Ahoj! Are you wondering what are the best wedding venues in Prague? Is it actually easy to get married there? What you should definitely know before planning your wedding in Prague? Get ready for some very unique guide to Prague wedding venues.
Prague is one of the most romantic cities in Europe. Thanks to a very rich history and magnificient architecture, Prague is one of the most popular wedding venues within european Borders. It’s no surprise – such architectural gems like the Charles Bridge, the Prague Castle and many old chateaus & palaces in Prague, attract a lot of attention of wedding couples.
Please note that I am local – thanks to my 13+ years of experience as a wedding photographer in Prague, I can share with you many handy tips for your wedding in Prague.
First of all, let’s start with a list of the most popular wedding venues in Prague.
The most popular wedding venues in Prague
The Prague Castle Wedding Venue
Let’s start with the most famous historical site in Prague – the Prague Castle. The Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it consists of a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles. Simply said, it’s not just one building but rather a very large castle area.
Although the Prague castle might be the most famous sight in Praue, it’s not so popular as a wedding venue. And the reason is very simple. There are only a few possible venues for ceremonies (Prague Castle gardens, St. Vithus Cathedral and the Lobkowicz Palace). Except the Lobkowicz Palace, it’s not possible to plan the whole wedding within the Prague Castle borders. That’s why many couples prefer other venues nearby the Prague Castle – and have a photo shoot in the Prague Castle area.
I am going to list the nearby venues right now…
The Lobkowicz Palace
The Lobkowicz Palace is a very famous luxury wedding venue in Prague. It’s the only private palace within the Prague Castle area. The Lobkowicz Palace is a very old building, it’s history dates back to the 16th century. There is a chapel, a few halls and a terrace with really magnificient view of the Prague. Walls of the Lobkowicz Palace are covered with the finest historical art collections and the whole place screams luxury and style. I can recommend the Lobkowicz Palace to couples seeking unique historical luxury venue in the very centre of Prague.
This venue does not offer any acommodation, but there are many five star hotels nearby, literally within walking distance.
Website: https://www.lobkowicz.cz/lobkowicz-palace
Villa Richter
Are you seeking for a wedding venue in Prague which is a little better accessible? Then you migh be interested in Villa Richter. Villa Richter is another very famous wedding venue in the center of Prague. Being situated only cca 150m from the Lobkowicz Palace, Villa Richter is really just next to the Prague Castle. It’s part of a Wenceslas’ Wineyard and offers a very nice view of Prague. Villa Richter is quite famous for it’s greenhouse where you can plan your wedding reception. You can rent Villa Richter privately – it’s one of the most beatiful wedding venues in Prague.
Villa Richter does not offer any acommodation but there are many fine hotels nearby, within walking distance.
Website: http://www.villarichter.cz/page/en/weddings/
Augustine Hotel – the best option for church ceremonies
Another very famous wedding venue in Prauge is the Augustine Hotel. Situated just next to the Prague castle, this venue enjoys all the charm of the historical central Prague. Augustine Hotel is part of a monastery complex – so if you prefer a church wedding ceremony in Prague, this venue is exactly for you. Church of st. Tomas is accessible directly from the Augustine Hotel gardens. And that makes it a very popular venue for church ceremonies. The above mentioned garden is actually very nice and cosy, ideal e.g. for a coctail hour. Anyway, five star Augustine Hotel is one of the most popular wedding venues in Prague. There is accommodation possible and you can plan there the whole wedding even with church ceremony – with no transporation needed within your wedding day.
A very good news is that Augustine Hotel offers very stylish accommodation.
Website: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/prglc-augustine-a-luxury-collection-hotel-prague
Mandarin Oriental
Mandarin Oriental, a five star hotel, is very popular wedding venue in Prague. It’s housed within a former monastery from the 14th century. You will find Mandarin Oriental hotel a little bit further from the Prague Castle, but way closer to the Charles Bridge, the second most famous sight in Prague. So if you want to have wedding photos from the Prague castle, it’s very easy to arrange a taxi. And you can also have some lovely photographs from the Charles Bridge. Kampa, very nice and cosy district in Prague, is just next to Mandarin Oriental hotel, as well as famous Lennon Wall. Vrtbovska Garden (listed further in this guide) is very close to this wedding venue in Prague.
Of course Mandarin Oriental offers very luxury accommodation.
