Petrin Hill Funicular

We were in Prague in June, 2015 and used the funicular on a Saturday afternoon around 4 pm or so. Not much of a line and there were lots of tourists in the city at that time. You will be there mid-May which I would think should not be that crowded on a Sunday afternoon.
It is fun to do and gives you a great view of the city! There is a restaurant up there and gardens which we wandered through as well as an observatory.

I used the funicular several times. Sometimes there was a big line, sometimes not. I did not observe any pattern but I would say that on weekday mornings line should be shorter.

I'd stop at the bottom of the Funicular just to see what the queue is like. Remember that the carriage takes 101 people and runs every 10 minutes in the summer so the queue goes down fast. But if you don't want to wait then go back on the tram and get off at Pohorelec as you said. Or to add an extra place to visit get off at the Hellichova stop (two stops after the funicular - Ujezd) and visit the Church of Our Lady Victorious (Infant Jesus) and then jump back on the tram.

I have never had to wait more than 15 minutes and that was in August,queues can seem long but they do move pretty quick.
your alternative route is prety good and if the weather is nice do it that way.
At the Strahov monastery on a Sunday you should be able to hear organ music (10.30-11.00am is usually a good time), I like going into the courtyard at the back of the main church and sitting on the steps there, you can hear the music quite well without having to go inside.
great bar there just opposite the church ,Klasterini pivovary.
http://www.klasterni-pivovar.cz/
getting very touristy these days and higher prices but the beer is greta and the food excellent.

The line was long enough that my husband didn't want to wait in it, so we just walked to the top of the hill - nice, wide asphalt path, quite a bit of it shady. We're 70, in relatively good shape.

Thank you everyone for your replies. We will take the funicular up to Petrin Hill and walk down to the Monastery etc. Is the walk down pretty obvious or is it possible to get off track?

Thanks for the restaurant suggestion Unclegus. The menu sounds wonderful. I think we will stop there for lunch and a beer or two.

May try to catch some of the organ music and possibly pop into the church that Jason suggested.

As always, the people on this forum are a wealth of information that make my trip planning so much easier.

Cheers!
Lori

That pub is good ,seemingly I was the inspiration for their IPA.
I was in there for a meal and a few beers about 8 years ago with some friends and my nephew Scott, we had had quite a few beers and I was chatting to one of the brewers about beer in general and the brewer was asking my opinion about what style of beers he should try making, I suggested an IPA and within a year it was one of their most popular beers. I have no recollection of this conversation due to the fact that I was several sheets to the wind but my nephew swears it is true.

the walk is pretty obvious, just keep inside the wall and follow that along ,yiu will come into a winding downhill path into the monastery area

Thanks again Unclegus! After that story, we must try the IPA : )

Cheers!
Lori

they also have a double IPA now about 7.4% alcohol, it is a real killer.

Brad I have been travelling to Prague for years and make a point of trying to find new beers and places to drink them, I do have a whole group of friends and contacts that either live in or near Prague or are regular visitors that keep me up to date on the beer scene in the city and making several trips a year myself I get time to check a lot of places out.
The Beer scene has moved on massively in the last 5 years or so and it is hard to keep up, but IPA's and American Pale ales are making a huge difference to the beers available in the city and some of them are superb,one of the big breweries (Plzensky Prazdroj )tried making an IPA and it was bloody terrible and is no longer available.
There was one brewery making a Colorado red ale and an Indian brown ale ,both of which were superb, but I was at their little complex a few weeks ago to find it had closed and the site cleared, been in contact with the guys that run it and they assure me the will be up and running somewhere else soon.
So get yourself back to Prague , chat to folk on travel and beer related forums and websites and you will find some amazing beers to try.