Easter 2023 in Prague: Shop closings, transport disruptions, and things to do

Every holiday in Czechia brings a question with it: Will stores be open or closed? For Easter, the answer is split. You can shop in large stores on Good Friday but not Easter Monday. Both are national holidays.

This year Good Friday falls on April 7, Easter Sunday on April 9, and Easter Monday on April 10. People who follow the Orthodox Christian calendar celebrate a week later this year, but that is not a national holiday here.

Banks and government offices will be closed all four days. Many museums and galleries that are normally closed on Mondays will stay closed, but a handful will open with special hours. Check our list below.

Most stores over 200 square meters close on some holidays, including Easter Monday. There are exceptions. Pharmacies, gas stations, and shops at airports, railway stations (including Prague’s Hlavní nádraží), and hospitals are exempt.

Delivery services are not covered by the law and should operate as normal. However, personal-shopper services that rely on sourcing items from supermarkets will be faced with limited suppliers.

Most of the main tourist sights are open, but many churches will have restrictions due to religious services. Prague Castle will be open but the hours for St. Vitus' Cathedral are slightly limited.

Public transit will also be affected. Buses, trams, and the metro will be on holiday schedules on Friday and Monday. In addition, metro service on the A line between Náměstí Míru and Strašnice and on the C line between I.P. Pavlova and Vltavská will be suspended from the start of Friday to the end of Monday.

People planning to travel anywhere by car or motorcycle should be careful to obey traffic rules, as police announced they will be boosting patrols throughout the four-day weekend. They will be monitoring the speed limit, seatbelt use, proper licenses, vehicle condition, and attentiveness. Czechia has zero tolerance for alcohol use by the driver, and that will be monitored as well.