Museums to Visit in Prague

Don’t be fooled by the small size of Prague; it is rich in museums, though they are not cheap. Overall, Prague has become more expensive, so thanks for that, Prague!

On my last visit to Prague, I only visited two museums: the National Gallery at the Trade Fair Palace and the Lobkowicz Palace. During my previous trip, I had also visited Choco-Story: Prague Chocolate Museum. Besides these, the National Gallery has several other buildings, and you can even purchase a collective ticket to visit them on different days. There are also the Beer Museum, Kafka Museum, Transport Museum, the Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague, and many more.

Trade Fair Palace – National Gallery

As I mentioned earlier, the National Gallery has several museums, and you can buy a ticket for just one or for all of them. I chose Trade Fair Palace based on reviews and the exhibitions it housed.

I found it comfortable to walk there from the city center. You do have to cross some highways, but pedestrians are well-considered, so don’t worry. And there are others walking as well. A small uphill climb is required.

Compared to the grandeur of other National Gallery buildings, the Trade Fair Palace is quite plain, but it is a very large building. It’s actually the first functionalist building, and it’s clear that functionality was a priority. The permanent collection is on the 2nd to 4th floors. The second floor focuses more on the history of Prague’s architecture, which wasn’t particularly interesting to me. The other floors feature paintings from Czech history as well as works by Czech and other European artists. There’s also a section dedicated to tombstones. Many Czech artists’ works feature distorted faces, and I even became adept at identifying Czech artists just by this style, even when I encountered similar works at Vienna’s art museum. Some pieces that caught my attention included Stanislav Podhrazsky’s sculpture Hansel, which is a distorted fetus. It seemed to me that all artists who experienced World War II reflected their traumatic experiences in art in different ways, from distorted forms to very abstract works. Jan Zrzavy’s paintings, which struck me with their colors and conveyed a sense of peace—particularly Suffering and Meditation—also stood out to me. Other pieces I found interesting included Karel Dvorak’s Friends sculpture, Bedrich Stefan’s sculpture Girl Drinking Absinthe, and Bozena Vejrychova Solarova’s painting Cafe in Paris. These are just a few of the many works I admired, but of course, this will vary according to personal taste.

Visiting the museum takes up a lot of time. Even though I didn’t get an audio guide, it still took me a long time. I finished the tour in 3 hours by speeding up through the last floor. If you’re really into art, you could easily spend the entire day here.

Lobkowicz Palace

Visiting this palace wasn’t originally on my agenda. While climbing up to the castle, I felt the need for a break, and that’s when I came across the palace. There’s a café in its courtyard, so I decided to have a drink. While there, I looked into the palace, curious about its story. Many reviews mentioned that the collection and the narratives were excellent, providing a good insight into Czech history. Despite being a bit pricey, I decided to give it a try, and fortunately, the audio guide was included in the ticket price. The audio guide was quite unique, as it was narrated by the actual residents of the palace.

The exhibition spans two floors. In the first part of the palace, you learn about the Lobkowicz family tree and take a journey through Prague’s history. This extensive family tree didn’t particularly interest me. Later, you get a glimpse into their lifestyle, with various items like porcelain and weapons displayed in different rooms. Over time, thanks to some family members’ interest in art, music and paintings were also added to their collection. The design of some rooms in the palace is also beautiful and unique. The best part, however, is the terrace at the end, where you are greeted by a breathtaking view of Prague.
While I wouldn’t say the palace is a must-visit, it offers an enjoyable 1-2 hours if you’re interested in history and would like to explore the rooms of a palace with the help of an audio guide. The palace also hosts classical music concerts, and you can buy a combined ticket to enjoy both the tour and the concert.
If you plan to relax at the café, there’s a discount available with the museum ticket, so don’t do what I did—rest at the café first and then look into the ticket.

Choco-Story: Prague Chocolate Museum

I visited this museum during my 2010 trip, and a lot may have changed since then, so I want to note that upfront. For more current reviews, I’d recommend checking the ones on Google Maps. We entered the museum with hopes of indulging in plenty of chocolate, but I recall being disappointed after being offered just one or two samples. The museum explains the journey of cacao beans to chocolate production, and you can also watch the chocolate-making process. We thought the museum’s main goal was to tempt you into buying from the gift shop afterward! Nonetheless, it might still be fun for chocolate lovers, especially for children.

Back then, we were more impressed by the Rausch Schokoladenhaus in Berlin. They had famous Berlin landmarks made out of chocolate, and the chocolates were truly delicious. You could also purchase them in the quantities you wanted. Just a side note to keep in mind.

You can also visit my posts on “Parks and Gardens in Prague” and “Things to Do in Prague“.