The astronomical dial dates to 1410, when horologist Mikuláš of Kadaň and astronomer Jan Šindel installed the mechanism on the Old Town Hall's southern wall.
See ticket optionsAges 27–64 · Tower entry, valid 30 days from purchase
€26
Ages 16–26 (with photo ID) · same access, reduced rate
€20
Ages 65+ (with photo ID) · same access, reduced rate
€17
Ages 6–15 · must be accompanied by an adult
€17
“We watched the noon Apostles parade with about 1500 other people in the square — exactly as the concierge briefing warned. Worth seeing once.”
“Booked the tower climb for 7pm — the platform at sunset is the best Prague photograph I've taken in eight visits.”
“The 9am parade tip was gold — about 60 people instead of 1500. Could actually see the figures clearly through the upper windows.”
5-minute audio guide
Hand-written, narrated by a heritage host. Five minutes through the oldest mechanical performance still working — the astrolabe, the Walk of the Apostles, the legend of the blinded clockmaker, and the views from the tower.
Included free with every ticket. No app, no download — plays in any browser.
The medieval astronomical clock stands on the southern wall of Old Town Hall, its blue and gold face tracking sun and moon across a mechanical cosmos. Every hour between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., twelve apostle figures process past narrow windows while a skeleton strikes the time. The mechanism is part astrolabe, part primitive planetarium—showing the universe's current orientation relative to Earth.
The mechanical clock and astronomical dial date to 1410, created by horologist Mikuláš of Kadaň and Charles University mathematics professor Jan Šindel; the first recorded mention appears on 9 October 1410. The calendar dial was added around 1490. During the Prague Uprising in May 1945, Nazi shelling damaged the clock; wooden apostle sculptures burned. The machinery was repaired and the clock resumed operation in 1948.
You stand in Old Town Square watching the golden sun icon move along the zodiac ring. The blue circle at center represents standing Earth; above it, the sky you can see. Red and black zones mark what lies below the horizon. Three overlapping time scales—Roman numerals for Central European Time, curved golden lines for medieval unequal hours, Schwabacher numerals for Old Czech Time—turn this single face into a chronicle of how humans have measured the day.
Prague Astronomical Clock Tickets acts as a facilitator to assist international visitors in purchasing skip-the-line tickets directly from the Prague Astronomical Clock, the official operator. We do not resell tickets — we provide a personalised booking and support service in your own language. Our concierge service fee is included in the displayed price.
Plan your visit
When the 12 Apostles process across the upper windows, where to stand for the photograph, and which hours have the best light on the clock face.
Both give 360° views of Prague. Here's how the Old Town Hall and the two Charles Bridge towers compare on view, access, ticket and crowds.
Six centuries of one of the world's most extraordinary mechanical clocks: Mikuláš of Kadaň, Jan Růže, the 1945 fire, the Mánes calendar, and the modern operation.
No specific date is required. Your Old Town Hall Tower ticket is open-date and valid for any single visit within 30 days of purchase. You pick a planned date at checkout so we can send you weather forecasts and the audio history at the right time, but you can simply walk up any day within that 30-day window during tower opening hours (10:00–19:00 (January–March) and 09:00–20:00 (April–December), daily) and the tower will admit you. No fixed time slot — arrive when convenient.
Skip-the-line entry to the Old Town Hall Tower — the 42-metre panoramic gallery overlooking Old Town Square and Prague's red-tiled rooftops, plus the platform where you see the working mechanism of the 600-year-old Astronomical Clock from inside. NOT included: the Chapel of the Virgin Mary, the representative halls, and the Romanesque-Gothic underground — those are only accessible as part of a separate guided tour, purchasable on-site at the visitor centre. The Tower ticket does not include use of the lift; visitors climb stairs to the gallery.
The Tower is open daily — 10:00–19:00 (January–March) and 09:00–20:00 (April–December), daily. The Apostles procession — the moving figures of the twelve apostles the clock is famous for — runs every hour on the clock's southern face and is free to watch from Old Town Square below; you do not need a ticket for the show itself. Last tower entry is shortly before closing.
Because your ticket is open-date for 30 days, small plan shifts often don't need any change at all — just visit a different day. If you need to move beyond the 30-day window, email us and we'll exchange the ticket where the operator allows. Most date shifts are handled on your end without contacting us.
All sales are final. A refund is issued only if the operator cancels. Once tickets are confirmed, the booking stands. Date changes remain free; cancellations for refund are not offered.
Confirmed within 2 hours during business hours. You receive a confirmation email with your ticket details and any operator-specific instructions. Delivery is digital, instant, by email. Check your inbox and spam folder; if nothing arrives within the window, contact the concierge line.
