Jewish Quarter (Josefov) wheelchair accessibility
What works at the Maisel, Spanish, Klausen, and Pinkas synagogues, plus the Old Jewish Cemetery. ZTP and ZTP-P pay 100 CZK and one companion is free.
The Jewish Quarter (Josefov) sits between Old Town Square and the river. Four of the five Jewish Museum Prague sites are wheelchair accessible: Maisel, Spanish (via platform lift), Klausen ground floor (with staff assistance over three pairs of steps), and the Old Jewish Cemetery. The Pinkas Synagogue main building is not barrier-free.
Adult admission for the combined ticket is 600 CZK; ZTP and ZTP-P pay 100 CZK and one companion enters free. Guide and assistance dogs are welcome in all exhibition spaces. The shortest accessible route between sites runs from Staroměstská metro on Line A.
Accessibility at a glance
| What | Details | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Maisel Synagogue: barrier-free | The Maisel Synagogue is wheelchair accessible. The published listing is a single 'ano' (yes) against the question of barrier-free access. The synagogue houses the museum's main exhibition on the history of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia from the 10th to the 18th century; allow 45 minutes for the visit. | Confirmed accessible |
| Spanish Synagogue: accessible via a platform lift | The Spanish Synagogue is accessible via a platform lift ('ano, plošina'). The Moorish Revival interior is the architectural high point of the Jewish Quarter visit. The platform lift is operated by museum staff on request; flag your status at the ticket desk and they will route you to the accessible entry. Allow 30 minutes for the visit. | Confirmed accessible |
| Old Jewish Cemetery: accessible via the visitor exit | The cemetery is accessible by entering at the visitor exit between the Klausen Synagogue and the Ceremonial Hall. The published route reads 'ano, vstup návštěvnickým východem mezi Klausovou synagogou a Obřadní síní'. The cemetery paths between the layered gravestones are unpaved earth and stone; the surface is rollable in dry weather but soft after rain. The cemetery operated from 1439 to 1787 and holds around 12,000 visible gravestones over an estimated 100,000 burials. | Confirmed accessible |
| Klausen Synagogue: ground floor accessible with staff assistance | The ground floor is accessible; the published note explains that staff assistance is needed for three pairs of two steps ('nutná asistence při překonání 3 x 2 schodů'). Ask at the ticket desk and a staff member will accompany you over the steps. The exhibition on Jewish customs and traditions is on this level. Allow 30 minutes. | Partially confirmed |
| Pinkas Synagogue: main building not barrier-free; outdoor exhibition on request | The Pinkas Synagogue's main building, which carries the names of 78,000 Bohemian and Moravian Jewish victims of the Shoah hand-painted on the walls, is not barrier-free. The published note offers an outdoor exhibition ('Cesty bez návratu', Journeys Without Return) on request to on-duty staff. If the wall-of-names is the visit you came for, plan to skip Pinkas or to send a non-wheelchair-using companion in while you visit the cemetery on the same combined ticket. | Confirmed accessible |
| ZTP and ZTP-P pay 100 CZK; one companion free | Standard adult admission for the combined Jewish Museum ticket is 600 CZK. ZTP and ZTP-P holders pay 100 CZK and one accompanying person enters free ('ZTP 100 Kč, ZTP/P 100 Kč, jedna doprovázející osoba zdarma'). The museum's general policy reads 'Návštěvníci s těžkým hendikepem mají nárok na doprovod zdarma' (visitors with severe disability have the right to a free companion). | Confirmed accessible |
| Guide and assistance dogs welcome | Guide and assistance dogs accompanying visitors with a valid ticket are permitted in every exhibition space. The published rule requires the dog to be clearly marked. No advance notice is required. | Confirmed accessible |
| Staroměstská on Metro Line A is the closest step-free station | Staroměstská station on Line A (green) sits at the south-east corner of the Jewish Quarter. The roll from the metro exit to the Maisel Synagogue along Maiselova is 200 m on the level. Line A has boarding ramps at every station so the metro is usable on both directions of travel. | Confirmed accessible |
Overview
Josefov is the former Jewish ghetto, founded in the 13th century in a low-lying corner of the Old Town. The historic core is six adjacent sites: the Maisel, Spanish, Klausen, Pinkas, and Old-New synagogues, plus the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Ceremonial Hall. Five are run by the Jewish Museum Prague on a combined ticket; the Old-New Synagogue is a separate ticket. A typical route runs Maisel, Spanish, Pinkas, cemetery via Klausen, Ceremonial Hall.
Where to enter as a wheelchair user
Buy the combined ticket at the visitor centre on Maiselova street between the Maisel and Spanish synagogues. Flag wheelchair use; staff will arrange the platform lift at Spanish and the assistance at Klausen on the day.
Streets between sites are set granite paving. Surfaces are even on Maiselova and Široká, with some unevenness on the cobbled lanes near the cemetery rear gate. The whole quarter is broadly flat.
Sites worth the visit, in route order
Maisel Synagogue: the museum's historical exhibition on Czech Jewish life from the 10th to the 18th century. Step-free throughout. Allow 45 minutes.
Spanish Synagogue: the late 19th-century Moorish Revival interior is the visit's architectural high point. Accessible via platform lift. Allow 30 minutes.
Old Jewish Cemetery: a 30-minute roll through the layered medieval headstones. Surface is unpaved earth and stone; soft after rain. Enter via the exit between Klausen and the Ceremonial Hall.
Klausen Synagogue: ground-floor exhibition on Jewish customs. Three pairs of two steps; staff assist on request. Allow 30 minutes.
Pinkas Synagogue: 78,000 Holocaust victim names on the interior walls. Main building stairs only. Outdoor exhibition accessible on request.
Practical details
The visitor centre opens at 09:00 daily except Saturday and Jewish holidays. The Old-New Synagogue is not part of the combined ticket and is not wheelchair accessible. Allow a half-day for the full circuit; the combined ticket is valid for three consecutive days, so a split visit across two mornings is workable.
Quick facts
Židovské muzeum v Praze. Combined adult ticket 600 CZK; ZTP and ZTP-P 100 CZK plus one companion free. Open 09:00 daily except Saturday and Jewish holidays. Accessible: Maisel, Spanish (platform lift), Klausen ground floor, Old Jewish Cemetery. Not accessible: Pinkas main building, Old-New Synagogue. Nearest step-free metro: Staroměstská on Line A.
How we verified this page
Last verified .
Sources:
- Jewish Museum Prague (accessibility) (verified )
- Jewish Museum Prague (admission) (verified )
- DPP: metro accessibility (verified )