Insight Cities Hlavní město Praha Walking Tours

Visitors to Prague almost never encounter the hidden gem of the walled-in Vrtba garden even though it provides a luminous glimpse into the life of nobility in the 18th century and the aesthetics of Baroque landscaping . When you climb to the top courtyard with its marine grotto, you are also rewarded by beautiful vistas of Prague’s cityscape and the Castle . Next, this Prague Gardens tour takes you to the Wallenstein Garden, with its albino peacocks, mannerist statues, mythical fountain s and tragic family histories spanning over 400 years. We conclude with a thoughtful look at the storied Castle Gardens , the first garden to import the Italian Renaissance concepts of topiary and parterre garden beds north of the Alps because Emperor Ferdinand I fell in love with the style and wished to make a paradise as a love gift to his Empress . The last flourish is a rare trip through the latticework of quiet and precious baroque terraced gardens that lead down the hill from the Castle and which are also frequently missed by travelers.


*Discover the aesthetics of Renaissance and Baroque garden design and learn the surprising religious and political symbolism that flower beds and classical statues conveyed in their eras.



*Explore the breathtaking Wallenstein Garden with its grotto wall, mythical fountains and gigantic aviary , while learning the bloody history of the Thirty Years’ War in Prague.



*Grasp the lifestyle of 18th-century nobility in the walled Vrtba Garden .



*Explore the Renaissance-era palaces of the Royal Garden and the Singing Fountain cast in bell bronze.



*Compare Central Europe’s oldest greenhouses to the neighboring postmodern greenhous e built 500 years later by Czech-British architect, Eva Jiřičná.



*Descend the fabulous Bull Staircase of modern architect, Jože Plecnik , to enjoy the hidden Baroque Gardens-under-the Castle.