12 Free Museums in Prague + How to Visit other Museums for Free (2026)
List of all free museums in Prague for 2026, including museums that are open for free on Czech public holidays and other special days. Unfortunately, apart from a few museums mainly themed around the army or war, Prague doesn’t have many free museums. Saying that, I’ve managed to find out (and visit) 12 different free museums in Prague, that are open most of the year.
Saying that, the regular entry cost to most Prague museums is still very affordable, often it’s a case of having one or two coffees or buying a ticket to a museum, that kind of cost… But, I completely understand, if you are travelling to Prague on a strict budget, you might like to know which museums are completely free and that’s fine too!
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The Secret to Visiting Prague’s Biggest Museums for Free (Public Holiday Guide)
Most museums (or at least the ones looked after by the Prague main museum department) are free several times a year, usually during Czech National Public Holidays linked to the Czech Independence Days. Those that are not completely free, have a reduced entry fee, which is significantly lower than normal. For example, the Technical Museum is usually 300 CZK but on Czech public holidays the ticket is only 100 CZK.
- 18 May – The International Museum Day
- 29 September – St. Wenceslas Day
- 28 October – Independence Day
- 17 November – Red Velvet Revolution Day
List of museums with free entry on Czech national public holidays
- National Museum – Vaclavske Namesti 68, Prague 1
- Naprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures – Betlemske Namesti 1, Prague 1
- The Ethnographic & Folk Museum – Kinskeho Zahrada 98, Prague 5
- Museum of Czech Music – Karmelitska 2/4, Prague 1
- Antonín Dvořák Museum – Ke Karlovu 20, Prague 2
- The National Memorial – U Pamatniku 1900, Prague 3
- Bedřich Smetana Museum – Novotneho Lavka 1- Prague 1
The best thing is that during the ‘free entry days’ you don’t need to buy a ticket or pre-book, just turn up. The National Museum is always busy on these days, so go early to avoid disappointment, as the number of people in the museum is usually controlled (it’s quite a high number, but still…).
Czech people are used to these days as open days and since it’s a holiday for everyone, there are lots of people planning the visit. But, in my experience, the smaller museums like the music museum or even the ethnographical museum, are never that busy.
I always go to the National Museum to check new exhibitions as these tend to be different every few months and there is always something new to see.
The museums are usually open 9 am – 5 pm on these free open days.
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Open House Prague – 23-24 May 2026
If you’re lucky enough to be in Prague during the third week of May, you’re in for a total treat. Open House Prague is easily one of my favourite events of the year because it’s the one weekend when the city literally unlocks its doors.
We’re talking about over 100 different buildings—grand palaces, secret gardens, sleek modern offices, and even industrial sites—that are usually strictly off-limits, all opening up for us to explore completely for free.
This event is very close to my heart because I’ve been volunteering as a guide for the last three years, and I’ll be back again for the 2026 festival! While most of the buildings have tours in Czech, I’ll be part of the team running the English-language tours.
There are usually about 10 to 12 special locations across the city where we have dedicated English guides ready to tell you the hidden stories behind the architecture. It’s such a buzz to see people’s faces when they step into a ballroom or onto a rooftop they’ve walked past a thousand times but never been inside.
My Insider Tip: The full list of buildings is usually released in early April, and my advice is to pick three or four ‘must-sees’ and group them by distance. Some of the most popular spots, like the Ministry of Industry and Trade (the one with the stunning glass dome) or the private villas in Bubeneč, can get quite a queue. If you see me at one of the English-speaking sites, please do come over and say hello—I love meeting my readers in person while we’re exploring these hidden gems together!
- Location: Over 100 buildings across Prague (Old Town, New Town, Holešovice, and beyond).
- Dates for 2026: The festival runs from 18–24 May, with the buildings open on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May.
- Opening Times: Most buildings are open from 10 am to 6 pm, but check the official app as some have shorter hours.
- Entry: Absolutely Free.
National Technical Museum – discounted days for 2026
Whilst the National Technical Museum is never open for free, there are few days when you can visit for much lower ticket price.
The regular ticket is 300 CZK, but on the following days you can visit for 100 CZK (adults) and 50 CZK students/retired person with children under 6 years free.
