Smíchovská náplavka is one of my favourite places to pick up freshly baked bread on Saturday morning, have a delicious coffee, see an art exhibition, buy handmade gifts or meet up with friends for late afternoon summer cocktails.
Over the last 25 years, the Smichov Naplavka has changed a lot, especially on the Smichov side, which used to be quite industrial. These days, you get farmers’ markets, family-friendly events, together with cafes and restaurants on the boats all with a background view of 19th century houses and landmarks like Vyšehrad, Petrin Hill, Hradcany and the green Smichov Railway bridge.
Most recently we also got art spaces and cafes opening in the old stores vaults under the embankment, which have unusually large glass windows, that work as doors at the same time.
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Smichov-Vyton-Naplavka-View-from-Prague.jpg)
Best time to visit Smichovska Naplavka
- Saturdays (March – Christmas) 8 am – 2 pm – for the Farmer’s market
- Summer Evenings – the Smichov side is best for drinks in the cool shade
- Winter time – for ice-skating ring on the boat, sauna & hot chocolate
- Weekdays – for a walk on the waterfront from Vyton to Manes without the crowds
My favourite things & places not to miss at Smichovska Naplavka
- Saturday’s Farmer’s Markets
- Cocktails on the boats (Smichov side is quieter)
- Art galleries & cafes at the embankment vaults ‘kobky’
- Prague Boat trips by traditional steamboat
- Private & Public transport ferry boat
- Vyton Museum of Vltava & Old Embankment Life
- Film & Theatre festivals in summer at the Prague 5 side
- Ice-skating ring boat in the winter
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Naplavka-Farmers-Market-View-from-Prague.jpg)
Did you know there are two different Smichovska Naplavka?
So here is something I need to clear up straightaway. These days, people refer to ‘Smichovska Naplavka’ as the right hand side embankment at the Rasinovo Nabrezi – on the side of the Vysehrad, Vyton and Prague 2.
This is not only geographically incorrect and also confusing, because ‘Smichov’ is part of Prague 5 and its and always been on the other side of the Vltava River. So, now, you have all the tourists, foreign tourist guides and people under a certain age talking about Smichovska Naplavka, but meaning the ‘Vytonska Naplavka’ and then it’s the locals, like me, who actually live in Smichov and would never call the other side of the river ‘Smichov’. Confusingly, the waterfront on the Prague 5 – Smichov side is correctly called ‘Smichovska Naplavka’, so now we have two!
Anyway, that’s me getting off my high horse and for the purpose of this blog post, let’s look at the both sides of the Vltava River, because they are both absolutely fab and there is plenty to see and explore.
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Výtoňská náplavka on Rašínovo embankment, Prague 2 – the newly named Smichovska Naplavka
Rašínovo embankment is one of the most attractive and lively places along the Vltava River in Prague. It is located between the Vyšehrad Hill Rock at Výtoň and Jirásek Bridge near Žofín. You can also get a great view of the Hradčany area with Prague Castle in the distance and Petrin Hill.
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Vyton-Museum-View-from-Prague.jpg)
History of the Embankment at Rašínovo nábřeží & Vyton museum
Today’s Rašínovo embankment with its waterfront was developed in two stages. The first section, from Palacký Square to Jirásek Square, was constructed between 1870 and 1878, together with the Palacký Bridge. The second section, from Palacký Square to the Vyšehrad Hill Rock, was completed in 1905 along with the Vyšehrad tunnel. Before that, there was no way to continue to Branik and Modrany following the river as the Vysehrad Rock went all the way down to the Vltava river bed.
What I think, it’s rather sad, is that the construction of the embankment mend that the historic Podskalí, a unique settlement of Prague’s boatmen and rafters have disapeared. You can find out more about the history and people’s daily life on the Vltava River in the only remaining building, which is the former Podskalí customs house at Výtoň and now a museum.
