Best museums in Prague: a local guide by theme
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Prague has more museums than you could visit in a month — from a 19th-century paper model of the whole city to a whale skeleton under a glass dome, from Alphonse Mucha’s posters to a museum devoted to chocolate. This guide picks the best museums in Prague by theme, with tips on which ones combine well on foot, what to do on a rainy day and which ones children enjoy most.
One practical note first: opening hours and prices change often, so we don’t list them here. Always check the museum’s own website before you go — and keep in mind that many Prague museums are closed on Mondays.
Quick picks
- Only one museum? The National Museum: the building, the dome and the whale in one visit.
- The story of the city: Langweil’s model at the Museum of Prague.
- Art Nouveau and design: the Mucha Museum and the Museum of Decorative Arts.
- With children: the National Technical Museum.
- Something sweet near Old Town Square: the Choco-Story Chocolate Museum.
History museums: the story of Prague and the Czech lands
National Museum (Národní muzeum)
The neo-Renaissance building at the top of Wenceslas Square is a landmark in itself. Inside the Historical Building you’ll find the grand pantheon, natural history and the exhibition Miracles of Evolution, built around the skeleton of a fin whale, plus a view over the city from the dome. The modern New Building next door (connected by an underground passage) covers 20th-century Czech history. nm.cz
Museum of Prague (Muzeum Prahy)
The main building at Na Poříčí, near Florenc, reopened in December 2025 after a long reconstruction. Its star is Langweil’s model of Prague: a paper model of the city made between 1826 and 1837, so detailed that you can recognise individual houses, many of which no longer exist. The new exhibition adds digital and interactive displays on how the city grew. muzeumprahy.cz
Jewish Museum in Prague
Not one building but a group of historic sites in Josefov: the Pinkas, Maisel and Spanish synagogues, the Old Jewish Cemetery and more, visited on one ticket. It is one of the most moving places in the city. Note that the Jewish Museum is closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays. jewishmuseum.cz
Museum of Communism
A private museum on V Celnici street, a few minutes from Republic Square (Náměstí Republiky), on everyday life, propaganda and repression in Czechoslovakia between 1948 and 1989 — and the Velvet Revolution. A good primer if you want to understand the city’s recent past. muzeumkomunismu.cz
Art museums and galleries
National Gallery Prague: Trade Fair Palace and Sternberg Palace
The National Gallery is spread across several buildings. The functionalist Trade Fair Palace (Veletržní palác) in Holešovice holds Czech and international art of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries on several floors — including French modern art. The Sternberg Palace at Hradčany, right by Prague Castle, is home to the European old masters, with Albrecht Dürer’s Feast of the Rosary as its most famous painting. ngprague.cz
Mucha Museum
Alphonse Mucha is the Czech face of Art Nouveau. In 2025 a new, much larger Mucha museum opened in the renovated Savarin Palace on Na Příkopě, with paintings, posters and decorative work from the Mucha family collection — a short walk from Old Town.
Museum of Decorative Arts (UPM)
Glass, porcelain, furniture, fashion and graphic design from the Middle Ages to the present day in a beautiful building on 17. listopadu street, across from the Rudolfinum and right next to the Jewish Quarter. A must for anyone who loves design and Bohemian glass. upm.cz
Museum Kampa
Modern Central European art in an old mill on Kampa Island by the Vltava, with the works of František Kupka, a pioneer of abstract painting, and the sculptor Otto Gutfreund. The riverside setting near Charles Bridge is a bonus. museumkampa.cz
DOX Centre for Contemporary Art
Big, bold contemporary art exhibitions in a converted factory in Holešovice. Don’t miss Gulliver, the wooden airship on the roof that serves as a reading room and event space. dox.cz
For book lovers: Franz Kafka Museum
In Malá Strana, a few minutes from Charles Bridge, the Kafka Museum tells the story of the writer and his Prague through manuscripts, photographs and an atmospheric exhibition. Look out for the peeing statues by David Černý in the courtyard. kafkamuseum.cz
Best museums in Prague for kids
National Technical Museum (NTM)
The favourite of many Prague families: steam locomotives, cars, motorbikes and aeroplanes in a huge transport hall, plus exhibitions on astronomy, photography, printing and much more. It is on Letná, a short walk from the Trade Fair Palace. ntm.cz
National Museum and Museum of Prague
The whale and the animals of Miracles of Evolution fascinate children of all ages, and so do the tiny houses of Langweil’s model at the Museum of Prague — a fun way to play “find our hotel” in the city of two hundred years ago.
Choco-Story Chocolate Museum
Children love a museum that ends with tasting. More ideas for families are in our guide to Prague with kids.
Something different: the Chocolate Museum
Yes, we are biased — but we think the Choco-Story Chocolate Museum deserves a place on any list of unusual museums in Prague. In seven rooms at Celetná 10, right next to the Church of Our Lady before Týn and two minutes from Old Town Square, you follow cocoa from the Maya and the Aztecs, who paid with cocoa beans, to the royal courts of Europe and the Belgian praline. There are wax figures, authentic objects, interactive displays and a window where you can watch sweets being made.
The visit is self-guided, takes about 30–45 minutes, comes with an audio guide in 13 languages and ends with a tasting of up to five kinds of Belgian chocolate. Children under 4 get in free. Want to go further? In the chocolate workshop you make and decorate your own chocolate bars. See what you’ll see inside the museum, or read our history of chocolate before you come.
Tips for planning your museum day
Museums that combine well on foot
- Old Town and Republic Square: the Chocolate Museum (Celetná), the Mucha Museum (Na Příkopě) and the Museum of Communism (V Celnici) are all within a few minutes’ walk of the Powder Tower.
- Josefov: the Jewish Museum and the Museum of Decorative Arts are neighbours.
- Malá Strana: the Kafka Museum and Museum Kampa, with Charles Bridge in between.
- Holešovice and Letná: the Trade Fair Palace, the National Technical Museum and DOX make a full day away from the crowds.
- Hradčany: combine Sternberg Palace with your visit to Prague Castle.
On a rainy day
The big museums — the National Museum, the National Technical Museum and the Trade Fair Palace — can easily fill half a day each. In the centre, the Chocolate Museum is open daily until 22:00, which makes it an easy plan for a wet evening, too.
Is a city pass worth it?
The official Prague Visitor Pass combines public transport with free or discounted entry to dozens of attractions and museums. Whether it pays off depends on how many museums you plan to see; check the current list of included places on prague.eu before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most famous museum in Prague?
The National Museum on Wenceslas Square is the best known and the largest. For art, the National Gallery; for Jewish history, the Jewish Museum in Josefov.
Which museums in Prague are good for a short visit?
The Kafka Museum, the Mucha Museum and the Chocolate Museum can each be seen in about an hour or less, so they fit easily between sightseeing stops in the centre.
Are Prague museums open on Mondays?
Many are not — the National Gallery, the National Technical Museum and the Museum of Prague, among others, usually close on Mondays. The Chocolate Museum is open every day of the week.
Plan your visit to the Chocolate Museum
We are open every day from 10:00 to 22:00 at Celetná 10, Prague 1. Our shop and café are open to everyone, even without a ticket. Book your tickets online and skip the wait at the door.
