Interior View of the National Gallery in Prague, Trade Fair Palace.

© tichr/Shutterstock

Veletržní Palác

Top choice in Prague


The National Gallery's collection of 19th-, 20th- and 21st-century art is spread over four floors and is a strong contender for Prague's best museum. It has an unexpectedly rich collection of world masters, including works from Van Gogh, Picasso, Schiele, Klimt and on and on, but the holdings of Czech interwar abstract, surrealist and cubist art are worth the trip alone.

Take a moment to also admire the building's exterior. When construction was completed in 1928, Trade Fair Palace was Prague's first functionalist building and the largest building of this kind in the world.

For 500Kč, you can buy a ticket for combined admission to all of the National Gallery's buildings hosting permanent exhibitions, including Schwarzenberg Palace, Kinský Palace and Convent of St Agnes, as well as the Trade Fair Palace. The ticket is good for 10 days from your first entry. Children under 18 years, and students under 26, enter for free.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Prague attractions

1. Lapidárium

0.3 MILES

An outlying branch of the National Museum and an often-overlooked gem, the Lapidárium is a repository for some 400 sculptures from the 11th to the 19th…

2. Mořský Svět

0.3 MILES

The Czech ‘Sea World’ has the largest water tank in the country, with a capacity of around 100,000L. Some 4500 living species of fish and sea creatures…

3. Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds

0.37 MILES

This sprawling, somewhat neglected area of attractions and buildings was first laid out for the 1891 Jubilee Exhibition. These days it holds mainly trade…

4. Prague Planetarium

0.38 MILES

The planetarium in Stromovka park, just west of Výstaviště, presents various slide and video presentations in addition to daily star shows. Most shows are…

5. Chemistry Gallery

0.38 MILES

Edgy gallery dedicated to showing contemporary urban art, street art and graffiti from young Czech and international artists. Artists include Pasta Oner,…

6. Křižík’s Fountain

0.43 MILES

Each evening from spring to late autumn the musical Křižík’s Fountain performs its computer-controlled light-and-water dance. Performances range from…

7. National Technical Museum

0.45 MILES

Prague’s family-friendly National Technical Museum got a high-tech renovation in 2012 and is a dazzling presentation of the country's industrial heritage…

8. Letná Gardens

0.47 MILES

Lovely Letná Gardens occupies a bluff over the Vltava River, north of the Old Town, and has postcard-perfect views out over the city, river, and bridges…