Want to explore the National Museum Prague, the flagship museum of the city and the Czech Republic? I’ve got the ultimate guide for you.
The domed palace housing some of the main exhibitions is one of the grandest buildings in Prague, occupying a prominent position at the top of Wenceslas Square.
We take a look inside at its outstanding architecture and the long-term exhibitions behind the famous façade.
The National Museum Prague has nine branches in Prague, as well as more around the Czech Republic. This guide to the National Museum focuses solely on the Museum and collections in the main Historical Building and the nearby New Building, to which it is linked by tunnel.
We also advise you on opening hours, ticket prices, how to get to the Museum and what to see nearby. Enjoy!
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Why Visit The National Museum Prague
The National Museum in Prague is by far the best museum in the city – indeed probably the whole of the Czech Republic, and all the way to Vienna.
The National Museum building is one of the most recognizable landmarks of Prague. It has been the backdrop for many important events in Czech history, including the massive protests of the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
These helped bring down the hugely unpopular Communist regime that had ruled for 41 years.
It also played a significant role in bringing about the Czech Revival in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Bohemia had been part of the Habsburg Empire for almost 300 years by this time and the foundation of the Museum helped foster a growth in Czech national consciousness.
The Czech National Museum has some outstanding collections, including on prehistory, natural history, geology, evolution and Czech history.
The National Museum interior is one of the hidden gems of Prague, with sumptuous decoration and statuary and a splendid main hall and staircase.
The National Museum Cupola, which has only been open since 2019, commands some of the best views in Prague, including over Wenceslas Square, Prague Old Town and Prague Castle.
Things To See In The National Museum In Prague
The Interior of the Historical Building
The sumptuous late 19th century interior is reason enough to venture inside the grand building at the top of Wenceslas Square.
The Renaissance Revival building is the work of Josef Schulz. It was built between 1885 and 1891, finally providing a suitable home for the large collections accumulated since the institution’s foundation in 1818.
We were particularly impressed by the grand entrance hall and staircase, and the superb main dome, which you can now climb for views over Wenceslas Square.
Prehistory Exhibition and Evolution Exhibition
There is some overlap between these two exhibitions, which are smaller than those in the likes of the Natural History Museums in London and Vienna, but with a similar standard of content.
We loved the section on marine life, especially with the enormous giant squid looming threateningly above. Our Little Man was also thrilled to come face to face with the model of a dunkleosteus, a vicious marine killing machine from around 360 million years ago.
We also enjoyed the prehistory section which concentrates on more recent animals, including the imposing woolly mammoth. We also came across this poor herbivore (pictured) about to meet an unfortunate end courtesy of some snarling carnivores.
Hall Of Minerals
I didn’t expect my Little Man to be overly enthused by the spectacle of hundreds of colourful pieces of rock in glass cases. How wrong I was – he was enthralled by it. And so was I.
There are two parts to the Hall of Minerals – the traditional glass display cabinets (pictured) and a small darkened room with a black background with lights that dimmed and brightened.
These rocks were an awesome sight, glowing in the dark. But we were just as captivated by the others in the cabinets, which was a wonderful introduction to geology for him.
The Cupola
The recently re-opened Cupola – or Dome – of the National Museum is well worth the brief climb. You can go up as far as the wide windows of the dome, and it’s one of the best viewpoints in Prague.
It’s not quite as popular as some of the towers in Prague, partly because it has only been open the last few years. Word hasn’t got around yet, but the views from the windows are magnificent.
You get a full-length view of Wenceslas Square, with Prague Castle in the distance, from the front windows.
There are also great views from the side windows, over one of the smaller domes of the Museum to the main train station on one side, and Prague New Town on the other. My son enjoyed it so much we ended up climbing up there three times.
History Exhibitions
The New Building regularly hosts exhibitions on Czech history. The main exhibition covers the Middle Ages, early modern era and the 20th century including the independence of Czechoslovakia and then the Czech Republic.
It has also hosted supplementary short-term exhibitions including one on the Velvet Revolution in 2019-2020.
Negative Reviews Of The Prague National Museum
You will find numerous negative reviews of the National Museum Prague, particularly around the 2020 to early 2021 period.
