Jewish Quarter Prague tour

The short answer

• Josefov is the best-preserved Jewish quarter in Europe: six synagogues, a ceremonial hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery inside ten walkable minutes.
• A private tour runs 2.5–3 hours, Sunday to Friday, and is the only way to hear the sites explained from inside Jewish tradition rather than as generic sightseeing.
• Museum admission is separate; your guide helps you buy the right circuit ticket and books a timed cemetery entry in high season.
• Everything is arranged with a licensed local Jewish guide who quotes you directly — no agency mark-up.

What the route covers

• Old-New Synagogue. Europe's oldest active synagogue, in continuous use since the 1270s and home of the Golem legend.
• Old Jewish Cemetery. Around 12,000 visible stones layered over roughly a dozen burial levels, including Rabbi Judah Loew.
• Pinkas Synagogue. The handwritten names of nearly 80,000 Bohemian and Moravian Jews murdered in the Shoah, plus the Terezín children's drawings.
• Maisel & Klausen synagogues. A thousand years of Bohemian Jewish life, from Přemyslid charters to the Renaissance golden age.
• Spanish Synagogue. Moorish Revival interior and the story of Prague's emancipation-era reform congregation.

Each building is described in more depth in our guide to the synagogues of Prague.

A typical three-hour walk

1. 1Meet near the Spanish Synagogue and set the frame: who the Jews of Prague were, and how a walled ghetto became a museum quarter.
2. 2Spanish and Maisel synagogues — emancipation, the Maisel golden age, and the objects the Nazis catalogued here.
3. 3Pinkas Synagogue and the wall of 78,000 names, then the Terezín children's drawings upstairs.
4. 4The Old Jewish Cemetery, layer by layer, ending at the grave of the Maharal.
5. 5Klausen Synagogue and the Ceremonial Hall — burial society, life cycle, tradition.
6. 6The Old-New Synagogue, still davening after 750 years, and how the community lives in Prague today.

Practical details

Planning around Shabbat and kashrut

Josefov's museum sites and the Old-New Synagogue close for Shabbat and Jewish holidays, so observant travellers usually walk the quarter Sunday to Friday and keep Saturday for davening and a pre-booked meal. See Shabbat in Prague for minyan times, and kosher food in Prague for supervised restaurants a few minutes from the synagogues.

Frequently asked questions

How much time do you need to tour the Prague Jewish Quarter?

Most visitors need 2.5 to 3 hours for Josefov at a comfortable pace. That covers the Old-New Synagogue, the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Pinkas, Maisel, Klausen and Spanish synagogues, and the Ceremonial Hall. Adding Terezín makes it a full day of roughly 8 hours.

What is included in a private Jewish Quarter tour?

A licensed local Jewish guide, a route planned around your interests and pace, and help buying the Jewish Museum in Prague circuit ticket. Entrance tickets are normally paid separately at the museum's current rates.

Is the Jewish Quarter open on Saturday?

No. The Jewish Museum in Prague sites and the Old-New Synagogue are closed on Shabbat and on Jewish holidays. Sunday to Friday tours are the norm; on Saturday we can run an outdoor Jewish history walk instead.

Can the tour be Shabbat-observant and kosher-friendly?

Yes. Guides can plan walking-only routes, avoid transactions on Shabbat, and point you to Prague's kosher restaurants and the Old-New Synagogue minyan times.

Which languages are available?

English and Hebrew most often, plus Czech, German, French, Spanish and Russian depending on guide availability for your dates.

Is the Josefov route accessible for limited mobility or strollers?

Largely yes — Josefov is compact and flat — but the Old Jewish Cemetery has uneven ground and some synagogues have steps. Tell us in your request and we match a guide who plans an accessible route.

Do I need to book Jewish Museum in Prague tickets in advance?

In high season (April to October, and around Jewish holidays) advance tickets are strongly advised because entry to the Old Jewish Cemetery is timed. Your guide will tell you which circuit ticket fits the route and can walk you through buying it before you arrive.

Is the Old-New Synagogue included in the museum ticket?

It is a separate site with its own admission, sold on its own or as a combined ticket with the Jewish Museum circuit. It is still an active synagogue, so it closes for prayer times and Shabbat.

What should men and women wear in Josefov?

Modest dress is expected in the synagogues: shoulders and knees covered. Men are required to cover their heads in the Old-New Synagogue and the Old Jewish Cemetery; paper kippot are available at the entrance, or bring your own.

Can we take photographs?

Photography is not permitted inside most Jewish Museum synagogue interiors or in the Old Jewish Cemetery, and never on Shabbat. Outdoor photos in the streets of Josefov are fine, and your guide will show you the courtyards most people walk past.

What is the best time of day to walk Josefov?

Start at opening, around 9am, especially from May to September. The cemetery and the Pinkas Synagogue are quietest in the first hour, and you finish before the mid-day coach groups arrive. Winter afternoons are also calm, though sites close earlier.

How much does a private Jewish Quarter tour cost?

Guides set their own rates by group size, language and season, and quote you directly after your request — there is no mark-up added by us. Museum admission is separate. You see the full price before you commit to anything.

Is this suitable for a bar or bat mitzvah family trip or a synagogue group?

Yes. Guides regularly host multi-generation families, synagogue and school groups, and can build the route around a family's own Bohemian or Moravian roots, adding archive or cemetery research on request.

Can we combine Josefov with Prague Castle or the Old Town?

Yes. Josefov borders the Old Town, so many visitors add the Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square in the same half day. Prague Castle works better as a separate afternoon.