Petrin Hill and/or Vyšehrad

both are well worth seeing and the views from Vyshrad give you the full persective of the castle area that is difficult to see from elsewhere.petrin Hill has great interest if you include the Tower and the Hunger wall and you could have an early morning stroll or late evening one in the area.It is easy to walk from the petrin tower via the hunger wall over to the Strahov Monastery area and down to the castle area ,all with lots of interesting buildings

The best thing about both of these places is that you get away from the Prague tourist mob scene and into the green for a little while. So it depends on your priorities of things to see. We enjoyed both but we had a week in Prague so were able to see these plus most of the other biggies.

The Vysehrad castle contains the national cemetery, where Czech notables are buried and the beautiful Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul. The frescos are not by Mucha himself, but by his school. It's also possible to enter the Gorlice, the cavernous vaults that exist behind the fortress walls - this is where some of the original statues from the Charles Bridge are stored. The walk along the fortress walls is very attractive, and there is a great beer garden and grill looking with a spectacular view of the Nusle valley and New Town. If it comes to choosing one over the other, go to Vysehrad.

Thanks for the replies!

Marcus, I think I'm leaning towards Vyšehrad but your comments kinda confirmed it. Not that we have anything against Petrin Hill but we will plan on visiting the fortress and if we have availability, head up the Hill. As we have a somewhat limited amount of time, I would like to get in as much as possible but without planning an all out, detailed assault of the city - my wife gets enough of that when we go to Walt Disney World, lol!

Hi Herfnerd-I don't know if you have already left, but we just got back from a trip with 3 days in the city and Vyšehrad was my boyfriend's favorite of all the places we visited in Prague, and in my top 3 ;) I also really enjoyed it, it was so peaceful and away from the mobs, and the views are spectacular. It felt like we were hanging out with locals. I think it deserves more than 1 star! :) We also went up to Petrin Hill, which was ok but not as cool as Vyšehrad (for us).

Herfnerd - I agree with unclegus. We visited Petrin Hill during our five day stay in Prague and it was worthwhile. We took the funicular up the hill and then went to the top of the tower, which provided a great view. We then walked to the Strahovska Monestary Brewery and had a great meal (and beers) before visiting the small museum in the RS Prague video. It all made for a wonderful afternoon. Enjoy Prague

Thanks for the replies!

ferrin - we aren't leaving until September but glad to hear your bf enjoyed Vyšehrad. IIRC - didn't you have an issue with ordering Jewish Quarter tickets online and its timing? How'd that work out?

christsheider - We're most likely going up Petrin Hill but planning on it for an evening visit so we can see the city at night

Hey Herfnred, yes, we did and yes, it all worked out, thanks for asking! The order did not go through but it was easy peasy to buy them on the spot. We ended up getting them in the visitors center which is around the corner from Pinkas synagogue, which is where most people go first to get tickets, and the line gets long after 10 am. We had no line at all in the visitors center, and once you have tickets, there is no line to enter.
I am excited for your trip! We loved Prague, even with the mobs of people, we were able to find quiet spots (like Vysehrad). I have to start working on my trip report, I have so many people to thank for all the answered questions and suggestions, and I want to make suggestions of my own :)

Ferrin,

I too am going to Prague for the first time this summer. It would be great to hear about your trip and any suggestions you have for fellow travelers there!

Ditto Todd!

Really looking forward to reading it from the perspective of a newb!

Ditto Todd!
Really looking forward to reading it from the perspective of a newb!

OK, I promise to start on it ASAP! Thanks for the nudge, I need it! :)

While we enjoyed the view more from the castle bell tower, we also enjoyed going to the top of Petrin Tower (and it was much easier). The favorite part of our trip to Petrin Hlil was the leisurely walk down the hill while stopping along the way to take in the gorgeous views and a beer or two:)

Rick is wrong in this case. Petrin Hill is one of my favorite places in Prague! My husband had an art studio in Vysehrad and the view is nice, but I found strolling through Petrin during the early morning or late afternoon to be the better experience overall. If you start at Strahov and keep waking, you will quickly leave the tourists behind. If you are visiting in the spring/early summer Petrin is particularly beautiful with all the trees flowering.

Can anyone specify from where we can get the best view from vysehrad ?Not very keen on visiting cemeteries just to get the beautiful view of Prague castle from there.It's a massive place so knowledge of the spot is helpful in limited time.

head toward the river and there is a viewing area by the far wall.pretty obvious once there. I remember standing there during the great floods of 2002 watching the river in full spate and all the debris floating down the river,it will forever stick in my memory.

IIRC, I thought someone said that there was some construction/refurb going on at Petrin Hill......

Yeah its beside the tower a lot of material,noise and dust.But views are still great from the different viewpoints.
I went to Vysehrad and views were spectacular at early afternoon.