Prague Botanical Garden

The botanical garden at Troja covers about thirty hectares on the slope above the Vltava and is arranged as several distinct areas rather than one collection: a Japanese garden, a Mediterranean section that works because the slope faces south, a wetland, an ornamental garden, a rose garden, woodland and a section of protected Bohemian steppe vegetation on the dry upper ground. The Fata Morgana glasshouse, opened in 2003, is a long curving structure following the hillside, divided into a tropical lowland zone, a mountain cloud-forest zone and a desert section, with a tunnel under a pool where the water is above head height. On the slope is St Clare's vineyard, planted here since the thirteenth century and worked again, with a chapel, a wine terrace and a view over the valley. It adjoins the zoo and Troja chateau.

What you actually see

• The Fata Morgana glasshouse - tropical, cloud forest and desert zones under a curving roof.
• A working vineyard - St Clare's, planted on the slope since the thirteenth century.
• Zoned outdoor gardens - Japanese, Mediterranean, wetland and steppe sections.
• A tunnel under water - the pool passage inside the glasshouse.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The glasshouse is a separate ticket and is hot and humid. The site is steep - real climbing between sections. Busy at weekends, especially combined with the zoo. Outdoor sections are thin in winter.

Nearby

Prague Zoo and Troja chateau are next door.