The twin black spires above Old Town Square. Free to enter, easy to miss, and open for far fewer hours than the square outside it.
What it costs
Free to go in, with a donation box inside.
The catch is not money, it is access: the church opens to visitors for a short window on most days, closes between services, and is shut to sightseers during them. People cross the square for it and find the door locked.
When to go
Check the hours before you walk over, not after. Mornings and late afternoons are the usual visiting windows on weekdays; Sundays are given over to services.
Getting there
The entrance is not on the square — it is through the arcade of the houses in front of the church, which is the other reason people give up looking. Metro A to Staroměstská.
If you only have an hour
Find the arcade entrance first — that is the part that defeats people — and go in during the visiting window. Fifteen minutes inside is enough for the interior. Then use the rest of the hour on the lanes behind the church, which are the quietest streets in the Old Town.
What people get wrong
The spires look identical from the square and are not: they were built to slightly different dimensions, traditionally described as Adam and Eve. Inside, the astronomer Tycho Brahe is buried near the high altar.
Nearby
Ticketing arrangements and opening patterns as published for 2026 and checked on 4 September 2026. Prices and hours change without much warning — confirm with the site itself before you travel. More sights, and how they fit together, in Landmarks & Sights.