Colourful Autumn in Prague Prague’s colourful autumn is amazing with its coloured palette of bushes and trees on display in parks and gardens. Where to go? An oasis of peace and quiet, a green island in the centre of the hustle and bustle, the largest city park in Prague? All of this and much more awaits you at the Royal Game Reserve, or Stromovka in Prague – Bubeneč. The architecture of the park has been recently reconstructed and the location is sought after by a colourful entourage of visitors every day. You can meet Bohemian hipsters there, as well as lovers, joggers, in-line skaters and cyclists, or families with children. Stromovka has an unmistakeable genius loci and is considered to be the most Central Park of Prague.
Petřín Hill in the centre of Prague also invites romantic strolls. You can get to the top by foot or on the funicular. There are several attractions there – the Petřín lookout tower, a 5x smaller copy of the Eiffel tower, a park by the lookout tower, a mirror maze, where you can get lost among 35 regular and 15 distorting mirrors, and the Štefánik Observatory.The Italian Renaissance inspired park is called Havlíčkovy sady, but the people of Prague call it Grébovka. It is located on the edge of the Vinohrady District. There is a fountain with a water cascade, a lake, pavilions, Gröbe’s villa, sculptures and a charming artificial cave. Moreover, you can taste some wine in the wine gazebo with a romantic view of the local vineyards all year round.
The Divoká Šárka Nature Preserve can be found at the border of Prague, on the rocky slopes of Šárecký Brook, near Václav Havel Airport. The countryside with high rocks, a deep canyon, and vast forests and meadows where sheep and goats graze from spring to autumn has a special atmosphere of harmony and peace, which is hard to find in a city.
Parks and Gardens Throughout the Country
One of the most important chateau parks in the Czech Republic can be seen beside the Průhonice Chateau near Prague. It is one of the largest landscape parks in Europe, with an area of 240 hectares. The park is open year-round and there is always something to see there with approx. 1,600 species of domestic and foreign woods. The collection of rhododendrons, which has about 8,000 pieces, is also exceptional. It is no surprise that the park is registered on the UNESCO list.The Rococo Dobříš Chateau in Central Bohemia is open all year. Its French park is currently closed due to reconstruction, but the English park is also worth visiting. There is an artificial cave in the park and a devil’s bridge above one of the valleys.
You can also visit the Neo-Gothic Sychrov Chateau near Liberec, which is a popular place for filmmakers, and a place where Czech composer Antonín Dvořák used to regularly stay. It is also open throughout the year. Its English park is one of the most beautiful and richest botanical collections in the Czech Republic. Nový zámek in Kostelec nad Orlicí in East Bohemia is closed in winter, but the large park that surrounds the chateau offers peace and quiet year-round. The cycling trail will take you to the chateau park in Častolovice, where you have to visit the game reserve with white deer. Another site registered on the UNESCO list is the Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape Area near Brno. It is one of the largest landscape areas in the world, with a system of lakes, forests, parks, romantic structures and pavilions, so it’s no wonder that it is called the Garden of Europe.