- 18.5 – International Museum Day
- 5.7 – Anniversary of the museum founding
- 7.9 – Days of European Heritage
- 28.9 – St. Wenceslas Day
- 28.10 – Czech Independence Day
- 17.11 – The Velvet Revolution
- 18.12 – Anniversary of ex president’s Vaclav Havel death
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Symbolic ticket cost museums opened on special days
- Kampa Museum – first Tuesday of each month, tickets for over 65 years old are only 50 CZK
- Technical Museum – all special national bank holidays – see above – tickets are only 100/50 CZK
1. Prague City Museum
You have to see this one—it’s been closed for ages, but the main building of the Prague City Museum at Florenc has finally reopened after a massive reconstruction, and honestly, it looks stunning!
I’ve always had a soft spot for this museum because it houses the Langweil Model, which is this incredible, giant paper model of Prague from the 1800s, where you can literally see the tiny window frames and curtains in houses that don’t even exist anymore.
What I really like about the renovation is how they’ve balanced that grand, old-fashioned architecture with really sleek, modern displays. And here is the best bit: to celebrate the reopening, the city has made the main exhibitions completely free until the end of 2026!
- Location: Na Poříčí 52, Prague 8. It’s right next to the Florenc metro station (lines B and C) and the main bus station. You can also get there easily on trams 3, 8, or 24.
- Opening Times: Tuesday – Wednesday: 10 am – 6 pm; Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm (I love the late opening on Thursdays!); Friday – Sunday: 10 am – 6 pm. (Closed on Mondays).
- Entry: Free for everyone until the end of 2026.
2. Army Museum
The Army Museum in Zizkov was opened to the public in 1932, but went through a complete reconstruction from 2018 to 2022 and they added a lot of new exhibitions. The museum is super comprehensive and the exhibitions map out the military history of Czech territory in seven separate parts from the beginning until today.
It’s almost impossible to imagine, but the exhibition area covers an impressive 5,000 square meters on four floors, with over 7,000 exhibits displayed in nearly 300 display cabinets and more are part of interactive displays.
The last time I visited, I spent most of the day there as the museum is really large, but more importantly, the exhibits are presented in a really engaging way. The descriptions are both in Czech and English, so you should be able to follow everything.
Some exhibitions are very detailed and whilst the staff usher you to start ‘from the beginning’, you are welcome to pick the era you prefer to learn about. I think, that the First and the Second World War is particularly well done, it’s very thought-provoking and whilst not exactly interactive, it has a lot of exhibits and the whole area is interestingly designed.
My Local Tip: The museum has a lovely cafe a the top floor with an outdoor terrace, where you can see the historic centre of Prague and Prague Castle and (more importantly, of course!) watch the trains coming & leaving the Main Train Station.
- Location: U Pamatniku 2, Zizkov, Prague 3, From the outside the Florenc Main Bus stop – at the underground metro station Florenc (lines C a B) take bus numbers 133, 175 or 207 and get off at the stop U Památníku. You can also take bus number 175 to the same stop from the underground stop Flora on line A.
- Opening Times: Tuesday – Sunday: 10 am – 6 pm (closed on Mondays)
- Entry: Free
3. Vitkov Hill National Memorial
You’ll find the National Memorial sitting proudly on top of Vítkov Hill, and honestly, you can’t miss it! It’s the one with that massive bronze statue of Jan Žižka on his horse, which I’m pretty sure is one of the biggest in the world!
It was originally built back in the 1930s to honour the Czechoslovak legionnaires (just like my great-grandfather!) and the founding of our independent state, but it’s had a bit of a complicated journey since then.
During the Communist era, they actually used it as a mausoleum for Klement Gottwald, I remember hearing stories about that when I was growing up, but today, thank goodness, it’s been reclaimed as a place of reflection and history.
My Local Tip: The memorial museum is super interesting (don’t miss the underground hospital room – it’s super creepy!), but my favourite is the rooftop terrace, where you can see the memorial from the top and the rest of the Prague in front of you. The cafe has some great views too, but mainly to the back of the hill and onto Zizkov area.
- Location: U Památníku 1900, 130 00 Praha 3-Žižkov.
- Opening Times: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (Closed on Mondays).
- Entry: Free (This includes access to the ceremonial halls, the tomb, and the rooftop observation deck).
4. Museum of Czechoslovak Legions
This museum is one of my favourite finds and a true little gem amongst the museums in Prague.
