Who wouldn’t know the observation tower or the labyrinth at Petřín? But the green hill with fascinating views over Prague offers more that tourist attractions. You can easily spend a whole day there, walking around romantic and interesting secluded places or playing with your family. Try the following tips for the most beautiful places at Petřín that cannot be found in tourist guidebooks.
Let’s meet at the Strahov Monastery
Start the romantic walk from the Strahov Monastery. If you go from the Pohořelec tram stop, walk to the monastery compounds through the stairs hidden between houses No. 8 and 9. From there, go down the scenic path just below the monastery. You can enjoy the panoramas of Prague from the Petřín hillside above the former vineyards.
Beer with a breath-taking view
Follow the path to the statue of Czech poet and writer Jaroslav Vrchlický and the Petřínské terasy restaurant (Petřín terraces). It’s is a perfect place for refreshment. The main courses are unnecessarily expensive here, since the restaurant probably wants to make profit from its location, but a beer on the terrace with a view of the city tastes great!
Rose gardens and the observatory
After the drink, walk towards Nebozízek, the only intermediate station where you can take the funicular up to the top of Petřín, not far from the Petřín lookout tower and the mirror labyrinth. These attractions, however, are quite overrated. You will make a better impression on your partner, if you head to the other side, to the gardens full of roses with the secluded Květnice garden. During the warm spring and summer months, its garden beds create perfect scenery for photographers and couples in love. If you want, you can also have a look at the exposition in the Štefánik Observatory.
A little bit of history and geography
Go alongside the Hunger Wall, walk down to the upper bastion and the viewpoint and then towards the bronze statue of a seal in the upper pond of the Kinský Garden. The statue was made by sculptor Jan Lauda in 1953. Then walk down the winding paths to St. Michael’s Church, also known by its longer name of The Carpathian Church of St. Michael the Archangel. The wooden building with a shingle roof was built in the second half of the 17th century, and it was moved from the village of Medvědovce near Mukačevo to Petřín in 1929.
Slide rollicking
In the nearby children’s playground, there are slides sunken in the hillside, where even playful adults can have a great time, and other wooden attractions. A little bit further down the path, you can find an artificial waterfall with the baroque statue of Hercules, reconstructed in 2016, which is a nice resting place. You can leave the gardens through the underpass at the Kinský summer residence (the seat of the Ethnographic Museum of the National Museum), which houses a permanent exhibition of Czech folklore culture and short-term exhibitions.
