Paternoster Elevator in Prague: All You Need to Know

If you’ve heard of the magical, neverending elevator called paternoster that you can ride in Prague, you’ve probably had the same reaction we did:

What on earth is it and how can we try it??

We instantly added it to our Prague bucket list (which is also neverending, because Prague is such a cool city) and, on our next trip to Czechia’s capital city, we went hunting for a public paternoster.

We found one, rode it, and are here to tell you what it’s actually like, so you can decide whether you want to try it yourself.

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Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.

After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆

During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Btw, even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅

And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful travel tips and info with you!

Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own epic adventures too!

What is a paternoster lift?

If you’ve only just heard of paternoster elevators, don’t feel behind.

Despite being from Slovakia, Mirka’d never heard of one either, until an American friend of ours posted about it on Instagram!

Btw, if you don’t follow us on Instagram yet, go fix it right now! You never know what life-changing info you’ll discover there – like a paternoster!

To be fair, while there are paternosters in Slovakia, only a few are left, and they are not accessible to the public, like in the Czech Republic.

The reason being they are mostly located in ministries and other official buildings, because back in the day, they were seen as a fancy feature to have!

Some cool facts about paternoster lifts:

• The lift is basically a chain of open compartments moving continuously in a loop
• The elevator never stops – you have to get on and off while it’s moving
• 2 people usually fit into one cabin
• Most remaining paternosters are actually in Germany, followed by Czechia

The benefits of a paternoster lift?

• Since it’s moving all the time, you never have to wait! (how annoying is it when you’re in a hotel with many floors and the lift just never comes to yours? The pain!)
• Open cabins mean more ventilation – you won’t get into the lift smelling its previous passengers (Sounds ideal for hot days, to be honest!)
• It can transport many people at the same time. Theoretically, a paternoster with 20 cabins and 2 passengers in each can transport 40 people at once!

Why are paternosters cool?

Not yet convinced that paternoster elevators are super cool and worth visiting?

Let us try and change your mind:

• Paternosters are an amazing piece of history – the first one was installed in 1868 in Liverpool!
• They let you travel back in time and experience life as it used to be – like the magical Fotoplastikon in Warsaw.
• They won’t last forever. Since construction of new paternosters stopped in the 1970s, it’s only the old, still functioning paternosters that will ever exist. And even they will only be around for as long as they work (and stay safe!). That’s what makes riding one such a bucket list experience!
• If you’re a Harry Potter fan (like us!), you might also enjoy how paternoster elevators look like something out of the magical HP world. We’d bet Arthur Weasley would have a lot of questions!

What is riding in a paternoster elevator in Prague like?

For us, it was a great experience to ride in the paternoster lift!

It was such a novelty, and, if you follow us on our Instagram, you might know we are suckers for unusual things.

Mirka speaking: “As the more anxious of the two of us, for me it was a bit nerve-wracking, the first time I went to step into the paternoster elevator in Prague.

I am known to be clumsy and didn’t trust myself not to trip up. More on this in the safety section of this post.

I can report that everything went well, though!”

One thing to keep in mind when riding the paternoster lifts in Prague?

These are all functioning lifts in actual office buildings, so you will see real employees and locals using the elevator.

Make sure you don’t act like a dumb tourist – these people have work to get to (and you don’t wanna get kicked out of a building in shame!). 

Speaking of buildings, where can you find a paternoster elevator in Prague?

Where can you find a paternoster in Prague?

Know how we said there are only so many paternosters in existence these days?

And that most of them are located in fancy buildings, like ministries, where access is prohibited to the public?

The more paternosters get on the tourist radar, the harder it is to find ones that are freely available.

Before going, we would advise you check whether your chosen paternoster is still:

• Available
• Open on the day you’re planning to visit
• Not closed for maintenance

Here are the paternoster elevators in Prague that are available to the public, that we know about:

• The most famous one in Prague (also the very first paternoster in the city), at the Prague City Hall, started operating official tours in 2024, meaning you will learn more about its history, but you will have to pay for the tour (and share the experience with a group of people).
• Another popular one is located at the Palace YMCA – the website even has a lot of information on the elevator, if you’re interested in learning more.
• We rode the paternoster at the Lucerna Palace. It’s a bit difficult to find, because the building feels like a bit of a maze, but it’s worth visiting (the building), even if it wasn’t for the cool elevator. Built in the Czech Secession style, it’s full of Art Nouveau details, grand decorative touches, and even a horse, hanging upside down. (The paternoster is actually in a building called U Nováků, which is connected with Lucerna Palace by an arcade, so you can walk directly from one to the other.) 
• The paternoster at the Financial Office for the Capital City of Prague (Finanční úřad pro hlavní město Prahu) should also be available to the public, but we’ve not talked to anyone who’s visited it personally and there isn’t a lot of information about it online.

Is a paternoster elevator safe to ride?

We’ll be honest with you.

Over the years, there have been accidents and even deaths, as a result of people riding the paternoster elevators.

You can read more about these cases on Wikipedia, if you want to freak yourself out.

But here’s the thing.

Sometimes the lifts did malfunction.

Same as happens with theme park rides. Or cars. Or any other machine.

But a lot of accidents were caused by people.

