The square the whole Old Town is arranged around — free to stand in, and the source of nearly every aerial photograph of Prague you have ever seen.
What it costs
Free. The square is the attraction, and no part of standing in it costs anything.
The Old Town Hall tower is ticketed and has a lift. That is the view: red roofs, the twin spires of Týn opposite, the whole medieval street plan laid out below you. Almost every postcard of Prague is taken from up there.
When to go
Busy from mid-morning to late evening, all year. In December the Christmas market fills it completely and the tree goes up in the middle; that is either the reason to come or the reason to stay away, depending entirely on you.
The astronomical clock on the town hall draws a standing crowd on the hour.
Getting there
Metro A to Staroměstská, then a few minutes on foot.
If you only have an hour
Stand in the middle for the clock on the hour, then go straight up the Old Town Hall tower while everyone else disperses at ground level. Ten minutes at the top is enough. Leave by Celetná towards the Powder Tower rather than back the way you came.
What people get wrong
The gap on the north side of the town hall is not a plaza by design — the neo-Gothic wing that stood there was destroyed in the last days of the Second World War and never rebuilt. What looks like open space is a missing building.
Nearby
Ticketing arrangements and opening patterns as published for 2026 and checked on 4 September 2026. These change without much warning — confirm with the site itself before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.