The wide waterfront of Rašínovo nábřeží served as the main dock for the Prague Steamboat Company and the starting point for popular excursions to Štěchovice, in the section between Palacký Bridge and Jirásek Bridge (you can still get a boat to Prague ZOO, Melnik and Slapy Water Dam from there). The part of the embankment between Palacký Bridge and the Railway Bridge was originally used for mooring and dismantling wood rafts, which were floated down the river to Prague from the Šumava forests. The last rafts arrived in Prague in 1947.
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What to see & do at Smichovska Naplavka – Vyton – Prague 2 side
It is a beautiful space for walks and cycling, and very popular farmers’ markets and other events are held here. There are routes for runners, cyclists, and skaters. Parents with children often come here to feed the swans.
At Rašínovo nábřeží, you can also visit the theatre boat Tajemství, the restaurant and cocktail bar on steamboat Tyrš and the stylish wooden restaurant Vltava.
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Ice-skating-ring-on-a-boat-View-from-Prague.jpg)
The Ice-Skating Rink & Sauna Boat (winter season)
During the winter season, the boat Petra has a cute little ice-rink set up on the top deck, together with a bar, skates hire option and seated area.
I visited in the afternoon on Saturday and as you can see from the photo it wasn’t particularly busy. Because of its size, it’s the perfect ice ring for beginners and families with younger children.
- Opening Times: 1 December 2023 – 25 February 2024 open daily – Monday – Sunday 9 am – 9 pm
- Tickets: 90 min session 150 CZK, children under 120 cm free, ice skates rent 150 CZK for 90 min session, lockers 50 CZK and helmets, ice skating aids rental for 50 CZK
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Flower-stall-at-farmers-market-View-from-Prague.jpg)
The most famous & the largest Farmers Market in Prague at ‘Smichovska Naplavka’
This is one of the biggest and best farmer’s markets in Prague, currently around 90-100 stalls every Saturday. Apart from the usual fresh vegetables, fruit and organic meats you can also buy bread and cakes from various regions of the Czech Republic.
There are also plenty of freshly made traditional foods such as ‘topinky’ (toasted sourdough bread with garlic) or fried savoury potato pancakes (Bramboraky) as well as yeasted sweet pancakes called ‘Livance’.
Apart from the food produce, you can also often see stalls selling local crafts, handmade products, natural soaps and cosmetics.
Since this is the biggest and most known farmer’s market in Prague, it’s also the busiest one, so it’s worth getting there a bit earlier in the day. There is often a live music and many people use the market as social get together on Saturday morning.
- Opening Times: From late February/March – late December
- Every Saturday
- 8-2 pm (for best choice of produce arrive early, stalls might start packing up when sold out or in bad weather)
Reconstructed “Kobky” embankment vaults
On Prague’s Rašín and Hořejší embankments, you’ll also find reconstructed “kobky,” round spaces that were once used to store materials brought in by boats. Today, these spaces house cafés, cultural venues, and even restrooms.
The Prague city has renovated about twenty “kobky” on the Prague embankments. For many years, they were unused and almost unnoticed by Prague residents, as the entrances were made of stone and blended seamlessly with their surroundings.
These embankment vaults were restored and updated for modern use in 2019 after about 10 years of project planning. The most striking feature of all vaults are the new glass revolving doors. The glass is elliptical in shape, with the largest measuring about 5.4 meters at its widest point. The weight ranges between 2.1 and 2.5 tons.
The reconstruction of Prague’s embankment has been listed among the 40 most interesting European projects in 2022.
No. 5 LAb – A zero-waste bistro on Prague’s embankment. It serves as a platform for discussions on sustainable development across various social spheres.
No. 6 Bar Náplavka – A bar and café, and a venue for meeting and engaging with Prague’s cultural events.
No. 7 Bajkazyl – Pioneers in revitalizing the embankments, returning with a new bar concept and services for urban cyclists.
No. 9 Prague Steamboat Company – Offers a bit of Vltava River history, insights into Prague’s steamboat navigation, and light refreshments.
No. 10 (A)void Gallery – (A)void discovered the embankment for cultural events back in 2009. The gallery returns with a program of exhibitions and events.