A bizarre (and tragic) accident that, apparently, happened in Slovakia?

Some idiot decided to transport a fridge in the paternoster, which is, obviously, against the rules. The fridge got stuck and, as another guy tried to help him, it killed the good samaritan.

This is said to be the only known case of a paternoster-related death in Slovakia.

If you want to ride a paternoster elevator safely, here is what you should do.

How to ride a paternoster lift safely

• Check any signs at the paternoster for rules, instructions and limitations, such as no transporting of furniture (or prams), or age limits (such as no solo kids below 15yo). Bring offline Google Translate for this (we’ll explain more later in the post).
• Use the handlebars. Yes, you will feel like a moron who cannot step into a cabin without holding on, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
• Speaking of getting into the elevator – we found it’s easier to get into the cabin when it’s a bit lower than you, so slightly below your floor, rather than waiting for it to be further up and you having to step up into it (also less likely you’ll trip up that way!).
• Similarly, when getting out of the lift, it’s easier to go for it when you are higher up than the floor you are aiming for, rather than trying to time it perfectly and then having to “climb out”.
• Keep in mind that the lift goes around in a loop, so if you miss your floor, don’t panic! You can get off at the next floor. We also talk about whether it’s possible to go around the full loop in a paternoster lift in the next section (or skip there now, if you’re desperate to find out!).
• It’s safer to go solo, at least at the beginning. This of course doesn’t apply to kids, anyone freaking out about going alone etc. But generally, going on your own means you will not accidentally bump into the other person, trip them up, or get in their way, which can lead to accidents. If going with someone else, make sure you synchronise.
• As always when travelling, make sure you’re covered by really good travel insurance. We recommend True Traveller, because aside from crazily low prices (budget travellers here!), they also offer insane customer service.
• It goes without saying, but remember that you’re riding the paternoster at your own risk.

If you have any questions about riding the paternoster elevator in Prague, give us a shout on our Instagram. Or go for the extra fun option of booking a call with us, so we can help you plan your Prague adventures!

We mentioned going around the paternoster’s full loop.

Is that possible? And safe? Let’s talk about that, because we did wonder about that too.

Can you go all the way around in a paternoster lift?

Can you just stay in the cabin and go round the full loop in a paternoster elevator?

Or will you get turned upside down as the cabin crosses from one side to another?

Or, slightly more concerning, will you get crushed by whatever mechanism is powering the paternoster??

Let us tell you our story to show you what happens.

Remember our friend who posted about the paternoster on Instagram?

We got talking to him about the lift and he admitted having gone all the way around!

The issue?

In the video he shot of going around in the loop, you can see a sign at the last floor telling you to get out of the lift and not stay in as it goes across to the other side!

Here’s the thing though.

The sign was only in Czech.

And you might remember that our friend is American, so he never actually paid attention to it!

He was lucky nothing happened and he wasn’t actually turned upside down!

Our story

Mirka speaking: “Even though we had a confirmation from a full loop paternoster survivor, I was still worried about going all the way round in the elevator.

Daniel wanted to try it though, so he volunteered to go test it out.

I have to admit, I was freaking out until he came back safely, detailing what it’s like.

Mainly because our friend only went through the top part of the paternoster, but Daniel tried riding the full loop – via the top and the bottom.

Thankfully, he came back all okay, not crushed or turned upside down!

So yes, you can ride the paternoster elevator around the whole loop.

Naturally, I had to try it myself – the FOMO was too strong, now that our friend AND Daniel have tried it.

So I went.

I was internally freaking out, but it was actually fun, especially since I could read the sign telling me not to do it – what a rebel I am! 😄”

What happens when you go around the full loop in a paternoster lift?

Here is what you can expect when going around the loop in a paternoster elevator:

• You will see the massive gears and machinery that keep the elevator moving.
• It does get pretty dark for a moment, especially at the very bottom.
• The lift also gets noisier — don’t freak out!
• It might feel a bit unnerving, since it looks like you’re heading somewhere you shouldn’t be once you see the gears spinning.
• If you want to see what a full journey in a paternoster is like, check out this video.

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t touch anything when going through the top or the bottom of the paternoster shaft.

As we mentioned in the safety section, remember that you’re riding the paternoster at your own risk (and do keep an eye on children!).

How to get to Prague

We always recommend combining Prague with other European cities – not to rush your holiday, but to cover more during one trip, because you can travel so easily between them.

Here are some useful tips:

• Compare flights to multiple cities. If flying into Prague is too expensive, or not convenient for you, consider Vienna, Bratislava or Budapest and then travel to Prague from there
• If you fly into Vienna, you can get to Bratislava easily (and vice versa)
• Budapest is also just over 2 hours away from Bratislava, by bus or a train
• From Bratislava you can reach Prague in around 4.5hrs (unless you get delayed. We talk all about that here)

And remember, if you have any questions, just give us a shout on our Instagram or book a call with us, so we can help you plan your Prague adventures!

We’re Slovakia locals who’ve visited Prague (and Vienna and Budapest) many times, so we know quite a few good tips and hacks!

What do you think then, now that you’ve read more about paternoster lifts?

Will you brave riding in one?

Let us know if you do – we’d love to hear about your experience!