Vysehrad

Vysehrad is the other castle rock in Prague, and the one most visitors skip. It sits above a bend of the Vltava at the south end of the centre, ringed by baroque brick fortifications with grassy tops that you can walk almost the whole way round. Inside the walls the ground is open parkland rather than a dense complex: the neo-Gothic basilica of Saints Peter and Paul with its black twin spires, a small Romanesque rotunda among the oldest buildings in the city, and the Slavin cemetery where Czech composers, writers and painters are buried under elaborate stones. Tunnels cut inside the ramparts hold several original statues taken off Charles Bridge.

What you actually see

• The ramparts walk - baroque brick fortifications with long views over the river and the city.
• Saints Peter and Paul - the neo-Gothic basilica with a painted interior and black twin spires.
• Slavin cemetery - graves of composers, writers and painters under sculpted monuments.
• The casemates - tunnels inside the walls holding original statues from Charles Bridge.

When to go

April to October for the parkland and the rampart walk, though the grounds are open and free year round and work well on a bright winter afternoon. Sunset from the western wall over the river is what brings most locals up. The casemates run guided entries at set times and close earlier than the grounds.

Honest expectations

There is no single dramatic building here, and visitors expecting a second Prague Castle leave disappointed. The basilica charges separately and its neo-Gothic interior divides opinion. The hill is a genuine climb from the riverside, and on summer weekends the lawns fill with picnicking locals rather than offering quiet.

Nearby

The river embankment below the rock holds a Saturday farmers market, and the centre is two metro stops north.