Petřín Visitor Guide & Review Prague
Petřín is a hill on the outskirts of Prague's historic centre. After taking the funicular to the top, you can explore Petřín Tower, the Štefánik Observatory and enjoy a relaxing woodland walk.
In this post, I'll be sharing all the information you need to know to visit Petřín in Prague.
Getting to Petřín
The easiest way to get up to the top of Petřín Hill is by using the Funicular.
The Petřín Funicular runs between Újezd Station at the bottom of the hill and Petřín Station at the top.
To get to Újezd Station either on foot or by using public transport.
Public Transport: trams are the best transportation mode to get to the station. Which tram you take depends on where you are setting off from. I took Tram Number 15 from Náměstí Republiky Square (which is a 5-minute walk from the Old Town Square) to just outside the station.
Walking: the walk from centre to the station is just over a mile. From the Old Town Square, make your way to the river and the Charles Bridge. At the Charles Bridge, turn right and follow the river to the next bridge, the Legion Bridge. Cross this bridge and head straight on until you reach the edge of the park. Then turn left and the station is just a few minutes' walk away on the same road.
If your starting location is close to a tram stop, then I would recommend using the tram. They are frequent and efficient and you'll save your energy for walking around the hill itself. You can buy tram tickets (if you don't already have them) from the machines in any metro station.
If you are not near a tram stop though, you might as well walk. You will get to walk over one of the bridges on the Vltava River and take in the sites of the city as you walk. Plus, you'd only be saving 5-10 minutes walking if you have to walk far to the station anyway.
I stayed at the Hotel Salvator on my trip, which is just a minute's walk from Náměstí Republiky Square, so it was easy for me to get the tram over to Petřín.
Opening Times & Prices
Petřín Funicular
Opening Times: 8am to 11pm (funicular leaves the station every 10-15 minutes).
In 2023, the funicular is closed for maintenance from 20th March to 6th April and 9th to 27th October. You can check maintenance schedules here.
Tickets: 60CZK for one-way ticket.
You can buy your ticket from the machines at Újezd Station.
If you already have a Prague 24-hour or 72-hour transport ticket, your funicular ride is included with this pass, so you don't need to buy a new ticket.
Petřín Tower
Opening Times:
- January to March: 10am-6pm
- April to May: 9am-8pm
- June to September: 9am-9pm
- October to December: 10am-8pm
Ticket Prices:
- Adults: 150CZK
- 5-15 Year Olds: 100CZK
- Students up to 26: 100CZK
- Over 65s: 100CZK
Štefánik Observatory
Opening Times:
| Mon | Tue-Fri | Sat-Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-Feb | 6pm-8pm | 10am-8pm | |
| Mar | 7pm-9pm | 10am-6pm & 7pm-9pm | |
| Apr-May | 3pm-7pm & 9pm-11pm | 10am-7pm & 9pm-11pm | |
| Jun | 3pm-7pm & 9pm-11pm | 3pm-7pm & 9pm-11pm | 10am-7pm & 9pm-11pm |
| Jul-Aug | 11am-7pm & 9pm-11pm | 11am-7pm & 9pm-11pm | 11am-7pm & 9pm-11pm |
| Sep | 3pm-6pm & 8pm-10pm | 3pm-6pm & 8pm-10pm | 10am-6pm & 8pm-10pm |
| Oct | 7pm-9pm | 10am-6pm & 7pm-9pm | |
| Nov-Dec | 6pm-8pm | 10am-8pm |
Ticket Prices:
- Adults: 90CZK
- 3-15 yrs: 70CZK
- Students: 70CZK
Mirror Maze
Opening Times:
- October to March: 10am-6pm
- April to May: 9am-7pm
- June to August: 9am-8pm
- September: 9am-7pm
Ticket Prices:
- Adults: 100CZK
- 5-15 yrs: 80CZK
- Students up to 26: 80CZK
- Over 65s: 80CZK
Combo Tickets
If you plan on visiting more than one attraction on Petřín Hill, you may save some money by buying a combo ticket. You can add a ticket to the Mirror Maze or to both the Mirror Maze and Observatory to a base Petřín Tower ticket.
