This is my guide to Stromovka Park, a former royal hunting ground that’s now a wonderful park and an oasis of greenery on the edge of central Prague.
Stromovka Park Prague is one of the best parks to visit with kids, and one of the largest Prague parks close to the city centre.
It’s also next door to the showgrounds at Holešovice Prague, which host funfairs in the spring and summer months, so it makes for one of the best family days out in Prague.
Stromovka královská obora was originally a royal hunting ground, like Obora Hvězda Prague a short tram ride away to the east. The area was used for this purpose as early as the 13th century, and since the 19th century has been used as an English landscaped garden – one of the most extensive Prague gardens – surrounded by parkland. Locals also call it Park Stromovka. It’s also referred to as the Central Park of Prague.
We visited this fantastic Prague park around 20 times, and have hugely enjoyed it in all seasons. Stromovka is one of the best things to do in Prague in autumn, when its trees turn incredibly rich colours.
Our Stromovka Park guide shows you everything there is to see, what to look out for throughout the year, and how to make the most of your visit to what is undoubtedly one of the best parks in Prague.
Staying Near Stromovka Park in Prague
Mama Shelter – the Communist-era Park Hotel, now unrecognisable as Prague’s Mama Shelter, is a three-minute walk from one of the main entrances to Stromovka
Residence Vysta – 3* guesthouse near the exhibition grounds, 5 minutes’ walk from the entrance to Stromovka Park – one of my friends stayed there and heartily recommended it
Expo Hotel – another excellent option, again just 5 minutes’ walk from Stromovka, a hotel several Prague tour companies use for tours beginning in the city (such as cycling tours elsewhere in Central Europe)
Hotel Schwaiger – boutique hotel in a quiet area near the Governor’s Summer Residence to Stromovka, rooms decorated in First Czechoslovak Republic (1920s) style
What Is There To Do In Stromovka Park?
The area around the Stromovka Park lakes is especially popular. There are some beautiful walks around there, and views up the hill to the Governor’s Summer House (Mistodržitelsky letohradek).
You can also climb up the network of paths and steps to its Garden, which has a great view over the Park and north to Troja and Prague Zoo.
Kids love to feed the ducks and swans in the lakes, and they can also use a rope ferry to pull themselves across one of the ponds to a small island where adults are not supposed to go.
As with nearby Letna Park and Petrin Hill Prague, visiting Stromovka is one of the best things to do in Prague for free. In autumn, the many woodland walks are breathtakingly beautiful, the leaf colours some of the richest we’ve ever seen.
Two other Prague attractions can also be found within Stromovka Park. The Planetarium is just a few minutes’ walk from the Vystaviste entrance, and it’s a great place for kids to get acquainted with all matters astronomical. It usually opens around 5-6 pm on weekday evenings, and is normally open through the day on weekends.
The Maroldovo Panorama, located just behind the Planetarium, is the largest painting in the Czech Republic, and was created for the 1898 Exhibition of Architecture and Engineering. It depicts the 1434 Battle of Lipany, which took place towards the end of the religious Hussite wars.
See Also: Divoká Šárka Prague – Wilderness On The Edge Of Prague
Are There Playgrounds In Stromovka?
Yes, there are several, spread around Stromovka. Our son particularly likes one just down the hill from the Industrial Palace at Vystavistě, a few metres from the Maroldovo Panorama. This has some rope bridges leading to a great treehouse.
U Štoly playground is a minute’s walk up the hill from the Vozovna Restaurant, with swings, a roundabout and various dinosaurs and creatures to climb. Including a concrete elephant with a metal trunk and a Piet Mondrian pattern on his body.
The U Čitarny playground is in the north of Stromovka, in a sun trap in the north of the park that has no shade in summer.
Are There Places To Eat In Stromovka Park?
Yes, there are several Stromovka Park restaurants, and several coffee carts and ice cream vans dotted around.
Artyčok Bistro is between the Planetarium and Maroldovo Panorama. We often buy drinks from there – either beer or home-made lemonade – and sit down the steps at the nearby playground with our son. They also serve pasta, pizza, seafood and cakes.
Vozovna Stromovka Restaurant is housed in a repurposed former tram depot on the south side of the Park, a short walk from Villa Šlechtova (see below). We haven’t eaten there, but they offer a mainly European menu with options for kids as well.
The Šlechtova Restaurant in the Villa of the same name has been under restoration over the last few years, and it is provisionally scheduled to open in spring 2021.
Things To Do Near Stromovka Park
You can combine a few hours in this amazing park in Prague with several other attractions of Prague, which can be found a short walk away in Vystaviste Holesovice. The Art Nouveau Prague Industrial Palace is one of the great landmarks of Prague, and dominates the surrounding area.
If you’re visiting Prague with children, Morský Svět (literally sea world – the Prague Aquarium) is a couple of minutes away from the tram stop at the entrance to Stromovka. It’s quite small – as are most of the sea creatures you’ll see there – but they are amazing to watch up close, and if your kids love nature and wildlife it’s a great place to spend an hour or so.