Faye and Our Little Man visited during this period, and loved the dinosaur skeleton in the Hall adjacent to the Historical Building.
However that was all they saw – virtually no exhibitions were in place at the time, but full admission was still being charged. This wasn’t a good move – tickets should have been on sale for a fraction of the normal price. Faye wasn’t happy, nor were many others.
When I visited with My Little Man, we had a much more positive experience, with the Museum being fully up and running.
Where Is The National Museum Prague
The National Museum in Prague is located at the top end of Wenceslas Square – Václavské náměstí – in the heart of New Town Prague. The domed main historic building is at the end of the Square, and the 20th century extension is to its left.
Its address is Václavské náměstí 1700/68 11000 Praha 1 – Nové Město.
How To Get To The National Museum Prague
The Prague National Museum is very easy to reach.
It has a Metro station named after it – Muzeum, on red Line C. Conveniently, this is one of three connecting stations on the Prague Metro network – you can transfer from green Line A at Muzeum.
So you could easily ride from the Prague Old Town station, Staroměstská to Muzeum in less than five minutes.
The National Museum is also just one stop on the Metro from Prague main train station (Praha hlavní nádraží) or a 6-7 minute walk from the station’s main entrance.
Several trams also pass close to the National Museum. Wenceslas Square – Václavské náměstí – is one of the busiest stops on the Prague tram network, and trams 3, 5, 6, 9, 14 and 24 stop there.
From the tram stop – which is just off the Square on Vodičková – it’s a 5-minute walk up the Square to the Museum entrance.
National Museum Prague Opening Hours
The Museum complex is open daily from 10.00 am (1000) to 6.00 pm (1800) except for December 24th and January 1st.
National Museum Prague Tickets
You can buy tickets at the National Museum ticket office or online at the National Museum website.
The basic adult ticket costs 350 CZK. Students and seniors pay 220 CZK. And under-15s go free, provided they’re accompanied by an adult.
Things To See Near The National Museum Prague
The National Museum is located on Wenceslas Square, one of the most famous Prague squares. It’s not one of the prettiest squares in Prague, but has an important place in Czech history.
Many demonstrations have taken place there – they still frequently do – and some of the larger demonstrations of the 1989 Velvet Revolution were held there.
These gatherings – several hundred thousand strong – finally forced the Communist regime to resign soon afterwards.
The equestrian King Wenceslas near the top of the Square, and just below the Museum, is one of the most iconic Prague statues.
A few minutes’ walk away, in the Pasaz Lucerna, there’s another statue of Wenceslas. This is the work of David Černy, an artist who has left his mark in many places in Prague – and this Wenceslas sits on the belly of an upside-down horse.
On the other side of Wenceslas Square, below the Hotel Jalta, you can visit a nuclear bunker built to shelter hundreds of local officials.
The Cold War Museum Prague is one of the top Prague museums, well worth an hour of your time if you want to delve deeper into the history of Communist Prague.
The area around Wenceslas Square hides many of the treasures of Prague architecture. One of our favourite buildings in the city is the Jerusalem Synagogue on Jeruzalemska, a three-minute walk from Prague hlavní nádraží.
It’s one of the jewels of Art Nouveau Prague, its beautiful bright colourful façade recently liberated from a netting cover.
One of the loveliest Prague gardens, the Franciscan Gardens (Frantiskanska zahrada), are hidden down an arcade on Vodičková.
This gorgeous garden is a favourite lunchtime retreat for local workers, and offers superb views of St Mary in the Snows, one of the finest churches in Prague.
Wenceslas Square is also very close to Old Town Prague. You can get there in a few minutes by Metro from Muzeum or Můstek – the station at the opposite end of the Square from the Museum.
But if you have time, walking – via the side streets around Můstek – is far more enticing a prospect.
National Museum Prague – Final Thoughts
The National Museum is one of two must see museums in Prague, along with the excellent multi-branch National Gallery of Prague. Most Prague museums are fairly small affairs – the National Museum is the only one in the city comparable with its counterparts in London and Paris.
Captions are in English as well as Czech, so it’s easy to follow and understand everything.
We happily recommend the National Museum Prague – we spent several hours there and could have stayed another hour or two.
David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times. David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.