Petřín

The wooded hill above Malá Strana, with orchards and a funicular

Area Malá Strana
Type Park
Time needed 1h 15m

Petřín is the wooded hill directly above Malá Strana, about 130 metres over the river, laid out as public parkland with orchards, a rose garden and paths along the slope. At the top stand a steel lookout tower built for the Jubilee Exhibition of 1891, a mirror maze, an observatory and the church of St Lawrence. A funicular runs up from Újezd and takes an ordinary Prague transit ticket.

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Getting there

Trams 9, 12, 15, 20 and 22 stop at Újezd, at the foot of the funicular, about fifteen minutes from the Old Town including the walk over Charles Bridge or Most Legií. The funicular climbs to the top in a few minutes with one intermediate stop at Nebozízek, and a standard city ticket or travel pass is valid on it, no separate fare needed. You can also walk up the zigzag paths from Újezd in twenty-five to thirty-five minutes, which is a real climb, or come along the ridge from Strahov Monastery almost on the flat. At the top the lookout tower has its own stairs or a small lift to the viewing galleries.

What you see

At the bottom by the tram stop is Olbram Zoubek's Memorial to the Victims of Communism, a line of corroding bronze men on the steps, worth a stop before you ride up. From the top station the path leads past the mirror maze, a small mock castle with distorting mirrors and a painted diorama inside that works best with children. The lookout tower is next, an openwork steel frame of about 60 metres, two galleries up a long spiral staircase, giving the best single view of Prague: the river and its bridges laid out below, the castle and St Vitus level with you to the north, and the Bohemian hills beyond on a clear day. Walk the Hunger Wall, the fourteenth-century fortification attributed to Charles IV that still runs across the hill, down to the rose garden and the Štefánik Observatory, where telescopes are open to the public in clear weather. The church of St Lawrence and the Stations of the Cross sit on the quieter western side, and the orchard slopes looking over Malá Strana are the best place on the hill to sit.

What to pair it with

Malá Strana and Kampa are at the foot of the hill. Strahov Monastery and the Loreta are a flat walk along the ridge towards the castle.

When to go

Late afternoon and the hour before sunset are the best of the day, with the light across the river and the castle facing you; the tower galleries are small and busiest then, so go up before the sun drops. Weekends bring Prague families to the park in numbers, weekday mornings are quiet. April and May for the fruit blossom on the slopes, June for the rose garden, late October for the colour. The funicular queues at the bottom in summer afternoons.

What is hard about it

The lookout tower is a long spiral stair with a very small lift that has its own queue, and the galleries are narrow and exposed; it is not for anyone uneasy with heights or confined stairs. Tower, maze and observatory each charge admission separately, though the park itself is free. The funicular closes for maintenance periods and in high wind, leaving the walk up as the only option. In poor visibility there is little point in the tower, and the mirror maze is a brief, frankly minor attraction that some people resent paying for.

Common questions

How long do you need at Petřín?

Around seventy-five minutes for the funicular, the lookout tower and a walk back down through the orchards. Half a day if you add the maze, the observatory and the ridge walk to Strahov.

Do you need a separate ticket for the funicular?

No. It is part of the city transport system, so a normal ticket or travel pass covers it, but you do need a valid ticket before boarding.

Is the lookout tower worth paying for?

On a clear day it is the best view in Prague and worth it. In haze or low cloud the park and the orchard slopes give you most of the scene for nothing.