Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock

The Old Town Hall stands on the corner of Old Town Square, and its south wall carries the Prague astronomical clock, or Orloj. The mechanical clock and astronomical dial date from 1410, made by the clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadaň with the astronomer Jan Šindel, which makes it one of the oldest working astronomical clocks in the world. The calendar dial below, with its painted medallions for the months, was added around 1490. The clock was last restored in 2018, when it was returned to a mechanical drive.

Every hour during the day, crowds gather below the clock for the Walk of the Apostles. Two small windows open and the twelve apostles pass by, while figures on either side come to life: a skeleton representing Death rings his bell, and others representing vanity, greed and lust shake their heads. The show is short, so arrive a few minutes before the hour to find a spot, and take time afterwards to study the dials, which show the positions of the sun and moon as well as the time.

The town hall itself can be visited too. The basic ticket covers the tower, where a gallery 42 metres up circles the spire and looks down on the Týn Church, the square and the castle across the river, plus exhibitions in the Knights' Hall about the clock. A lift makes the tower accessible to wheelchair users from the Mikulášská Street entrance. Guided interior tours, at set times, add the Gothic chapel, where you see the apostles from behind, the state rooms and the Romanesque and Gothic spaces below the square. Tickets bought from Prague City Tourism, the official seller, are the safe option.

This is one of the easiest sights in Prague to fit into a day and it works for all ages, although the interiors are not barrier-free. The first hour after opening is the quietest time and tickets are discounted then. Allow 45 minutes for the tower and an hour or more if you join an interior tour.

Old Town Square is a short walk from Staroměstská metro station on line A and Můstek on lines A and B. The Church of Our Lady before Týn, St Nicholas Church in the Old Town, the Jewish Quarter and Charles Bridge are all within ten minutes on foot.