Petřín Lookout Tower

A sixty-metre iron lookout on the hill, built for the 1891 exhibition

Area Malá Strana
Type Viewpoint
Time needed 1h

The Petřín Lookout Tower is a sixty-three metre iron lattice tower on the top of Petřín hill, built for the 1891 Jubilee Exhibition and loosely modelled on the Eiffel Tower. Because the hill is already about 130 metres above the river, the viewing gallery sits higher than any other public viewpoint in central Prague. On a clear day you can see out past the city to the hills of Bohemia.

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Getting there

The funicular is the usual way up: take tram 9, 12, 15, 20 or 22 to Újezd, walk a minute to the lower station, and ride to the Petřín top stop, which is two or three minutes from the tower. Ordinary city transport tickets are valid on the funicular. From the Old Town Square the whole journey takes about twenty-five minutes. The alternative is to walk up through the orchards from Újezd or from Strahov, a zig-zagging climb of twenty-five to thirty-five minutes with a real gradient. The tower itself is then another 299 steps unless you use the small lift.

What you see

The climb up the double spiral staircase is part of it: two interleaved stairways, so people going up and down barely meet. The lower gallery gives you the city; the upper one gives you the horizon. From the top the castle and St Vitus sit on the facing ridge at roughly eye level, the river curls through the middle with its bridges counted out one after another, and on a clear day the Krkonoše hills show in the north. At the base there is a small exhibition in the basement and, a minute away across the lawn, the mirror maze in its mock castle and the church of St Lawrence. The rose garden and the observatory are on the same hilltop, and the old city wall known as the Hunger Wall runs along the slope below.

What to pair it with

Petřín hill and its orchards surround the tower, and Strahov Monastery is a fifteen minute walk north along the ridge. Down at the bottom, Kampa Island and the Lennon Wall are a few minutes from the Újezd tram stop.

When to go

Go on a clear day or not at all — the whole point is distance, and in haze or low cloud the view is flat and the climb wasted. Late afternoon gives you the sun behind you looking at the castle, and sunset is the busiest and best hour. The funicular queues at weekends and through the summer afternoons; mornings are quieter. The hill is lovely in May when the orchards flower, and in winter the gallery is exposed and bitterly windy. The funicular closes for maintenance periods, so check before relying on it.

What is hard about it

There are 299 steps in a narrow spiral and the lift is small, slow and often queued, so in practice most people walk. The upper gallery is cramped and glazed in parts, and with a full load of visitors you shuffle round rather than stand. The funicular can be shut without much warning, which turns the trip into a half-hour uphill walk. Tickets are needed for the tower, the mirror maze and the observatory separately, and the maze in particular is aimed at children. On a grey day the view is genuinely disappointing.

Common questions

How long do you need at the Petřín Lookout Tower?

About an hour including the climb, the gallery and getting back down to the funicular. Allow two hours if you add the mirror maze or walk the hill.

Is there a lift in the Petřín tower?

Yes, but it is small and the queue is often longer than the walk. The 299 steps are in a wide double spiral and most visitors take them.

Can you walk up Petřín hill instead of taking the funicular?

Yes. Paths climb from Újezd and from the Strahov side through the orchards, taking twenty-five to thirty-five minutes at a steady pace with a noticeable gradient.