Discover Vrtba Garden: Your Local’s Guide to Prague’s Best-Kept Secret (2026)

Vrtba Garden is still one of Prague’s hidden gems. It’s a beautiful Baroque garden arranged on many layers on the slopes of Petrin Hill. There are amazing views of Prague from the top of the garden and plenty of opportunities to take great photos.

I always recommend Vrtba Garden to my friends who are visiting Prague and still find it incredible that this place was voted the second most beautiful garden in Europe a few years back. I’m sure when you visit, you’ll agree with me, that this is still one of the most beautiful gardens in Prague.

PIN TO KEEP FOR LATER

Why I Keep Coming Back to Vrtba Garden (And Why I think you’ll love it too)

I think that Vrtba Garden is still one of the little hidden gems right in the centre of Lesser Town and only people who know exactly where they are going , visit. This is because, you can’t see the garden from the street or any viewing point, so it’s a truly magical garden hidden on a busy street.

I’ve visited many times and I always find the garden very peaceful even if there are a lot of people there. This is because the garden is set out in layers – terraces and there is plenty of spaces where you can sit and just enjoy the views.

Oh and finally the views! The views are one of the best ones in Prague – you can see the Prague Castle, the beautiful houses below and the St. Nicholas Church and other churches in Lesser Town.

One thing I should point out is if you are thinking of taking photos when it’s very sunny, the sun is setting behind Petrin Hill. This means that you can take great photos of your views from the top of the garden down, but you will have the sun directly behind the garden top which might make it a little trickier to take a good photo from a different angle.

Saying that most people take photos from the top of the garden and for that, the garden (and the sun) is in the best position all day round.

The entrance fee is still very affordable – basically about two cups of coffee in central Prague, so I think it’s totally worth it.

MORE GARDENS TO VISIT NEARBY

The fascinating history of Vrtba garden

Vrtba garden was originally built for Jan Josef the Count of Vrtba who owned the house at the beginning of the 18th century. The garden was designed by Frantisek Maxmilian Kanka and it also includes many statues by Matyas Bernard Braun.

The garden itself was designed within a space that was previously occupied by a vineyard. This area was originally behind three different houses which were gradually bought by Sezim Jan Count of Vrtba and rebuilt as a palace around the 1630s.

The two of the houses belonged to Krystof Harant z Polzic and Bezdruzic, who was a famous Czech music composer. He bought them in 1620 but unfortunately didn’t get the chance to enjoy living there, as the next year he was one of the 27 Czech nobles who were executed in the Old Town square. His property was confiscated by the crown and in 1622 both houses were bought by Sezim Jan Count of Vrtba.

I’m only guessing that the house prices after the uprising were very affordable, because he bought another house next to it, turning all three into one large palace!

His grandson – Jan Josef Count of Vrtba was one of the highest officials serving at the royal court at the Prague Castle. This explains how he could afford the most sought-after garden designers and sculptors to create his stunning garden.

It was apparently all the rage to have a lavishly designed garden and you can still see other beautiful examples of similar gardens under the Prague Castle.

The count of Vrtba sold the palace in 1799 to Jan Mayer, who was another royal crown official. He decided to rebuild the palace but left the garden intact. From 1807 the palace was in the ownership of a local hospital.

The next refurbishment of the palace and the garden took place around 1850. The garden lost its baroque style and additional outbuildings were added.

One outbuilding was turned into a summer studio for the artist Mikolas Ales. He is well known for pretty paintings of villages, people and folk celebrations and he also illustrated books. You can still see the summer studio in the garden set up as an artist workshop.

After that time, the garden was left to its own devices and sadly fell into disrepair. There were several attempts to refurbish it during the 1950s and 1990s and finally, after an 8-year-long period of upgrades, the garden was open to the public for the first time in 1998.

MORE PRAGUE PARKS

What to see in Vrtba Garden

As you enter the gardens through the ticket office you’ll see beautiful fresco interiors painted by Vaclav Vavrinec Reiner. The adjoining room also has a photo display setting out the various garden restoration changes through the years.

A small room up the steps behind the ticket office often hosts exhibitions, which are part of your ticket entrance fee. When we visited last time, there was a glass exhibition there and we had an opportunity to speak to the glass artist in person.

The lower courtyard also has an aviary with different types of colourful birds.

The garden is laid out in several layers – terraces and there are few hidden areas, so don’t rush and take your time exploring the garden.

There is a viewing platform at the top of the garden, where you can see the whole Prague centre below you and Prague Castle Hill on your left.

MORE PRAGUE PARKS

My Secret Tip for Photographers

As I mentioned before, the sun is setting behind Petřín Hill, so if you want that glowy Prague look, I highly recommend going around 4 pm or 5 pm. The sun hits the St. Nicholas dome directly across from you, and the light becomes really soft and golden. It’s totally my favourite time to be there!

Location

Vrtba Garden – Vrtbovska Zahrada, Karmelitanska Street 25, Prague 1

How to get to Vrtba Garden

Take the 20, 22, 15 or the historic 42 tram to Malostranske Namesti and walk towards the Karmelitanska Street. The entrance to the garden is through the Vrtba Palace, but it looks like a regular door, so don’t miss it.

Entrance Fee

The adult ticket is 160 CZK. Children under 15 years old are 110 CZK, senior and student tickets are 130 CZ. Family tickets are 450 CZK. The entrance fee includes entry to two art galleries that are accessible from the garden.

Opening times

The garden is open daily in the main tourist season from the beginning of March to the end of October from 10 am until 6 pm (and in the summer until 7 pm). The garden is also open on special occasions, such as before Christmas and early in the spring, when it’s beautifully lit up and opened in the evening.

MORE PRAGUE PARKS

Grebovka Park with grotto & vineyard >>

Facilities

Refreshments

The ticket office has a chilled drinks cabinet and automat style hot drinks. There are many cafe places and restaurants outside the garden on the main street and Malostranske Namesti (the Lesser Town Square), but none in the garden itself.

Toilets

The toilets are located behind the main entrance (inside the garden)

Accessibility Note: Just a little heads-up—this garden is all about the terraces. There are quite a few steep stone steps to get to the very top. It’s absolutely fine if you take your time, but if you have a pram or use a wheelchair, you’ll mostly be restricted to the beautiful lower courtyard and the aviary.

This blog post was originally written on 22 October 2021 and last updated on 2 April 2026