A Guide to Vysehrad Prague

Welcome to my guide to Vysehrad Prague. It’s often called the second castle in Prague, and is a beautiful fortress and park just south of Prague city centre.

It’s within sight of Prague Castle, and a little off the beaten path in Prague terms, as many short-term visitors don’t have time to see it.

We’ve come to love Vyšehrad, and have visited it a great many times. We live in Prague and see it most days as it’s on our tram route into Prague, and rate it one of the most appealing places to visit in Prague.

It’s an ancient castle complex rich in Czech national history that is also one of the best parks in Prague. It has a beautiful Gothic Revival Basilica, the amazing monumental Cemetery and much more, including one of the best beer gardens in Prague.

In our guide we show you around all the Vyšehrad sights. We also give you tips on how to get there and things to see nearby.

It’s well worth taking a bit of time away from the main Prague sights to see Vyšehrad, and discover a different side to Prague. Enjoy!

Vyšehrad Prague is a place of great significance to the Czechs. It’s the legendary home of the Přemyslid dynasty that ruled Bohemia in the early Middle Ages.

The citadel of Vyšehrad is over a thousand years old, with a stout castle high above the river Vltava. It’s also one of the best viewpoints in Prague, including views down the river to nearby Prague Castle. 

It has one of the two oldest churches in Prague, the most famous cemetery in the Czech Republic, a superb neo-Gothic basilica and one of the best Prague parks.

There isn’t quite as much to see in Vyšehrad as at Prague Castle, and there are a fraction of the crowds that throng the more famous Castle for most of the year.

Vyšehrad is a quieter, more enjoyable experience – read on to find out why we think it’s one of the best things to do in Prague.

As far as we can tell, Vyšehrad fortress Prague was founded around the middle of the 10^th century, possibly at a similar time to Prague Castle.

It was the more prominent of the two for a period in the 11^th century under the Přemyslid dynasty. King Vratislav II of Bohemia moved his seat there from Prague Castle.

However within 50 years Vladislav II moved the seat back to Prague Castle in 1140, beginning a long period of gradual decline.

Vyšehrad Prague underwent something of a revival during the reign of King Charles IV (who commissioned the Charles Bridge) between 1346 and 1378.

He considered Vyšehrad to be one of the most important places in Bohemian and Czech history, and incorporated it into the coronation route.

It is strongly associated with the legendary Queen Libuše, whose statue can be found close to the Basilica.

The 15^th century saw a downturn in Vyšehrad’s fortunes during  the Hussite Wars when the Hussites (religious reformists) sacked the site. Vyšehrad was later turned into a town with a vineyard, and the fortress was re-established during the Baroque period, roughly between 1639 and 1727. 

A network of underground tunnels and dungeons was included. It was used as a military base by French, Prussian and Austrian forces, but didn’t see military action again.

The most recent construction was the 19th-century Cihelna (Brick) Gate, which is now the main entrance point to Vyšehrad Prague.

Vyšehrad is at the southern edge of the city centre, on the right bank of the Vltava River in Prague. This is the same side as the Old Town (Stare Město) and New Town (Nové Město). It’s 2.8 km (1.7 miles) south of Old Town Prague – around a 10-minute journey by tram.

It’s one of the most prominent landmarks of Prague, and the twin spires of the Vyšehrad Basilica of SS Peter and Paul can be seen from many places along the river, especially the Mala Strana, Prague Castle and Smichov areas.

It’s also visible from most of the main bridges in Prague.

The tram is easily the most convenient way to get to Vyšehrad. The Prague tram 17 runs along the river from the city centre, stopping at Výtoň. From there, head under the railway bridge towards the base of the hill, bearing left.  

Pass the Pod Vyšehradem pub then turn right up Vratislavova, going past several bars and cafes along the way. Stay on this road for a few minutes and you reach the Cihelna gate of the Vyšehrad Prague fortress.

You can also reach Vyšehrad by public transport if you’re heading from Vršovice, the Prague suburb 2 km east. Trams 6, 7 and 14 pass this way, stopping at another Výtoň stop around 100 metres from the riverside one. Follow the directions above, heading up Vratislavova to the Cihelna Gate.

The other entrance to Vyšehrad Castle is via the Tabor Gate and Leopold Gate, reached via Na Pankraci and V Pevnosti, on the south-east side of the fort. This is a five-minute walk from the closest Metro station, Vyšehrad, which is on Metro line C.

See Also: 27 Wonderful Hidden Gems In Prague

Vyšehrad is a National Cultural Monument and one of the most enjoyable Prague attractions. Most visitors seem to be locals or from elsewhere in the Czech Republic. Many visitors we’ve met head up there for a relaxing couple of hours away from the city, combining it with some time for their kids in the playground, which is one of the best in Prague.

The Vyšehrad cemetery Prague is the most important in the country, with a great many Czech cultural figures and luminaries interred there.  It’s essentially the national cemetery of the Czech Republic.

Six of the original Charles Bridge statues can also be seen in the Gorlice Hall as part of the guided tour.

There are also a couple of cafes within the grounds of the Castle, and the fine Basilica church to visit – all of which makes for a lovely afternoon out.

Entry to Vyšehrad is free – this includes the fortress, ramparts, wall walks, park, Cemetery and Rotunda.

Three parts of Vyšehrad require tickets. The Casemates (Tunnels) and Gorlice Hall cost a mere 90 CZK ($3.80), which can be booked at the ticket office in the Brick Gate (Cihelna brana).