The tower entrance is on the southern side of the Old Town Hall in Old Town Square. Your ticket includes the tower and its panoramic gallery, where you also see the working clock mechanism. The Old Town Hall's historical interiors (Gothic chapel, council state rooms and Romanesque-Gothic underground) are NOT part of this ticket — they can only be seen on a separate guided tour arranged and paid for at the venue on the day.
Yes. Add the total number of visitors during checkout. All tickets arrive together in one confirmation email. Each person in your party uses the same booking reference at the entrance. Group size does not affect the concierge price structure—the all-in rate applies per ticket regardless of party size.
Bring your confirmation email (digital or printed) and photo ID — youth 16–26 and seniors 65+ need it for the reduced rate. Comfortable shoes help: entry is a 287-step climb, though a lift is available at the venue for a small extra fee. A camera is welcome for the tower views and the astronomical dial. In winter, dress warmly — the gallery is partly open-air.
The tower is step-free for wheelchair users via the building's barrier-free lift (the lift carries a small fee paid at the venue). The historical interiors are step-only — and are not part of this Tower ticket in any case.
Every hour from 8 am to 11 pm, twelve wooden Apostle figures parade past the two windows above the astronomical dial, accompanied by a skeleton striking the time and a golden rooster crowing. The show lasts roughly one minute. The figures were restored by Vojtěch Sucharda after World War II damage and returned to operation in 1948.
Children of all ages are welcome. The hourly Apostles show captivates younger visitors, and the tower views engage older children. Supervise children on the observation deck and stairs. No minimum age restriction applies. The concierge tier covers children at the same per-ticket rate; confirm any child-specific operator policies when you book.
Yes. Photography and video are permitted throughout the tower, observation deck, and public areas around the astronomical dial. No flash restrictions are mentioned by the operator. Capture the dial's zodiacal ring, the golden Sun hand, and the panoramic Old Town views. Tripods may be restricted in tight interior spaces; handheld shooting works everywhere.
The astronomical dial and Apostles procession are outdoors and watched from the square. The tower's panoramic gallery is partly open-air, so rain or wind affects comfort but not access — the climb and the views go ahead in almost all weather.
Budget about 45 to 60 minutes: ten minutes to watch the hourly Apostles show from the square, then 25 to 30 minutes for the tower climb and the panoramic gallery. Arrive a few minutes before the hour so you can catch the procession first.
The mechanical clock and astronomical dial date to 1410, created by horologist Mikuláš of Kadaň and astronomer Jan Šindel. The calendar dial was added around 1490. Wooden Apostle statues arrived in 1629 or 1659. The clock suffered heavy damage during the 1945 Prague Uprising; repairs finished in 1948. The 2018 restoration replaced a 1948 electric mechanism with an original 1860s mechanism.
The dial is a mechanical astrolabe displaying the Sun and Moon's position relative to Earth and the zodiac. A golden Sun icon moves around the zodiacal ring, showing its place on the ecliptic. The blue center represents Earth; blue above is sky above the horizon, red and black below. Golden Roman numerals mark Central European Time; curved lines show unequal hours (1/12 of daylight).
The Prague Astronomical Clock, known locally as the Orloj, is a medieval astronomical clock mounted on the southern wall of the Old Town Hall in Old Town Square, the historic heart of Prague, Czech Republic. Installed in 1410 by the horologist Mikuláš of Kadaň and the astronomer Jan Šindel, it is the oldest astronomical clock still in operation. Its blue-and-gold dial functions as a mechanical astrolabe, tracking the sun, the moon and the zodiac across a stylised model of the medieval cosmos. Every hour, the celebrated Walk of the Apostles sends twelve carved figures gliding past two upper windows while a skeleton strikes the time. A calendar dial added around 1490 sits below. Above the clock rises the Old Town Hall Tower, whose panoramic gallery overlooks the square and the city's red-tiled medieval rooftops.
The Prague Astronomical Clock stands on the southern wall of the Old Town Hall in Old Town Square, the historic centre of Prague, Czech Republic, at Staroměstské náměstí. Because it sits in the medieval core, most central hotels lie within a fifteen-minute walk. The nearest station is Staroměstská on metro line A, roughly a four-minute walk northwest of the square. Tram lines 2, 17 and 18 also stop at Staroměstská, the same short distance away. From Wenceslas Square, walk northwest along Na Příkopě and Celetná Street for about twelve minutes. The clock faces directly onto the square, and the hourly Walk of the Apostles is free to watch from below, so no ticket is needed simply to see the figures. Climbing the adjoining Old Town Hall Tower, however, requires a separate admission ticket to reach its panoramic gallery.