I first visited the museum a few years ago, because my great-grandfather was in the Italian Legion and was honoured by the new Czechoslovak president Thomas Garrigue Masaryk with two different medals and a certificate to thank him for helping to create the new Czechoslovak state in 1918.
It was so exciting to see that the museum had a record of his name and service. I brought along my great-grandad’s photo in his army uniform and the staff kindly added it to the database. It was really lovely to honour his memory in this way.
The museum itself was founded on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Czech Republic (Czechoslovak Republic) independence in 2018 and you can find it in the basement of the Legie Hotel in Prague 2.
The exhibition is has detailed information on the first resistance movement and the history of the formation of Czechoslovak Legions and the Czechoslovak state. The museum is quite small, but packed with exhibits, examples of uniforms, photos, guns and individual stories of soldiers fighting in different legions across Europe.
I love, that the museum wanted to be seen by as many people as possible, so part of the museum is a special train called the ‘Legiovlak’, which is travelling through the Czech Republic during the main tourist season and stops at selected stations for a week at a time. The train stops also in Prague at Masaryk’s Train Station and the train exhibition are also free to enter.
The Legiovlak has 15 reconstructed train and you can see a field post carriage, a kitchen, a regimental store, an accommodation carriage, a medical carriage and of course an armoured carriage.
All carriages have various exhibits of equipment, legionnaires in period uniforms and also photographs mapping the history of Czechoslovak legions. Most displays are in the Czech language, but the latest exhibition on one of the train carriages is also in English. The staff are usually dressed in period clothes, always very friendly and very knowledgeable – they are super fans, after all!
- Location: Sokolska 486/33, Prague 2 – closest underground station and tram stop is IP.Pavlova – tram 22, 10, 16
- Opening Times: Tuesday until Friday: 9 am – 6 pm
- Entry: Free
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5. The museum of Infant Jesus of Prague at The Church of Our Lady Victorious and Saint Anthony of Padua
Infant Jesus of Prague or in Czech – Pražské Jezulátko (in Latin: Jesulus Pragensis) is a small wooden statue with a layer of coloured wax sculptured into a standing child representing Jesus Christ as a young child.
The statue is displayed in the Church of Our Lady Victorious and Saint Anthony of Padua in the Lesser Town in Prague and there is also a little free museum of the statue’s clothes, where you can also learn more about the legend of the Infant Jesus of Prague.
To get to the museum you need to walk through the church, where the statue is displayed. The church is always busy with people, who walk up to the Infant Jesus of Prague and in silence, admire the display, look up all the dedications and read the prayer to the statue.
My Local Tip: The museum itself is very small, but if you combine it with the visit to the church, the shop and having a coffee from the coffee cart at the front of the church, it’s a quiet interlude to a busy day of sightseeing in the more touristy parts of Prague.
- Location: Karmelitska Street 9, Lesser Town, Prague 1 – walking distance from the Malostranske Namesti (Lesser Town Square). You can get the tram 22 that stops just outside the church – a stop called ‘U Jezulatka’ if you are travelling from Malostranske Namesti. If you are travelling from the opposite direction (from Ujezd) it’s better to get off at Malostranske Namesti and walk back or take the tram for one stop. The nearest underground stop is Malostranska on the A Metro Line.
- Opening Times: The church is open every day from 8.30 am until 6 pm Monday to Saturday and until 7 pm on Sunday. The museum is open Monday – Saturday 9.30 – 5 pm and Sunday 1 pm – 6 pm.
- Entry: Entrance to the church and the museum is free and donations are very welcome (or you can buy something in the church shop at the entrance)
6. National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror and the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral
This memorial reminds us the brave Czechoslovak parachutists who assassinated Reinhard Heydrich, a high-ranking Nazi official, in 1942. After the assassination, the parachutists were sheltered in the crypt of the cathedral by the Czech Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, the Nazis discovered their hiding place and none of the parachutists survived.
You can visit the crypt, where you can still see the bullet holes and shrapnel marks visible on the walls. I found particularly haunting the experience of standing still in the crypt, listening to the distant cars and people traffic outside the church, thinking this is what the people there might have heard as well when they were hiding there.
The National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror has also a small museum with artefacts related to the assassination and the resistance movement, including weapons, documents, and personal belongings of the parachutists.
