Prague Orloj visit: practical guide

The opening pattern

Prague City Tourism lists the Old Town Hall as open every day of the week. Its hours are longer from April to December than from January to March, and it publishes separate hours for the Christmas and New Year period. The tower ticket on GetYourGuide is valid for one day, and the booking calendar shows the starting times for the date you choose. This guide quotes no clock times, because the season and the calendar change them. Check the venue's own page for the exact hours, particularly in winter and over the holidays.

What to leave behind

The GetYourGuide ticket page for the tower ticket names what is not allowed: baby strollers, smoking and vaping, food and drinks, luggage or large bags, drones, pets (assistance dogs are allowed), selfie sticks, professional cameras, tripods, alcohol and drugs, chewing gum and skates. Travel with a small bag and eat before you arrive. The Prague City Tourism page links the visitor rules for the Old Town Hall, and they are the ones to read if you are unsure about an item.

Stairs, the lift and wheelchair access

Prague City Tourism describes the way to the Old Town Hall Tower as barrier-free for wheelchair users: a lift from the ground floor to the third floor, a separate lift in the tower with a capacity of ten, and a mobile platform between them. The tower lift is a separate fee paid on the day, and the GetYourGuide ticket is marked wheelchair accessible. There is a barrier-free toilet on the third floor that uses a Eurokey. The historical interiors are not barrier-free.

Children and families

Prague City Tourism says visitors under 15 may enter the monument only when accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over. The GetYourGuide ticket page is for the tower ticket, so check the booking calendar for the age categories offered on your date. Strollers are not allowed in the tower, according to the ticket page, so a baby carrier is the practical choice for a small child.

The guided interiors

Besides the tower, Prague City Tourism offers guided circuits of the historical interiors. Circuit A visits the Gothic chapel with a view of the twelve apostles, the state rooms and the underground. Circuit B visits the Romanesque-Gothic underground. Both run only on announced dates and times, and the surcharge is paid on the spot. The GetYourGuide ticket page names the historical halls and the underground among its inclusions, so ask at the desk which circuit your ticket covers on the day you go.

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In the square

In the pavement in front of the Old Town Hall, twenty-seven crosses mark the place where 27 leaders of the revolt against the Habsburgs were executed on 21 June 1621, after the Battle of White Mountain, according to Prague City Tourism and Wikipedia. The Jan Hus Memorial, unveiled on 6 July 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of Hus's death, stands at one end of the square, and the Týn Church, whose towers are 80 m high, rises along one side. Take a moment at the crosses before the parade begins.

What to combine

The Old Town Hall sits in the middle of the Old Town, and several visits share its district. The Týn Church and the Jan Hus Memorial are on the square itself. Charles Bridge and the Old Town Bridge Tower lie between the Old Town and the Lesser Town, and the comparison guide sets that tower against this one. The Jewish Quarter walking tour on the GetYourGuide ticket page passes the clock and stays outside the buildings. Keep the interiors for a day when the tower hours suit you.

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