Prague, city of music and art: the back story

About Prague, city of music and art: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Prague Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Prague is one of Europe’s great music cities. The Estates Theatre of 1783 saw the world premiere of Mozart’s Don Giovanni and still has it in its repertoire; the Czech Philharmonic first played at the Rudolfinum in 1896 under Antonín Dvořák; the National Theatre opened in 1881 and again, after a fire, in 1883; and the State Opera opened in 1888 with Wagner’s Die Meistersinger. Each spring the Prague Spring festival fills the halls.

The opera houses

The National Theatre runs three stages: its own building on the river, the Estates Theatre on Železná and the State Opera beside the National Museum. While the New Stage is renovated, its main box office is at Ostrovní 225/1.

The concert halls

The Rudolfinum, built 1876–1884, is home to the Czech Philharmonic, whose Dvořák Hall is the city’s most prestigious concert hall; the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House is home to the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK.

Book opera and ballet months ahead on the National Theatre’s own site: it sells for all three of its stages.

The festivals

Tickets for the 82nd Prague Spring Festival, in 2027, go on sale on 4 November 2026; the Dvořák Prague festival follows in September.

The art

The National Gallery Prague shows its modern and contemporary collections in the Trade Fair Palace and its medieval art in the Convent of St Agnes; the Mucha Museum, DOX and Kunsthalle Praha complete the picture.

Our advice: an opera at the Estates Theatre is the most Mozartian evening in Europe.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Prague, city of music and art: the back story before you go.