Which one to choose in Prague
Church of St. James the Greater vs Strahov Monastery
Two churches in Prague. Church of St. James the Greater has 2 tickets and tours to book; Strahov Monastery has 3 tickets and tours to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Prague, Czech Republic
Saint James stands in a narrow street behind the Old Town Square in Prague, five minutes from the astronomical clock and entirely missed by the crowds that gather in front of it. Entry is free. The reason to come, beyond the interior, is the organ: the instrument is one of the largest in the country and the church runs a concert series that is genuinely musical rather than aimed at tourists, with tickets sold at the door and prices well below the string quartets touted on the square.
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Prague, Czech Republic
The monastery church is free during services and otherwise closed; what visitors pay for is the library, and the arrangement disappoints many. The standard ticket lets you look into the two great halls from their doorways behind a barrier, not walk through them. A much dearer private tour, booked in advance and run outside opening hours in small groups, is the only way inside the halls themselves. A separate ticket covers the picture gallery upstairs, which holds Bohemian Gothic panels and a good Rubens.
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