Website: https://www.mandarinoriental.com/prague/mala-strana/luxury-hotel
Vrtbovska Garden – ceremony venue
In case your wedding venue does not offer ideal place for a ceremony, or you just prefer a ceremony in a romantic garden, then Vrtbovska Garden is just the best ceremony venue in Prague. This garden is really a special place because it is really hidden from all the traffic and touristic hustle. You can rent the whole Vrtbovska garden as a private wedding ceremony venue – so you can be sure no tourists will bother you during your wedding vows. Vrtbovska Garden is built on a hill in a terraced style. Apart from the fact that the garden is very nice and romantic itself, there are also fantastic views of Prague (red roofs). You just have to walk a little bit to the top point of the garden (which is accessible in 5 minutes walk). Usually, this venue is rented for a ceremony, formal photos and newlyweds portraits. Then the guests continue to a venue hosting their wedding reception.
No accommodation, no wedding reception. Just venue for a ceremony.
Website: https://www.vrtbovska.cz/en/ (note: the website looks really terrible but the place itself is really nice).
Martinicky Palace
Another very old palace just next to the Pague Castle is Martinicky Palace. This wedding venue offers a lot halls within two floors, there is also a garden and a courtyard in the central part of this palace. Ceremony hall is just a piece of art itself. Martinicky Palace, thanks to it’s location and big capacity, is one of the most famous wedding venues in Prague.
This venue does not offer any accommodation but there are many hotels nearby, within walking distance.
No accommodation, although there are rooms for getting ready. Many hotels are nearby.
Website: http://martinickypalac.cz/language/en/weddings/
Empire Hall
Empire Hall invites you to take a breathtaking trip to the beginning of the 20th century thanks to it’s Art Deco renovated halls and rooms. If you ever wished to style your wedding in a Great Gatsby style, this is the right place. The Grand Hall can host up to 300 wedding guests (banquet style) so this venue might be a very good choice for big weddings. This venue is situated close to the Old Town Square (so it’s central Prague) with it’s famous Astronomical Clock.
This venue does not offer accommodation but there are many hotels nearby.
Website: https://www.empire-hall.cz/en
Grand Mark Prague
Grand Mark Prague is a five star hotel in the central part of Prague. There is a very large (1800m2) baroque-style garden right at the hotel, where you can plan your ceremony. The capacity of a few hundreds of guests might be useful if you plan a bigger wedding. Grand Mark Prague is a luxury hotel but it’s definitely more “budget firendly” compared to some other venues mentioned above. And of course there is possibility of accommodation.
Website: http://www.grandmark.cz/weddings
Letensky Chateau
On a picturesque site in the heart of the Letna Park, directly above the Old Town (central Prague), an impressive neo-renaissance building rose in the style of an Italian villa in 1863. It used to be the best place for the city’s elite to enjoy spectacular views and refereshments. Today, it is one of the most famous wedding venues in Prague. Letensky Chateau can host up to 130 wedding guests. There are amazing views of Prague from the Villa. I personally like this venue but I quite miss some private garden outside. As soon as you walk outside this venue, you enter a public park.
This venue doesn’t offer accommodation, but there are rooms where you can get ready.
Website: https://www.letenskyzamecek.cz/en
Golden Well – for intimate weddings & elopements
This is a very cosy wedding venue in Prague suitable for a very intimate weddings (up to 15 guests) or elopements. There is a very nice terrace with views of Prague.
Website: http://www.goldenwell.cz/weddings-en.html
Chateau st. Havel – hotel away from the Prague center
If you want to enjoy your wedding away from all the touristic hustle, with the ability to accommodate your guests right at the venue, then Chateau st. Havel might be a good fit for your wedding plans. Chateau st. Havel is a neo-gothic wellness hotel in the southern district of Prague. There is a park at the hotel where ceremonies usually take place (the other option for ceremony is a chapel inside the hotel). There is a golf course at the hotel gardens.
Website: https://chateauhotel.cz/en/svatby-na-zamku-v-praze/
Clara Futura – a few kilometers from Prague
Although this list covers only Prague wedding venues, I decied to include Clara Futura too, because it’s such a beautiful and very popular wedding venue. Clara Futura is a four star renaissance chateau surrounded by beautiful gardens. The chateau complex offers luxury accommodation in 40 rooms. This wedding venue near Prague is very famous because you can plan your whole wedding there, even if you prefer a church ceremony (there is a chapel at Clara Futura). Civil ceremonies usually take place within the chateau gardens, while chateau chapel can host church ceremonies.
