Letná Park

The plateau above the river, with a beer garden and the metronome

Area Holešovice
Type Park
Time needed 1h

Letná Park — Photograph: Aktron / CC BY-SA 3.0

Letná is a free public park on the plateau above the right bank of the Vltava, north of the Old Town and reached by a climb or a flight of steps from the river. Its best-known object is the giant metronome, installed in 1991, which stands on the plinth built for the monument to Stalin that was unveiled in 1955 and demolished with explosives in 1962. The park also holds a large beer garden on the eastern edge with a long view over the bridges.

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Getting there

Trams 1, 8, 12, 25 and 26 run along the plateau; Letenské náměstí puts you in the middle of the park's northern edge, and Chotkovy sady or Královský letohrádek serve the western end. From Staroměstské náměstí the quickest route on foot is twenty minutes: walk north to Čechův most, cross the river, and take the switchback steps up the embankment wall to the metronome. Metro line C (red) to Vltavska, then a short walk or one tram stop, works from the east, and line A (green) to Hradčanská from the west. The steps from the river are steep; the tram routes deliver you onto level ground at the top and avoid the climb entirely.

What you see

Come up from the river and the metronome is the first thing you meet, a steel arm swinging slowly over the city on a bare granite terrace that is noticeably out of scale with anything on it, because it was built to carry a colossal statue and its attendant figures. Skateboarders use the terrace, and the ledge in front of it is the standard place to sit and look at the row of bridges below. Walk west along the escarpment path and the view opens progressively onto the Old Town, the castle and Petřín. The interior of the park is flat and open: avenues of mature chestnuts and limes, lawns used for football, and the Hanavský pavilion, a cast-iron neo-baroque structure moved here from an exhibition, which has a terrace cafe. Further west stand the Letná chateau and the sports grounds; the beer garden sits above the escarpment at the eastern end, long trestle tables under trees with the city laid out in front.

What to pair it with

Prague Castle and the Royal Garden are a walk away across Chotkova, and the Trade Fair Palace is a short tram ride east into Holešovice. Stromovka, the larger park to the north, continues the walk if you have the time.

When to go

Late afternoon into sunset is the right time: the light comes from behind you onto the castle and the bridges, and the beer garden fills from about five. Weekend afternoons in warm weather are very busy, particularly the terrace and the beer garden. Spring and autumn are the best seasons — the chestnut avenues are worth the walk in both — and the beer garden keeps limited hours or closes in winter, so check before you go if that is the reason you are coming.

What is hard about it

Getting there from the river means a real climb, either the embankment steps or the road up from Chotkova, and on a hot day it is unpleasant. The metronome itself is a disappointment to some visitors: it is often not moving, the terrace around it is covered in graffiti and broken glass, and there is no interpretation on site explaining what stood there before. Public toilets in the park are few, and the beer garden is cash-and-queue rather than table service.

Common questions

How long do you need at Letná?

An hour covers the metronome, the escarpment views and a drink. Two or three if you want to walk the whole plateau through to Stromovka.

Is there an entrance fee?

No. Letná is a public park, free to enter at any hour, and the metronome terrace is open ground.

Can I avoid the steps?

Yes. Take a tram to Letenské náměstí or Chotkovy sady and you arrive on the level, then walk to the escarpment edge.