Cathedral of St. Vitus, Prague

St. Vitus Cathedral (Katedrála sv. Víta) stands in the third courtyard of Prague Castle and is the largest and most important church in the Czech Republic. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Prague, and Czech kings were crowned and buried here.

Charles IV laid the foundation stone in 1344. The French architect Matthias of Arras began the Gothic choir, and after his death in 1352 the young Peter Parler took over and gave the building its daring vaults. Wars and lack of money then halted work for centuries, and the nave and the two western towers were only completed in Neo-Gothic style in 1929, for the thousandth anniversary of the death of St Wenceslas.

The vaults of the nave rise more than 33 metres, the twin western towers reach 82 metres and the great south tower about 97 metres. Highlights inside are the St Wenceslas Chapel, its walls set with semi-precious stones, the massive silver tomb of St John of Nepomuk, the royal mausoleum and the Art Nouveau stained-glass window by Alfons Mucha. The Czech crown jewels are kept in a locked chamber above the chapel and shown only on rare occasions. On the south side, the Golden Gate is decorated with a mosaic of the Last Judgment from 1370–1371.

The castle courtyards are free, and from the entrance area at the west end of the cathedral you can look down the nave without a ticket. To walk through the whole cathedral you need a Prague Castle circuit ticket (2026: CZK 450, reduced CZK 300), which also covers the Old Royal Palace, St George’s Basilica and Golden Lane. The cathedral is open from 9:00 to 17:00 (16:00 in winter) and on Sundays only from noon; expect security checks and queues at the castle gates.

Take tram 22 or 23 to Pražský hrad and walk in through the northern gate, or take the metro to Malostranská and climb the Old Castle Steps. The best views of the cathedral above the river are from the Vltava embankments and Charles Bridge.