Prague museums: the best ones, by interest, and how to choose

Prague has well over a hundred museums and galleries, and no visitor needs more than a handful. The trick is choosing by interest rather than by fame. This guide sorts the best of them, with a note on who each one is for. Opening hours and prices change, so check each museum's own site before you go; the few ticket prices we have verified are on the prices page.

History and the nation

The National Museum — the great neo-Renaissance building at the top of Wenceslas Square, reopened after a long reconstruction. Natural history, Czech history and a Pantheon of national figures under the dome, plus the view down the square. An underground passage links it with the modern New Building next door.

The Jewish Museum — not one building but the synagogues of Josefov and the Old Jewish Cemetery, visited on a single ticket. The most moving museum experience in the city.

Prague Castle — the Old Royal Palace and the Story of Prague Castle exhibition tell a thousand years of Czech statehood.

The Museum of Communism and the National Monument at Vítkov — two very different ways into the twentieth century: one a private museum in the centre about life under the regime, the other a vast hilltop memorial with exhibitions and a rooftop view.

Art

The Trade Fair Palace — the National Gallery's modern and contemporary collection in a functionalist exhibition hall in Holešovice. Czech modernism, Cubism and international masters. The best art museum in Prague for most visitors.

The Convent of St. Agnes and the Sternberg Palace — the National Gallery's medieval and old-master collections, quiet and often almost empty.

Mucha — Alfons Mucha, the Czech master of Art Nouveau posters, is the most popular artist with visitors. Look for the Mucha Foundation's collection, and see his stained-glass window in St. Vitus Cathedral.

Museum Kampa — Central European modern art on the riverbank in Malá Strana, with giant crawling babies by David Černý outside.

DOX — contemporary art in Holešovice, with the huge wooden airship Gulliver on the roof. Provocative, well curated and a short walk from the Trade Fair Palace.

Literature and music

The Franz Kafka Museum — dark, theatrical and atmospheric, in Malá Strana beside the river. Outside, David Černý's controversial fountain of two urinating men.

The Smetana and Dvořák museums — small, devoted museums to the two great Czech composers, the first by the river near Charles Bridge. Pair with a concert: see music in Prague.

The Klementinum — a guided tour takes you into the Baroque Library Hall and up the Astronomical Tower for a view over the Old Town.

Science, transport and families

The National Technical Museum — cars, locomotives, aircraft hanging from the ceiling and a reconstructed coal mine, in Letná. The best museum in Prague for children and for anyone who likes machines.

The Public Transport Museum — historic trams in an old depot in Střešovice, open in the warmer months.

The Prague Zoo isn't a museum, but it is the city's favourite family day out — see Prague with kids.

How to choose

• One museum only: the Trade Fair Palace for art, the Jewish Museum for history.
• Rainy day with children: the National Technical Museum.
• Short on time: the Kafka Museum or Museum Kampa, both near Charles Bridge.
• Twentieth-century history: the Museum of Communism, then Vítkov.

Practical tips

• Mondays: many museums and galleries close on Mondays. Check before planning your week.
• Holešovice: the Trade Fair Palace, DOX and the Technical Museum are all in or near this district — group them for one day by tram.
• City pass: a few museums are included on the official city card; read is the Prague Visitor Pass worth it? first.
• Free and low-cost: some galleries have reduced-price or free days; the official sites list them.

Build museum days into a full trip with the itinerary builder.

A one-day museum route

For a rainy day in Holešovice: the National Technical Museum when it opens, a walk across Letná Park for the view, lunch in the neighbourhood, the Trade Fair Palace in the afternoon and DOX until it closes. Trams link all three. For a central day instead: the National Museum in the morning, the Mucha collection after lunch, and an evening concert in the Rudolfinum or a church in the Old Town. Both routes keep walking short and leave time for a coffee in between.