No. 11 (A)void Bar – (A)void Bar is part of the (A)void Gallery in the next embankment vault.
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Charles-Bridge-from-the-boat-View-from-Prague.jpg)
Prague Boat Trips
You can enjoy a day aboard a steamboat with the original sightseeing and circular cruises on the Vltava River by the Prague Steamboat Company.
The Prague Steamboat Company (PPS) was founded in 1865 by Prague Mayor František Dittrich, it is one of the oldest purely Czech companies still in operation.
There are two historic paddle steamers, Vltava and Vyšehrad, are also listed as cultural monuments since 2013. The steamers usually do the longer excursion cruises to Slapy and Mělník and you can get the modern boats for the 1 hr Prague viewing trips or Prague ZOO trips.
I’ve taken the trip to Prague ZOO with them as well as the trip on the historic paddle steamer to Slapy water dam and it was a great experience. It was a perfect way to travel and see Prague from a different angle. Prices start from 290 CZK (trip to ZOO), 390 CZK (Prague centre sightseeing) or 650 CZ (Slapy Dam).
Apart from the circular boat trips, I found that one way ticket is usually enough to see everything and allows me a greater flexibility to return back when I want. For example the trip to Prague ZOO took 75 minutes, which would have been about the same as public transport, but the Slapy Dam trip is 4 hrs one way. Rather than going back the same way, I decided to follow a beautiful country walk next to the river and then get back from Stechovice on a bus that took about 20 minutes.
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bell-Boat-at-Smichov-Waterfront-View-from-Prague.jpg)
Bell 8901
The Bell 9801 is here to remind us a very sad and poignant part of Czech history. At the beginning of World War II in 1938, thousands of church bells had to be removed from their towers and were ordered to be taken to Prague. The bells were lined up at the Vltava Riverbanks and then taken to Germany to be melted down into weapons.
In 2022, Prague bell ringer Ondřej Bogács proposed to cast a new bell in memory of all the lost bells. It was created in Innsbruck, Austria by Peter Grassmeier and the weight of the bell is 9801 kg. This is exactly the same number of bells that were exported from the Czech Republic and lost to the war. The bell is fixed on a boat pontoon on Vltava River and sometimes is moved to other locations. You can hear the bell ringing every Monday between 6 – 6.30 pm.
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Water-Measuring-Tower-at-Vyton-View-from-Prague.jpg)
Limnigraph Water Measuring Tower
The Limnigraf at Výtoň is near the Vyšehrad Railway Bridge, opposite the Podskalí Customs House and Museum. Inside the little tower is a limnigraf, an instrument used for reading and recording the water level of the Vltava River over time.
The structure was built around 1907 in Art Nouveau style and was repaired, and put back into operation in 2003.
A similar Art Nouveau water gauge station from 1912 (Limnigraf Na Františku) is located on the same bank of the Vltava River, further downstream in the Old Town – Na Františku, opposite the Convent of St. Agnes.
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Vltava-River-shuttle-in-Prague-1200x1200.jpg)
Ferry Náplavka Smíchov – Výtoň
There are two different boat ferries at Smichov Naplavka. The private one connects both sides of Smichovska Naplavka (Smichov & Vyton) directly and costs 20 CZK one way. It has the pretty old-fashioned boat that you can see in my photo above and it’s definitely the fastest (and nicest) way to get from one side of the Naplavka to the other.
There is also another ferry at Smíchovská náplavka which is part of the public transport system in Prague route P5: Císařská louka – Výtoň – Náplavka Smíchov. This seasonal ferry connects the northern tip of the Císařská louka island with both banks of the Vltava River and links the two Vltava embankments.
The only difference between the private ferry and the public one is that the Smichov Naplavka stop is much further down the Vltava stream (beyond the green Smichov Railway bridge). The journey on this ferry is covered by a regular ticket – so if you have a valid ticket for 40CZK (90 minutes) you can still use it for the journey as long as you come back in time. The 24 hrs or 72 hrs tickets (or monthly tickets) are also valid on this ferry.
