Stores open, metro closed: Czech state holidays bring long weekend and free admission

The long weekend ahead sees two upcoming state holidays in Czechia: the Day of the Slavic Evangelists Cyril and Methodius on July 5 and the Day of the Burning of Master Jan Hus on July 6.

State holidays typically bring with them store closures, but large retail stores across the country will remain open on the July 5 and 6 consecutive holidays, an exemption that offers a reprieve for shoppers who tend to be caught off guard by the country's rotating holiday trading laws.

For instance, while shops must close entirely on Easter Monday and Victory Day in May, they are permitted to stay open on Labor Day on May 1 and the Nov. 17 public holiday.

July 5 marks the arrival of the Byzantine brothers Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia in 863, where they introduced the Cyrillic alphabet and laid the foundations of Slavic literature. July 6 commemorates the religious reformer and priest Jan Hus, who was burned at the stake at the Council of Constance in 1415.

Regular closing laws will not take effect again until late autumn, when large stores will be required to shut their doors next on September 28 for Czech Statehood Day.

While major supermarket chains and shopping centers are legally permitted to operate normally, the Czech Trade Inspection Authority (CTI) is urging shoppers to double-check individual store schedules.

Some individual businesses or smaller regional branches may still choose to adjust their operating hours or close entirely to give staff time off over the long weekend.

Public offices, banks, and government buildings will be closed on Monday, July 6, while buses, trams, and the metro will operate on a Sunday/Holiday schedule on Monday, meaning slightly longer waiting times between connections.

A major metro disruption is slated for the long weekend: Metro Line C will close between Kobylisy and Pražského povstání from July 4–10 for signalling upgrades. Replacement XC buses and an extended tram line 2 will operate.

As part of the holiday weekend, visitors will have a rare chance to tour two normally closed government buildings in Prague.

Hrzánský Palace near Prague Castle and the Liechtenstein Palace on Kampa will open their representative halls, salons and historic interiors to the public on July 5 and 6, respectively.

This year's tours also include the reopening of painter Jan Slavíček's restored studio in Hrzánský Palace, featuring its recently returned 19th-century chandelier and period furnishings.

The National Technical Museum will mark the anniversary of its founding on July 5 with reduced admission prices.

While Sunday, July 5, is typically a free admission day for the National Gallery Prague, as part of its first Sunday of the month program, NGP has announced that the program has been temporarily paused. You can find a list of free things to do in Prague here.