This venue offers a luxury accommodation.
Website: https://www.clarafutura.cz/en/weddings/
What you should know when planning wedding in Prague
Here a few handy tips which will make your life a lot easier while planning or considering your wedding in Prague.
A CZK currency
We still have czech crown (CZK) currency in the Czech Republic in 2020. All the shops, hotels and restaurants accept cards (except some very small local shops or services). Having some cash in CZK might be handy. There are exchange offices at the airport and in the central Prague. Many hotels offer exchange services too.
While we are talking about CZK currency, I guess you are asking – what are the overall prices in Prague? Let me answer in another paragraph.
Prices in Prague
Prague is a cosmopolitan city where the number of tourits usually outbalance it’s residents during summer. So the overall prices in Prague are very similar as in other european cities. But still you can expect reasonably lower price tags (for everything) compared for example to Italy or France.
Although we have some of the finest wedding venues in Europe and there are wedding vendors delivering the top-class services, the overall costs of services are usually not so high. I can assure you that the overall prices are usually lower than e.g. in Paris, Rome, Athens, Zurich and other cities within european borders. Which means (and I am going to be very straightforward here) your wedding budget can be considerably lower if you plan your wedding in Prague.
How do I travel to Prague?
Prague is a cosmopolitan city with a very modern airport (Vaclav Havel Airport). There are many daily connections from large cities around the world. The only downside is that Prague airport is not connected with the city center by metro / tube. There are some bus lines but these are not fast. That is why many people use official airport taxi services to reach their hotels.
In case you decide to travel to Prague on you own (car), you will have to buy a highway vignette for highways. A 10 day vignette costs cca 13 EUR. And definitely ask your hotel about pakrin possibilities – because parking in Prague can be really difficult.
Hire a wedding planner in Prague
I strongly recommend you to hire a wedding planner for your Prague wedding. Of course you can plan it on your own but it will cost you a lot of time, e-mail communication and effort becuase finding the right wedding vendors will not be an easy task. Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty vendors available but not all of them are real professionals. And the best ones are usually booked one year in advance.
Local wedding planners will recommend and book for you the vendors who will fit your needs, budget and style. They will also help you with logistics, documentation, transporation, etc. And of course – they will plan the whole wedding for you based on your vision and dreams.
Here is a list of wedding planners who I strongly recommend for your wedding in Prague, Czech Republic:
- Boutique weddings
- Eventista
- Butterfly weddings
- Exclusive weddings in Prague
- Julie May weddings
- Lucie Hola weddings
- Prague wedding agency
All the wedding vendors listed above are true professionals featured in worldwide wedding magazines. I can recommend them because I know them and I know they provide the best services & approach.
Wedding ceremony options in Prague
What ceremony options do you have when you plan your wedding in Prague? There are actually four possible types of ceremonies for your wedding in Prague:
- Civil ceremony – someone from the municipality will be your wedding registrar. It really depends who will arrive… some registrars have really nice speaches, others just don’t.
- Church ceremony – a catholic church ceremonies usually take 30-90 minutes (depending on your preferences).
- The combination of both – there are a few churches in the Czech Republic and their priests can get you married. And it does not have to happen in a church. They will arrive almost anywhere. This option is usually preferable for couples who do not want a civil ceremony and they do not want to get married in a church.
- Symbolic ceremony – this option is preferable for those couples who want to skip all the paperwork and just enjoy the ceremony. Literally anybody with charisma and talent can be a symbolic registrar – and nobody needs to know! I have photographed many weddings where the ceremony was symbolic – but nobody knew, not even the parents. Of course these couples got officially married before or afterwards.
The final thoughts
Prague is really a magnificient cosmopolitan city offering many beautiful wedding venues. The athmosphere of the historical city is unforgettable – and so might be your wedding there. The Prague wedding venues listed above are the most popular ones among wedding couples each year. Of course there are much more wedding venues; but my goal was not to list all of them. I just wanted to highlight those which should definitely get your attention.
As I have already suggested, I strongly recommend hiring a wedding planner in Prague so the whole process of planning a wedding becomes really easy for you. They will help you not only with the planning but also with neccessary paperwork and coordination of your wedding.
In case you have any questions about Prague or our country, please feel free to contact me via e-mail or just call me and I will be more than happy to answer all your questions.
