Rick Steves Tour: Jewish Quarter, Prague

Jewish Quarter Tour

ORIENTATION

Planning Your Time

Background

THE TOUR BEGINS

1 Maisel Synagogue (Maiselova Synagóga)

Map: Prague’s Jewish Quarter

2 Pinkas Synagogue (Pinkasova Synagóga)

3 Old Jewish Cemetery (Starý Židovský Hřbitov)

4 Ceremonial Hall (Obřadní Síň)

5 Klausen Synagogue (Klauzová Synagóga)

6 Old-New Synagogue (Staronová Synagóga, a.k.a. Altneuschul)

7 Spanish Synagogue (Španělská Synagóga)

The fluctuating fortunes of Eastern Europe’s Jews are etched in the streets of Prague’s historic Jewish Quarter. This three-block area in the Old Town has been home to a Jewish community for a thousand years. The neighborhood features several impressive synagogues (including the oldest medieval one in Europe), an evocative cemetery, a powerful memorial honoring Czech Jews murdered in the Holocaust, and engaging exhibits on Jewish customs and tradition.

For me, this is the most interesting collection of Jewish sights in Europe, and—despite the high admission cost—well worth seeing. All but one of the sights are part of the Jewish Museum in Prague (Židovské Muzeum v Praze) and are treated as a single attraction. The remaining sight is the Old-New Synagogue.

ORIENTATION

Cost: You have three options: Ticket #1 (“Jewish Town of Prague”)-480 Kč, covers all six Jewish Museum sights plus the Old-New Synagogue; Ticket #2-300 Kč, covers Jewish Museum sights only; Ticket #3-200 Kč, covers the Old-New Synagogue only. Tickets are good for a week.

You can buy your ticket online (www.jewishmuseum.cz), at the Information Center at Maiselova 15 (near the intersection with Siroka street), or at one of these synagogues: Pinkas, Klausen, or Spanish.

Hours: The six museum sights are open April-Oct Sun-Fri 9:00-18:00, Nov-March until 17:00, closed year-round on Sat and Jewish holidays; check the website for a complete list of holiday closures, especially if you are visiting in the fall. The Old-New Synagogue is open Sun-Thu 9:30-18:00, Fri until 17:00 or sunset, closed Sat and Jewish holidays (admission includes worthwhile 10-minute tour).

Avoiding Lines: The Pinkas Synagogue can be packed, especially 9:30-12:00, so be there right as it opens or later in the day. To save time in line, buy your ticket in advance at the other less-crowded locations. Also see “Planning Your Time,” later.

Dress Code: Men are expected to have their heads covered when entering a synagogue or cemetery. While you’ll see many visitors ignoring this custom, it is respectful to borrow a museum-issued yarmulke.

Getting There: