Golden Lane

Zlatá ulička u Daliborky

Tiny coloured cottages, including No. 22 where Kafka wrote

⚠ Needs the castle ticket

Hours

Same as the castle's paid buildings: Apr–Oct 09:00–17:00, Nov–Mar 09:00–16:00

Tickets

Included in the castle's main circuit ticket (adults CZK 450, reduced 300, family 950); no separate ticket

Address

Behind St George's Basilica, on the way to the castle's east exit

A lane of doll-sized houses built into the castle wall, painted yellow, sky blue and pink. Castle guards lived here in the sixteenth century; the name comes from a legend about alchemists making gold. Duck through the low doorways and each house recreates a slice of old life: a blacksmith, a herbalist, a film critic's study. The sky-blue No. 22 is where Kafka wrote in 1916–17 in his sister's house, now a tiny bookshop. Climb to the defensive gallery upstairs and the walls are hung with armour and pikes.