Prague Castle Mysteries Tour: Mysteries and Alchemy at Prague Castle

Included

The price buys the 90 minute guided walk, the guide, and the tram ticket on the way up to the castle. The guide is described as a professional artist and historian in a gothic outfit with a lantern. Photos are encouraged during the walk.

That is the whole list.

• 90 minute guided walk in English
• Tram ticket on the way up to the castle
• Professional artist and historian guide
• Stories of Charles IV and the astrologers and Charles Bridge legends

Not Included

The listing is explicit about the exclusions. Hotel pickup and drop-off, anything inside buildings, and gratuities are not included. There are no jump scare actors, which the listing frames as a feature rather than a gap.

Bring an umbrella in case of rain and wear comfortable shoes for the 2.8 km.

• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Interiors of buildings (the tour runs over closing time)
• Jump scare actors
• Gratuities

What You Might Pay on the Day

Because no interiors are entered, there is no museum admission built into this walk. If you want to add interiors yourself afterwards, the nearby paid options are priced in Czech crowns. The Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague at Jánský vršek 8 is open daily 10:00 to 20:00, so check the museum for its admission.

The Museum of Prague Ghosts and Legends at Mostecká 18 lists 220 CZK basic and 170 CZK reduced, open daily 10:00 to 22:00. For context, the Old Town Hall charges a guided tour surcharge of 100 CZK for Circuit B covering the underground and 150 CZK for Circuit A covering chapel, state rooms and underground. A tip for the guide at the end is at your discretion.

Meeting Point: Pohořelec Tram Stop

The group meets at the Pohořelec tram stop in front of the statue of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. The placement is fitting. Tycho Brahe died in Prague on 24 October 1601 aged 54, and Kepler recorded that Tycho held back from leaving a banquet out of etiquette and died eleven days after urinary trouble began.

Czech and Danish researchers concluded from 2010 to 2012 that his mercury levels were too low for poisoning and murder was impossible. Tycho is buried across the river in the Church of Our Lady before Týn.

The Tram Ride Up to the Castle

The listing says the tram ticket is included on the way up to the castle.

Charles IV and the Astrologers

The listing names this as a core theme of the walk. Prague Castle was the seat of emperors, and Rudolf II moved the imperial court there in 1583 and reigned until his death on 20 January 1612. Rudolf brought alchemists including Edward Kelley and John Dee to his court and kept a private laboratory.

Kelley, born in Worcester in 1555, had audiences with Rudolf, was imprisoned at Křivoklát Castle in 1591 and later at Hněvín Castle in Most, where he died in 1597 or 1598.

Charles Bridge Legends

Charles Bridge was begun in 1357 under Charles IV and finished in 1402, replacing the Judith Bridge damaged by a 1342 flood. Legend says the first stone was laid at 5:31 on 9 July 1357, a palindromic 1357 9 7 5 31 sequence, and another legend adds that egg was mixed into the mortar. The 516 metre bridge was the only crossing of the Vltava in Prague until 1841.

The story of John of Nepomuk belongs here: he was thrown from the bridge into the river on 20 March 1393 on the order of Wenceslaus IV, canonised in 1729, and his statue was placed on the bridge in 1683.

Hidden Corners of the Castle District

The listing says the guide shows the most hidden corners of the district, the unknown places where masters of the dark arts of alchemy would toil by candlelight. No specific street or house is named in the listing, so the exact stops depend on the guide on the night.

Finish Point

The listing does not state a return point or a finish point. The walk covers about 2.8 km in 90 minutes, so plan your onward transport from wherever the guide ends.

Anyone Who Wants to Go Underground

No underground and no dungeon are included, and no interiors are entered at all. If stepping inside a medieval cellar is the point of your evening, the Ghosts, Legends, Medieval Underground and Dungeon Tour includes all entry fees, the underground and a dungeon in 70 to 85 minutes for $30.92.

Thrill Seekers

The listing states plainly that there are no actors trying to scare you. It is informative and educational. If you want characters jumping out at you, the Legends Come To Life ghost walk builds the evening around live ghost characters for $26.

People Who Need Guaranteed Entry Indoors

Since interiors are excluded, this suits travellers happy to stay outside. Photographers should note one rule from the listing: photos are encouraged but video and audio recording are prohibited during the walk.

The only option is English. If you need German, Italian, French, Russian or Spanish, the Old Town walks offer more languages, for example the Ghosts and Legends Nighttime Guided Walking Tour runs in English, German and Italian. Families are fine here: infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, service animals are allowed, and there is no minimum age beyond the child 0-6, youth 7-18, adult 19-60 price bands.

Wheelchair Users

The listing states no wheelchair information, only that the walk is about 2.8 km and suits all fitness levels, with strollers possible. If you need confirmed wheelchair access, the Old Town Ghost Tour and the Plague Doctor walking tour are both listed as wheelchair accessible.

What You Can Do Free

The castle district streets, the views, and Charles Bridge with its 30 statue groups cost nothing to walk. The tram ticket is a convenience rather than a reason to book. The legends are written up all over the web, including the legends and where they happened on this site.

The Museums You Can Visit Alone

If alchemy is your interest, two museums in the area let you go deeper than any street walk. The Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague at Jánský vršek 8 sits in the House at the Donkey where Edward Kelley is said to have lived, open daily 10:00 to 20:00. Check the museum for its admission.

The Museum of Prague Ghosts and Legends at Mostecká 18 opens daily 10:00 to 22:00 at 220 CZK basic.

The Cheaper Guided Options

Tip-based walks exist too. GuruWalk lists a Ghosts and Legends of Prague Old Town free tour of 1.5 hours starting at the Powder Gate, and Walkative runs a pay what you wish ghost and legends tour of 1 hour 30 minutes. You pay a tip at the end instead of a fixed price.

What the Guide Actually Adds

What $20.61 buys is the stories told in sequence by a historian in costume with a lantern, plus the tram ticket and a fixed route through corners you might not find. If you would rather research on your own and walk with a map, you will save money. For the castle area specifically, the site's guide to alchemy at Prague Castle on the homepage collects the background.

If you want a longer and better reviewed guided option, the Alchemy Legends Malá Strana night walk lasts 105 minutes at the same $20.61 and is rated 5.0 from 318 reviews, against 4.8 from 64 here, the fewest reviews of any listing on the site.