Petřiny to Anděl | About 50 minutes | Changes to metro Line A at Petřiny and Line B at Anděl |
| Night buses 910 and 907 | About 45 minutes to the city centre | Night service only |
| Airport Express bus to the Main Railway Station | About 40 minutes, depending on traffic | One-way ticket CZK 200; regular public transport tickets are not valid on it; buy from the driver |
| Uber Airport (the official airport taxi) | Not stated | Book in the Uber app, at a kiosk or at a counter |
From the bus you reach a metro station (Zličín or Nádraží Veleslavín) in about 15 minutes, and the metro takes about another 15 minutes to the city centre. The airport pages do not say which metro station is best for Old Town or for Malá Strana; the PID Lítačka app can plan the connection to your address.
Where to buy tickets: Prague Public Transit Company counters in the arrival halls (Terminal 1 counter 7:00–21:00, Terminal 2 counter 9:00–21:00), ticket machines in both arrival halls and at the bus stops (most accept contactless cards), SMS, and the PID Lítačka app for Android and iOS. The transit company's fare page says SMS tickets are available only to customers of mobile operators registered in the Czech Republic, so most visitors will need one of the other options. The airport lists both Visitor Centres as temporarily closed.
For Uber Airport, the airport's page says the app shows what you will pay for the ride, and the Uber counter at each terminal is open daily 7:00–21:00. After ordering you get a six-digit PIN to give the driver, and the pick-up points are in front of the arrival halls of Terminals 1 and 2. The page publishes no fares.
Prague public transport tickets
These are the prices on the Prague Public Transit Company's fare pricelist for Prague (zones P, 0 and B). The page shows no effective date, and fares can change.
| Ticket | Paper | App | Petřín funicular |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | CZK 39 | CZK 36 | Not valid |
| 90 minutes | CZK 50 | CZK 46 | Not valid |
| 24 hours | CZK 150 | CZK 140 | Valid |
| 72 hours | CZK 350 | CZK 340 | Valid |
The funicular column is how the fare table marks validity. The same page lists SMS tickets at CZK 42 (30 minutes), CZK 55 (90 minutes), CZK 150 (24 hours) and CZK 350 (72 hours), sold only to customers of mobile operators registered in the Czech Republic. The Petřín funicular also has its own flat, non-transfer fare of CZK 100, or CZK 90 when bought in the PID Lítačka app. Children under 6 travel free and must be accompanied by a person over 10. The airport's page gives the same CZK 50 (90 minutes) and CZK 39 (30 minutes) figures for a ride into town.
Which should you choose
- First visit, sightseeing focus, two or three days: split them. Give one day to Old Town and the Jewish Quarter, and one to Malá Strana. UNESCO treats both as parts of one historic centre. Plan the day around the sights' opening hours.
- Only one district on a short stop: on the sights the official pages list, Old Town has more (Old Town Square houses, Týn, St James, the Jewish Quarter), while Malá Strana offers St Nicholas and Waldstein. If you want the widest choice of indoor, ticketed sights, take Old Town; if you want a church interior and a garden, take Malá Strana.
- You arrive or stay over a Saturday: the Jewish Museum is closed, so use Saturday for Malá Strana. St Nicholas is open on Saturdays, and Waldstein Garden is open on weekends in season (9:00–17:00 in October 2026, 9:00–19:00 in the rest of the season).
- You travel between 1 November and 31 March: Waldstein Garden is closed to the public. Plan Malá Strana around St Nicholas (November 9:00–17:00 daily; December 9:00–17:00 Sunday to Thursday and 9:00–16:00 Friday and Saturday).
- You want the Jewish Museum: budget 2 to 3 hours and reach the ticket office at least 30 minutes before closing. The 3-opening-day ticket lets you split the visit over more than one day.
- Base for a few days: pick your base by where the metro and your day-plan line up. Check hotel locations before booking; this guide does not compare accommodation options.
What this guide does not cover
This guide gives no hours, prices or ticket rules for Prague Castle or Charles Bridge; check the venue's own website or Prague City Tourism. The same goes for accommodation, restaurants and any sight not named above.
Need flights or a hotel quote?
If you are planning flights or a hotel in Prague, contact us with your travel dates and we will send you a quote.
