Vrtba Garden

The Vrtbovska zahrada was laid out from 1715 by Frantisek Maxmilian Kanka behind a palace on Karmelitska, on the steep slope below Petrin, and it is entered through an unmarked gate in a busy street that most people walk past without noticing. Inside, the garden climbs in narrow terraces linked by double staircases, with balustrades, urns, a sala terrena frescoed by Vaclav Vavrinec Reiner, and a set of sculpture by Matthias Bernard Braun - mythological figures on the balustrades and vases, among his best garden work. It is one of the finest baroque gardens in Central Europe and it is very small: the terraces are a few metres wide and the whole thing is enclosed by walls and the backs of houses. From the top terrace there is a view over the roofs of Mala Strana to the castle, and the confinement of the climb makes that arrival work.

What you actually see

• Narrow climbing terraces - linked by double staircases up the Petrin slope.
• Braun's sculpture - mythological figures on the balustrades, among his best.
• Reiner's sala terrena - the frescoed loggia at the foot of the garden.
• A view at the top - over Mala Strana roofs to the castle.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Seasonal, closed in winter, and it shuts for weddings and private events. It is genuinely small - an hour is enough. The entrance is easy to miss from the street. There is no cafe.

Nearby

Charles Bridge and the Lennon Wall are a short walk; Petrin is above.