Romantic Prague: An Exhaustive Itinerary Through Petřín Hill and Malá Strana

Petřín Hill is a massive green lung. It’s a clean break from the heavy stone of the Old Town. Start your climb through the fruit orchards and rose gardens. They smell incredible in spring. You’ll pass the Hunger Wall, a 14th-century beast commissioned by Charles IV. Look for the bronze guy holding flowers. That’s Karel Hynek Mácha, sculpted by Josef Václav Myslbek in 1912. He wrote Máj, the bible of Czech romance. Locals gather here to kiss under the cherry trees. Doing so on May 1st guarantees love for life. Don't skip the tradition.

The Petřín Lookout Tower isn't a secret. It was built for the 1891 General Land Centennial Exhibition. Yes, it looks like a 1:5 scale Eiffel Tower. But because it sits on a 318-meter hill, you’re actually as high up as you’d be in Paris. The view is unbeatable. You get a top-down look at the Castle's massive scale and the Baroque domes of Malá Strana. And those Gothic spires across the river? They look sharp enough to draw blood.

Head down the hill to Vrtba Garden. It's tucked behind an unassuming and almost invisible entrance on Karmelitská street. This is Baroque luxury at its peak. František Maxmilián Kaňka designed this terraced sanctuary around 1720. This garden has UNESCO World Heritage status for a reason. It’s steep. He used that to create three levels of Italian-style terraces. You’ll see sandstone statues by Matyáš Bernard Braun that look like they're about to step off their pedestals. Look up in the Sala Terrena at the base. The fresco by Václav Vavřinec Reiner is original and sharp.

Finish at the river on Kampa Island. The Čertovka mill race cuts it off from the rest of the city. People call it the Venice of Prague. It’s intimate charm. Walk past the old wooden mill wheels that still spin in the current. You'll see a small bridge covered in thousands of padlocks. It's a modern ritual where couples lock their devotion to the city. Stick around for dusk. You might see the lamp-lighters in old-school gear. They still light the gas lanterns by hand. It changes the whole mood.