Tower + Mirror Maze:
- Adults: 210CZK
- 5-15 yrs: 140CZK
- Students up to 26: 140CZK
- Over 65s: 140CZK
Tower + Mirror Maze + Observatory:
- Adults: 250CZK
- 5-15 yrs: 175CZK
- Students up to 26: 175CZK
- Over 65s: 175CZK
Petřín Tower
Petřín Tower is a metal tower built in 1891 which stands atop Petřín Hill. The tower's design was inspired by the Eiffel Tower. At 58.7m tall, Petřín Tower is just 1/5 of the size of its Parisian inspiration.
You can get a great view of the tower itself from just outside the Petřín funicular station, with a beautiful foreground of grass and flowers and the tower in the background.
If you pay to go up to the tower's observation deck, you can enjoy a panoramic view of both the city centre of Prague and the surrounding area of Bohemia. To get to the observation deck, you can either climb the 299 stairs or use the lift.
I chose not to go up to the observation deck as you can get some great views of the city from other free viewpoints on the hill. However, I'm sure it's an impressive sight to see.
Mirror Maze & Štefánik Observatory
I'm grouping these two activities together as I did not experience either of them on my trip to Prague. However, I wanted to include a bit of information about them in case you decide to visit.
The Mirror Maze is located in a building right next to Petřín Tower. The building itself is quite impressive, with the roof designed to look like a fairytale castle.
I'm sure the maze is a fun family activity and, if you're on a longer trip to Prague, it might be something to look into, especially if you want to visit the Tower and Observatory and buy the combo ticket including entry to the maze.
As for the Štefánik Observatory, your ticket includes access to a permenant astronomy exhibit and the observatory domes. The only problem with the observatory is that the opening hours vary greatly across the year (as you can see above).
Walks on Petřín Hill
For me, the highlight of the trip out to Petřín was the walk back down the hill. Starting from the tower, you can walk all the way back down to the river, taking you past woodland paths, ruins of a wall and some incredible viewpoints.
If you're looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the historic centre, walking on Petřín Hill is the perfect activity. The path winds back and forward across the hill, so it will take you about an hour (including stops to take pictures of course), but I think it is totally worth it.
Every few minutes, you come across a break in the trees with a beautiful view over the city below. You can see Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge and the Old Town along the way.
There is actually a designated viewpoint about halfway down the hill. While this gives you the most expansive view, in my opinion it is not the best view you'll see on the route. There are much better photo opportunities you just come across along the way if you want to see the iconic sites of Prague from a distance.
The path also takes you past the ruins of the Hunger Wall, a medieval city wall which was originally built to protect Prague Castle.
Of course, if you are really in a rush or don't fancy the long walk, you can take the funicular back down from the top of Petřín, but I would highly recommend walking back down. The walk is peaceful (I hardly came across anyone on the way down) and there are some beautiful views to take in.
Recommended Petřín Itinerary
The amount of time you should allow for your visit to Petřín Hill really depends on how many of the activities you plan on doing.
Without having experienced everything first hand, these are the approximate timings I would recommend:
- Petřín Tower: 30-45 minutes
- Mirror Maze: 30 minutes
- Štefánik Observatory: 60 minutes
- Petřín Hill Walk & Viewpoints: 90 minutes
My recommendation would be to spend a couple of hours at Petřín Hill, taking the funicular to the top, visiting the tower and the observation deck and then taking a leisurely walk back down to the river.
I didn't pay for anything (apart from my funicular ticket) and still had a great time seeing the tower and on the walk back down, so buying tickets for any of the Petřín attractions is by no means a necessity.
If you do have longer in Prague, you could easily spend half a day at Petřín if you paid for the combo ticket and explored all the attractions.
Should You Visit Petřín?
I would highly recommend a visit to Petřín on any trip to Prague.
The Petřín Tower stands out as a modern structure in amongst the historic fairytale architecture on display across the city. Plus, the whole area just feels so peaceful compared to the centre, and it is nice to get away from the busy streets for a while.
I was not expecting Petřín to be a standout attraction of my trip, but I really enjoyed my time there.
If you only have one full day in Prague, concentrate on the historic centre. But if you have at least a full weekend to explore the Czech capital, I would recommend taking a trip to Petřín Hill.
Have you visited Petřín? What was your favourite thing to do there? Let me know in the comments section down below.
Thanks for reading. See you next time.
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