Entrance to the Gothic Cellar, which contains a small exhibition on the history of Vyšehrad, costs an additional 70 CZK ($2.90). And entrance to the Basilica costs 90 CZK ($3.80)

You normally have to book a guided tour a week in advance, and it’s well worth doing so – you gain a lot more insight into one of the most fascinating attractions of Prague and see far more than you would if you just walk around the Park and Cemetery.

Most of what you now see of Vyšehrad Castle dates from between the 17^th and 19^th centuries. The walls are best appreciated from the south, around the Podolska vodarna tram stop (on the 2, 3,17 and 21 route).

The oldest part of the Vyšehrad citadel is a small section of medieval wall known as Libuše’s Bath, on an outcrop of rock under which the road and tram tracks now run.

The best part of the Baroque fortress ramparts to explore is along the south and west side, overlooking the Vltava River. These date from the 17^th-18^th centuries.

Keep walking along the perimeter walls, and you’ll eventually reach some of the best views of Prague.

The view south over the river, some of its islands and the suburb of Podoli are superb – you can see from here how close the forests and countryside are to the city centre of Prague.

The best views are down the river, over the Smichov railway bridge to the city, with Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral dominating the scene.

There is a network of additional paths down to the Výtoň area just below the Castle, with paths just outside the walls and steps leading down. One of these paths – accessed through a gateway next to the WCs outside the Basilica – gives extraordinary views down to Prague Castle.

The Rotunda of St Martin is one of the oldest buildings in Prague, along with St George’s Basilica in Prague Castle. It dates from the 11^th or 12^th century, and is one of a few Romanesque buildings to have survived in the city.

If you have an interest in Prague architecture, it’s well worth making the trip up the hill to see it. It has been recently restored, and looks in very good condition at the time of writing. I’ve read claims that it is Prague’s oldest surviving building. I’m not entirely sure about this, but it is definitely one of the oldest buildings in the city.

Unfortunately, the only time you can normally see inside is when services are held – at the time of writing, this is at 1800 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and Saturdays at 0800.

The twin spires of the Basilica of SS Peter and Paul are one of the great landmarks of Prague. The church is the fifth on the site, and was built in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

It’s built in the neo-Gothic style, but much of the interior decoration – painted walls, pillars and vaults – is Art Nouveau Prague vintage.

It’s quite a small church inside, but absolutely packed with interest. The pillars are decorated with paintings of various Czech and European saints, and it’s worth taking your time over it. You’ll do some of your best Prague sightseeing here, at a very reasonable price too.

The Vyšehrad Cemetery is an outdoor pantheon with many of the great cultural figures of Czech history buried there.

The notion of Vyšehrad being one of the birthplaces of Czech identity and nationhood was strong in the 19^th century, when Bohemia and Moravia were still part of the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg Empire.

Many eminent Czechs are interred in the monumental Slavin tomb, in the north-east corner of the Cemetery.

They include Art Nouveau painter Alfons Mucha, sculptor Ladislav Šaloun and architect Josef Gočar, one of the most famous Czech architects of the 20^th century.

It’s one of the most imposing Prague monuments, its statues towering high above the surrounding tombs and arcades.

The rest of the Cemetery is just as impressive. Composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana are buried in individual tombs, and people as diverse as poet Jan Neruda and footballer Josef Bican, the striker for the famous Austrian Wunderteam of the 1930s.

It’s one of the most fascinating things to see in Prague. The arcaded part is especially beautiful.

This small underground museum in an atmospheric medieval cellar gives an intriguing insight into the history of Vyšehrad, from its foundation to the present. It helps fill in a lot of the gaps, such as what the previous four basilicas looked like, and there are many artefacts discovered around the grounds of the site.

It won’t detain you long,  but greatly improves your understanding of one of the best places to visit in Prague.

Take a look at the Vyšehrad Prague website, which has information on the small museum and upcoming events.

Vyšehrad is also one of the best Prague parks. The park includes the rampart walks and views over the Vltava river, where there are plenty of benches to admire the views.

The Gardens next to the Basilica are also lovely, with shady walks and bold statues of Czech historical figures like Premysl and Libuse.  We’ve been here many times and even on weekends it’s not crowded.

Try to head up here if you’re visiting Prague in autumn, when the leaves on the trees and vines are in full colour.

There’s also an excellent beer garden in Vysehrad, a couple of minutes’ walk from the Rotunda of St Martin. It offers a great view over the massive Nusle bridge and the southern end of New Town Prague, and is a wonderful spot to spend an evening during the warm summer months.

The most popular part of Vyšehrad is the playground across the road from the Rotunda of St Martin. My young son thinks it’s one of the best playgrounds of Prague.

Most of the climbing frames and rides are wooden, and it’s themed on legendary Bohemian and Czech figures which are painted on pillars around the playground.

Cubist architecture is an almost uniquely Czech phenomenon. It started in Prague with the House of the Black Madonna in the Old Town, designed and built by the aforementioned Josef Gočar, which houses the intriguing Cubist Museum Prague.

Very few early Cubist buildings – from the 1911-1914 period – survive, but there is a small cluster of them below the Vyšehrad fortress, close to the Vltava river.

One of them, the white Kovařovicova Villa on Libušina, is, like Vyšehrad, a Czech National Cultural Monument, which affords it protected status.

The red and white row of three houses 100 metres around the corner on Rašinovo Nabřeži is another rare, beautiful example of Cubism, and was built in 1912-13 by Josef Chochol.