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Smichov-Waterfront-with-bars-on-the-water-View-from-Prague.jpg)
Smíchovská náplavka on the Smichov – Prague 5 side
Smíchovská náplavka is a place on the left bank of the Vltava River, that is near Hořejší Nábřeží street, between the Smichov Railway Bridge and Palacký Bridge.
It’s sometimes also called Smíchov Beach, Smíchovská náplavka and you can find events here focused on families with children and also social, musical, and sporting events.
From Hořejší nábřeží you can get a great view of the historic Vyšehrad fort and cathedral beyond the green Smichov Railway Bridge.
As you walk towards the embankment, the first boat you’ll see is the Botel Admiral, which is still being used as hotel.
The upper level of the embankment has children’s playground and green park area which where you can find in the winter a large ice-ring for outdoor ice-skating. This side of the Smíchovská náplavka also puts on events during summer months, such as the Theatre Festival or the Výletní Kino Smíchov (Smíchov Summer Cinema).
Embankment Vaults ‘Kobky’ on Hořejší Embankment
No. 8 Útulna u vody – Coffee and pastries served in traditional Czech porcelain and a laid back atmosphere.
No. 9 Beton Klub – A studio for contemporary art and architecture with refreshments.
No. 10 Dílna – A place to create, repair, exchange, and enjoy a drink. Welcome to Dílna, a share & repair café concept back on the scene.
No. 12 – A meeting point, pub, and facility supporting life on the embankment.
No. 13 and 14 Nábřeží – The first kobky that came to life on Hořejší embankment before 2009, hosting numerous exhibitions, events, and summer screenings.
No. 15 – A space for events, concerts, exhibitions, and a bar.
No. 16 DOK 16 – A community workshop by the library. The Municipal Library in Prague opens its unique branch equipped with tools and literature for DIY enthusiasts.
No. 17 Komunitní kobka – A space for your non-profit, neighborhood, and family events.
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Theatre-Festival-at-Smichov-Waterfront-View-from-Prague.jpg)
History of the Smichov Naplavka Embankment
The character of the Smíchov embankment was shaped by the historical use of the entire Smíchov area as an industrial zone, where various manufactories, such as chemical factories, spinning mills, a mill machinery factory, the Smichov Staropramen Brewery, a porcelain factory were set up from the mid-18th century. Because of the large number of smoking chimneys and factories, Smíchov earned the nickname “Prague’s Ironworks.” or Prague Manchester.
The construction of the Hořejší embankment and the road above took place in the section between Jirásek Bridge and Palacký Bridge after 1903. The next section with a wide embankment towards the Smichov Railway Bridge was completed only in the 1920s.
Even before that, the Smíchov river front had popular river baths and also wooden theatre arena, which was unfortunately demolished in 1938. The embankment also was used by sandmen, who extracted sand from the riverbed on barges and distributed it around the city in carts. Smíchov retained its industrial character until the early 1980s and I still remember how dusty and grey streets were well into the 1990s.
![](https://www.viewfromprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Vysehrad-View-from-Prague.jpg)
Where exactly is Smichovska Naplavka and how to get there from the centre of Prague?
The Vyton Naplavka (for farmer’s markets) is best accessible from Palackeho Namesti Tram Stop or underground station Karlovo Namesti (on the B Metro Line). You can tram 17, 3, 10, 16, 5 from the centre – tram 17 follows the river from the Staromestska Tram Stop which is the closest to the Old Town Square.
You can also get off the next tram stop at ‘Vyton’ which stops at the ‘end’ of the Farmer’s markets stalls so you can walk the market in the opposite direction and then continue walking on the waterfront all the way to the Manes.
The Smichovska Naplavka is in a walking distance (5 minutes) from tram stop ‘Lidicka’ on trams 10, 16, 7, 5 and the nearest underground stop is ‘Andel’ on the Metro B line (about 10 minutes walk).
This blog post was originally written on 29 May 2024 and last updated on 29 May 2024
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