*A circuit of the different park areas in Prague’s stylish Vinohrady district: 9 km*

• Vinohrady is one of the most attractive and stylish districts in Prague. Adorned with magnificent Art Nouveau and Neo-Renaissance architecture from the 19th and early 20th centuries, Vinohrady is one of the most desirable areas to live in Prague. As a consequence, it has probably the highest concentration of bistros, wine bars and trendy cafés in the capital. If these are are not sufficient reasons to undertake a walking tour of the area, then the presence of a variety of leafy park areas should clinch the deal.
• Vinohrady takes its name from the medieval vineyards planted on the hillside by Bohemian king and Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV in the 14th century. Remnants of the vineyard area can be found in a number of Vinohrady parks, most notably in Havlíčkovy sady (map point 7).
• Interestingly, despite the district’s proximity to the medieval core of Prague, Vinohrady was not included into the boundaries of Prague city until 1922. By maintaining Vinohrady as a separate town, the Habsburg rulers of Bohemia ensured that Prague could not eclipse Vienna for size and wealth. At the time of the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire in 1918, Vinohrady was – astonishingly – the 4th largest town in the Czech lands (after Brno, Ostrava and Prague city).
• The route shown in the map below focuses on visiting as many as possible of the green spaces and park areas in Vinohrady. Visitors may, of course, have different priorities, and this is just one of many options for exploring Vinohrady. However, if undertaking a tour in this scenic part of Prague, there are a view spots that should not be missed. These include the Havlíčkovy sady park, the (controversial) Žižkov TV tower and the recently renovated Jiřího z Poděbrady square. One of the highlight of this part of Prague is actually Olšany Cemetery, the burial place of many famous Czechs. There are numerous remarkable Art Nouveau and neo-Gothic mausoleums throughout the large and atmospheric cemetery.
• The suggested route is around 9 km long, but can, of course, be shortened or extended as desired. This is a city walk, with no fixed trails or route plan! The route can be managed with a stroller. This part of Prague is packed with many good refreshment options – too many to list here. For an excellent guide to the latest in innovative cuisine in Prague and the rest of the country (as well as good cafés and bars), download Gastromapa which was created by Lukáš Hejlík. Another good guide is the Taste of Prague blog.

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

Directions

• The best starting point is the Náměstí Míru metro and tram stops. From there, it is suggested to take a clockwise route. it is esiest to follow using the mapy.com phone application, which can be downloaded for free