I think, it’s also worth visiting the church of St. Cyril and Methodius upstairs, where you can see the original entrance to the crypt underneath.
My Local Tip: Because it’s free and on the educational curriculum of Czech schools, it can get quite busy. The place (as you can imagine) is very small, so if you see that it’s busy inside, it’s worth coming back later after 3 or 4 pm when the day visitors and schools have already gone.
- Location: Resslova 9a, New Town, Prague 2 – walking distance from Charles Square – Karlovo Namesti tram stops or underground stops.
- Opening Times: Tuesday until Sunday: 9 am – 5 pm (closed on Mondays)
- Entry: Free
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7. Wallenstein Palace
Whilst this is not exactly a museum, I thought I’d add the Wallenstein Palace too, since it’s in the centre of Prague and has the most amazing history and beautifully decorated rooms. There is also a garden, which is one of the best gardens and green spaces in Prague, with aviary, white peacocks and great views of the Prague Castle.
The Wallenstein Palace is the current seat of the Czech Senate, which is open to the public every Saturday during the summer season from April to October for free tours. The tours are in Czech language, but you’ll be able to look around and see all the rooms, which are normally not accessible to the public. The main palace hall has lovely ceiling murals and the whole palace is decorated in a baroque style.
The large Wallenstein Palace and the garden was built by the powerful Czech nobleman and Imperial Generalissimo Albrecht Václav Eusebius of Valdštejn (1583-1634) as his Prague residence. The new palace complex was built on the site of the older Trčkovský Palace and another 30 houses and gardens!
I can totally believe, that this magnificent building was even supposed to look better than Prague Castle at the time. The palace was designed by the Italian architect Andrea Spezza and other Italian masters such as Nicolo Sebregondi and Giovanni Pieroni were also involved in creating this amazing building.
- Location: Valdstejnovo Namesti (Wallenstein Square), Lesser Town, Prague 1 – you can walk through the Wallenstein Garden, which is within walking distance from the Malostranska Underground Station or Malostranska tram stops no. 22, 15, 20
- Opening Times: Saturdays only 9 am – 5 pm during the main tourist season (April – October)
- Entry: Free
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8. The Museum exhibitions at the Czech National Bank
If you fancy walking into a real safety bank vault, then you should definitely visit the exhibition called “People and Money”. You can find it in the original vault of the Živnostenská Banka, now the Czech National Bank and also learn about the Czech history of money and banking.
The newest addition to the exhibition is a gold coin with a nominal value of 100,000,000 CZK! This coin, which is the largest gold coin in Europe and the second largest in the world, was issued by the Czech National Bank in 2019 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Czechoslovak currency.
My Local Tip: Pre-booking is now essential even on Saturdays if you want to see the “People and Money” vault specifically. The “Visitor Centre” part is walk-in, but that giant gold coin is popular!
- Location: – Na Prikope, Old Town, Prague 1, the nearest underground metro station is Namesti Republiky
- Opening Times: Tuesday – Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm
- Entry: Free
9. Aircraft museum Prague-Kbely
I know that this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and that the location of this museum is a little far from the centre of Prague, but if you are into planes, helicopters, war history or general flying history, you are in for a treat!
Not only that the Aircraft museum in Prague-Kbely is completely free to enter, but it’s also absolutely huge! The museum is partly indoors with displays in several aircraft hangars and partly outdoors with displays of helicopters and planes.
There is a little cafe inside the museum, but it’s worth bringing your own sandwiches and snacks as there are no restaurants or shops nearby.
When I visited towards the end of September, I spent nearly a whole day there as there was so much to see and the displays were fairly comprehensive (and mostly in English too).
The museum was founded in 1968 in the historic military airfield Prague-Kbely, which was the first air base built after the establishment of Czechoslovakia state in 1918.
Kbely is one of the largest aviation museums in Europe and has about 275 aircraft, almost 100 of which are exhibited in covered halls, 25 in uncovered exhibition spaces, 155 are stored in depositories, and 10 airworthy ones are in operation.
- Location – Mladoboleslavská 425/9, Kbely, Prague 9 – the Army museum is about 45 minutes by public transport from the centre of Prague. From Muzeum Underground station (top of the Wenceslas Square) take the C line to Letnany (9 stops) (or change where necessary to get to Letnany on C line from where you are) and then take the 185, 209 or 302 bus to Letecke Muzeum – the bus stops directly in front of the museum main entrance.
