Josefov, the former Jewish ghetto north of Old Town Square, is one of the best-preserved Jewish quarters in Europe: six synagogues, the ceremonial hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery survived the 19th-century clearances and the Nazi occupation, which planned to turn them into a museum of an extinct people. Today they form the Jewish Museum in Prague, one of the most visited museums in the country. This guide explains what is there and how to visit efficiently.
The quick answer
Plan 2 to 3 hours. Buy the Jewish Museum ticket, which covers the cemetery and all the museum synagogues, and add the separate Old-New Synagogue ticket, which is run by the Jewish community. Everything is closed on Saturdays and on Jewish holidays. Start early: the cemetery path is narrow and slow by midday.
What to see
- Old-New Synagogue (Staronová synagoga): built around 1270, the oldest active synagogue in Europe, with the legend of the Golem in its attic. Services still take place; men are asked to cover their heads.
- Old Jewish Cemetery: in use from 1439 to 1787, some 12 000 tombstones stacked in layers because the community could not expand the plot. The grave of Rabbi Loew, the Golem's creator in legend, is the most visited.
- Pinkas Synagogue: the walls carry the names of about 78 000 Czech and Moravian Jews murdered in the Holocaust; upstairs are drawings by children from the Terezín ghetto. The quietest and most affecting stop.
- Spanish Synagogue: the Moorish-style interior from 1868, the most ornate in Prague, with an exhibition on Jewish history in the Czech lands from the 19th century onwards.
- Maisel and Klausen Synagogues, Ceremonial Hall: the museum's exhibitions on history, customs and the burial society.
- Franz Kafka: born on the edge of the quarter in 1883; the statue on Dušní street and the Kafka Museum across the river are the follow-ups.
Tickets and opening
The Jewish Museum ticket covers the cemetery and its five sites; the Old-New Synagogue needs a separate ticket or a combined one sold at the same counters. Opening is roughly 9:00 to 18:00 in summer and to 16:30 in winter. Closed every Saturday and on Jewish holidays, so check the calendar for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover dates before you plan.
Combining it with the rest of Prague
Josefov starts two minutes north of Old Town Square along Pařížská street, so it fits naturally after the Old Town in the morning and before Charles Bridge in the afternoon. The Terezín Memorial, one hour by car, is the natural full-day continuation for anyone interested in the history told in the Pinkas Synagogue; a private car with driver does Terezín and back in an afternoon.
Arriving by plane? A private transfer from Prague Airport to the city centre is a fixed 750 CZK for a sedan with up to 4 passengers, 20 to 40 minutes, with the driver waiting in the arrivals hall.
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