Compared to other European capitals, Prague is a very hilly city. The Vltava River flows through the centre and is a great place to stroll along its banks, where you can find markets and cultural events at the weekend. From the Vltava River, the streets rise, in four cardinal directions, each dominated by a hill, with many beautiful views. On Prague Summer Schools we will visit some of them in our tours.
Probably the most famous is the hill on which stands Prague Castle, the monument that makes up the Prague skyline, and is for many centuries the seat of Czech kings and later presidents, right next to it (a few tram stops away) is Petřín Hill, with a lookout tower on top, from which you can see most of Prague. This building is a bit like a miniature of the Eiffel Tower from Paris, and the Prague locals like to joke that it is just as tall as the real Eiffel, but just if you count it together with the hill below it.
The second hill, in the north of Prague’s centre, is Letná. Letná is a park and also a district, it’s the largest of the parks in the city centre, and in summer you’ll see many locals picnicking, walking their dogs, or groups doing yoga. The best view here is from the huge red and black pendulum that stands on the spot where a huge propaganda statue once stood in the communist era, which is now only fleetingly reminded by the wall that is now a hood of skateboarders.
Directly opposite Letná, upstream of the river, is another hill – Vyšehrad. this is the oldest place of settlement in Prague and besides the beautiful church and the cemetery of famous Czechs, you can also have local wine or Balkan specialties in a pub admiring the panorama of Prague Castle. The whole Vyšehrad is surrounded by walls, which are filled with lovers and groups of friends in the warm summer months, sitting on the edge. If you want a bit of culture, you can go to the open-air theatre at Vyšehrad. The centre between the hills is closed by the last view from the Vinohrady district. This is a beautiful district, not as old as the ancient centre by the river, but the nicer because it still serves its purpose as a residential area for locals, and it is also the location of our Prague Summer Schools centre. It only takes a few moments to reach the Riegrovy sady park, where you have a beautiful view of Prague Castle and cosy pubs under the trees where you can have great food and drinks. Today we went on a tour of the lesser known routes, more for locals than tourists, if you are interested don’t hesitate to come, Prague hides many even better places, but you have to discover them yourself.
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