- Opening Times: Open during the main summer season from May until September, Tuesday – Sunday: 10 am – 6 pm (closed on Mondays), also open during October but only at the weekends (Saturday + Sunday: 10-6pm
- Entry: Free
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10. Gas Museum
If you’re anything like me and you love finding those quirky little spots that most tourists completely sail past, then you really ought to trek out to Michle to see the Gas Museum. It’s tucked away in an old historical building that used to be part of the city’s main gasworks.
You can still see some of the old gas lamps in the Old Town streets and at Hradcany, so it’s nice to learn more about their history. What I really like about this museum, is that it doesn’t feel like a dusty old warehouse; it’s more like stepping into a “steampunk” version of Prague’s history, where you can see everything from tiny household irons to the giant gas pipes that kept the city running.
Location: U Plynárny 500, Michle, Prague 4. You can take the tram number 11 or 14 from the centre and get off at the stop ‘Plynárna Michle’—the museum is right there.
Opening Times: Monday – Friday: 9 am – 4 pm. Now, this is important: you usually need to book your visit at least a few days in advance through their website or by phone.
Entry: Free (but remember to pre-book!)
11. The Museum of Czech Television
The Museum of Czech Television is on the ground floor of the Czech Television Centre and is definitely worth visiting if you are visiting Prague with children. It’s a little bit outside the Prague centre, but easy enough to get there by underground and a bus and less than 30-40 minutes. It’s a great place especially for children, as the museum has many interactive games, real props from the shows and colourful displays.
Every time I visit, there is a different exhibition on. The last one I saw was called ‘Telka Celebrates 70’ (Telka is a Czech nickname for television) and there were exhibits from more than forty popular programs broadcasted in recent decades, including children’s programmes, cooking and dancing shows, travel programmes and popular films.
- Location: Na Klaudiánce, 147 00 Praha 4, the closest underground is ‘Pankrac’ or ‘Prazskeho Povstani’ and then 10-15 min walk or get the bus number 134 to the stop ‘Kavci Hory’
- Opening Times: Monday – Friday (weekdays only) 10 am – 6 pm (closed during public holidays)
- Entry: Free
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12. Lidice Memorial
The Lidice Memorial commemorates a small village outside of Prague, which was razed to the ground by German Nazis on June 10, 1942.
This was revenge for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, a prominent Nazi official which happened a few weeks earlier in Prague. The Memorial is set on the grounds where the village was and you can walk through the grounds to see the remains of the buildings, cemetery and church.
The memorial was opened in 1969 and also includes a museum, a sculpture garden, and a reconstructed village street. There is also a permanent exhibition on the history of Lidice and the massacre.
My Local Tip: You can walk around the memorial for free and whilst I really liked the museum too, the walk around the original Lidice village is so moving that you don’t always need more information to make it come alive. The area is quite large and you can walk all the way to the old cemetery on one side and then up the hill to the new Lidice village that was built after the war.
I always like to combine the visit with a walk – the green tourist-marked trail will take you to Bustehrad on one side (plenty of buses back to Prague from there) or to Makotrasy, which is a village that’s also linked to Lidice’s sad story as few men from the village were also tragically killed by the Nazis.
- Location: Tokajicka 152, Lidice – the Lidice memorial is about 45-60 minutes from the centre of Prague, depending on which connection you get. From the centre of Prague (Staromeska, Malostranska, Mustek) take the A line underground to Nadrazi Veleslavin and then the bus 300, 322 or 324. Ride 4 stops to Pamatnik stop, which is right in front of the memorial.
- Opening Times: Open during the whole year, any time: Monday- Sunday: 10am – 6 pm (closed on Mondays),
- Entry: Free entry to the memorial grounds (inexpensive entry to the exhibitions and free entry to the museum and exhibitions on special days
- 8. 5. – Victory Day
- 18. 5. – International Museum Day
- 9. – 10. 6. – Lidice village burned down
- 9. 9. – celebrating Lidice village
- 28. 9. – St.Wenceslas Day
- 28. 10. – Independence Day
- 11. 11. – International day of war veterans
This blog post was originally written on 9 November 2023 and last updated on 1 April 2026
