*Discovering the Secret Gardens of Prague’s Malá Strana district: 3 km*

• This is a magical Prague walk on a warm spring or summer’s day. Malá Strana is arguably the most beautiful district in Prague and is usually packed with tourists. However, some of the quieter spots can be found in the several beautiful Baroque gardens that were created in this district during the 17th and 18th centuries.
• Starting and finishing at the Malostranská metro or tram stop, the circular route begins with a visit to the famous Valdštejnská (Wallenstein) Gardens, created for the Imperial Generalissimo Albrecht Valdštejn in the first half of the 17th century. At the far end of the gardens is Valdštejn’s palace, which now houses the Senate building. All the statues are copies, the originals having been looted by the Swedish Army in 1648 at the end of the 30 Years War. The gardens are also notable for the peacocks usually to be found wandering around!
• The tour continues with a visit to one of the least known secret gardens in the district, the 18th century Vrtbov gardens, created on three terraces of Petřín hill. There is a super view over the Prague skyline from the top terrace (see picture below). Unlike the other gardens in Malá strana there is an entry fee for this one, but it is worth it!
• The route continues through the small but attractive walled 18th century Notic garden into the popular Kampa park. From there, take an (optional) diversion to visit the Maltese Garden (map point 9) behind the iconic graffiti-covered Lennon Wall. The small garden is dominated by a massive plane tree.
• Return to the metro/tram station via Vojanovy sady, created in the style of a small English park, and then finally through the riverside Park Cihelná, which offers a good view of Charles bridge.
• The total route is a little over 3 km long. Apart from the steps in Vrtbov gardens, the route is flat. Visitors to Malá Strana are spoilt for choice for refreshments, but one place to try (for spectacular deserts and good ice cream) is the Iveta Fabešova café located in the Werich villa (map point 8).

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’ above to go to a full screen version directly on the mapy.cz site. This can be used for online navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file

Directions

• This route is best followed directly on the Mapy.com phone application or using a good street map, as there are no trail signs to follow in the center of Prague!