7 Tips for Surviving Museum Night

While this night sure feels like the freebie of all freebies, it can also be overwhelming. We asked the National Museum’s Ivana Kocichová, for her suggestions on how to make the most of it.

“If you want to catch as much as possible, plan ahead and pick up the traffic map in advance,” Kocichová said. Which means…

Plotting your route is just as important as choosing your museums, especially if your top visits are scattered around town.

Be sure to check out each institution’s happenings. There’s a link for each one on the ‘Institutions’ page detailing what’ll be on. Live music, workshops, and guided tours are offered at the majority of the museums, while some have gotten a bit more creative like the screenings of Karel Zeman’s films at the Karel Zeman Museum.

It’s tough not to look at Museum Night as some sort of fabulous buffet of city-wide free culture that you must consume. Kocichová says past experience shows most people visit three sites, though there are some who do more, and some who just go check out a specific one.

Kocichová recommends an earlier start. “As the night gets underway, visitors can modify their plans and specific visits and maybe break them up with a café stop.”

The biggies of Prague’s cultural institutions (and the more pricey ones) are of course going to be the most crowded. Kocichová says individual choice depends on the tastes of each visitor but does have a few recommendations for places that might be more comfortable.

“Among the traditionally not-as-visited museums are the Aviation Museum Kbely (part of the Military History Institute Prague), the National Technical Museum, the Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures (part of the National Museum), Prague City Museum, and the Museum of Czech Police, for example,” she said.

Then again, if you are a free spirit, there’s no problem with just going out and enjoying the evening.

“Get on the bus, get off when you’re ready and go with the other visitors,” Kocichová said. “Perhaps you’ll discover a museum that you have not yet visited, and it will enchant you.”