Just outside the Aquarium, a large fairground with all the traditional rides – carousels, dodgems, the whole works – that is open in the summer and on certain holidays throughout the year.
There are two fine art museums very close to Stromovka Prague. The Prague Lapidarium – housed in a splendid Baroque Art Nouveau building on Vystavistě – is a branch of the National Museum, with a collection of stone statues and sculpture spanning the 11th to 19th centuries.
You’ll also find the vast functionalist Veletržni Palac – Trade Fair Palace – five minutes around the corner on Dukelskych Hrdinů. It’s part of the National Gallery Prague, hosting a collection from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Where Is Stromovka Park Prague?
Stromovka Park is located just to the north of Prague city centre, immediately to the north of the suburbs of Holešovice and Bubeněč in the Prague 7 District. It’s also tucked into a bend of the Vltava River in Prague, on the opposite bank to Troja Castle and Prague Zoo.
Getting To Stromovka Park
Stromovka is easy to reach by public transport, especially if you approach from Holešovice. Tram 12 actually terminates at Vystavistě Holešovice, with in the park, as do 50% of the tram 17 services. The other number 17 trams and tram number 6 services call at the other Vystavistě Holešovice platform, less than 200 metres from the Park.
You can also enter Stromovka Park via the entrance to the Summer House. This can be found off náměstí Borise Nemcova, next door to the Embassy of the Russian Federation. The closest public transport stops to this are the Letenské náměstí and Korunovačni tram stops, where routes 1, 8, 12, 25 and 26 services all stop.
Stromovka Park Prague – Final Words
I hope you find this guide to Stromovka Park Prague useful.
We’ve always found it one of the most enjoyable parks in Prague to visit. It’s on our old home Prague tram 17 route, ideal for a few hours out at any time. Try to visit Stromovka if you’re visiting Prague in autumn, when the colours are stunning.
There are many fantastic Prague parks to visit – it’s a brilliant city for the outdoors.
A short distance away on the other side of Holešovice, Letna Park Prague is a superb city park with a great beer garden and one of the best viewpoints in Prague.
The area around Mala Strana, below Prague Castle, is outstanding. Petřin Hill Prague is wonderful, a steep hill with a funicular railway and superb views of Prague. At the top you’ll find Petřin Tower, Prague’s mini-Eiffel Tower.
Down the hill near the Vltava River, don’t miss Vojanovy Sady Prague. It’s a hidden walled garden in the grounds of a former monastery and one of the best quiet boltholes in the city.
There are also some great parks in the west of Prague. Check out my guide to Obora Hvezda Prague, another former royal hunting ground. From there, you can either walk over to the site of the Battle of Bila Hora or to the wilder, rockier terrain of Divoká Šárka a mile in the opposite direction.
And just outside the city limits, Pruhonice Park Prague is a stunning World Heritage landscaped park. It has a Renaissance Revival Castle, lakes, meadows and woodland on the southeast outskirts of the city.
Having lived in Prague for over four years, I’ve written extensively about my former home city, and here’s a selection of further articles for you to browse through:
Gardens In Prague
Prague Gardens – the stunning formal gardens of Prague
Vrtba Garden – glorious early Baroque terraced garden in Mala Strana
Top Sights In Prague
55 Amazing Things To Do In Prague – By A Former Local
Charles Bridge Prague – one of the most beautiful bridges in the world
Old Town Square Prague – one of the most beautiful squares in the world
Týn Church Prague – stunning Gothic church with fairytale spires
Landmarks of Prague – 22 unmissable sights in the city
Jewish Prague – all Jewish sites in Prague, including those beyond the Josefov district
Hidden Gems in Prague -27 off the beaten track sights to seek out
How To Visit Prague Zoo – one of the best in Europe
National Museum Prague – the biggest, best Museum in the Czech Republic
Prague by Area
Old Town Prague – one of the most captivating old towns in Europe
New Town Prague – the modern heart of the Czech capital – but a taste of the old is never far away
Malá Strana Prague – the enchanting Baroque ‘Lesser Quarter’ below Prague Castle
Kampa Island Prague– the most beautiful and intriguing of Prague’s islands
Vltava River in Prague– everything there is to see along the river in the Czech capital
Žižkov Prague – the former working class renegade and artists’ hangout, as quirky as ever, with some of the best pubs in Prague
Holešovice Prague – Prague 7, one of the best modern areas to explore in the city
Themed Articles On Prague
Churches in Prague – 20 wondrous churches from St Vitus Cathedral to a modernist masterpiece in Vinohrady
Communist Prague – 18 Fascinating Places To Explore
Sunsets In Prague – the 10 best places to see them
Prague Streets – the city’s most beautiful streets
Prague World War 2 Sites – including the Heydrich Assassination Site and more