Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
I (1657-1705) over the Turks, which cover every centimetre of the walls and ceilings of the
grand hall. You also get to wander through the chateau's pristine, trend-setting, French-style
formal
gardens
, the first of their kind in Bohemia.
The zoo
U Trojského zámku 3 • Daily: March 9am-5pm; April, May, Sept & Oct 9am-6pm; June-Aug 9am-7pm;
Nov-Feb 9am-4pm • 200Kč • 296 112 230,
zoopraha.cz
• To get here, walk from Výstaviště, catch bus
#112, which runs frequently from metro Nádraží Holešovice, or take a boat (April & Oct Sat & Sun only;
May-Sept daily; 180Kč;
paroplavba.cz
) from the PPS landing place on Rašínovo nábřeží (metro Karlovo
náměstí)
Prague's
zoo
opened in 1931 on the site of one of Troja's numerous hillside vineyards. Since
then it has seen a lot of investment, especially in recent years, with some very imaginat-
ive animal enclosures containing the usual occupants - including elephants, hippos, giraffes,
zebras, big cats and bears. A bonus in the summer is the fact you can take a
chairlift
(
lanová
dráha
) from the duck pond over the enclosures to the top of the hill, where the prize exhibits
- a rare breed of miniature horse known as Przewalski - hang out. Other highlights include
the red pandas, the giant tortoises, the Komodo dragons and the bats that actually fly past
your face in the Twilight Zone.
Botanická zahrada Prahy (Botanic gardens)
Nádvorní 134 •
Gardens
Daily: March & Oct 9am-5pm; April 9am-6pm; May-Sept 9am-7pm; Nov-Feb
9am-4pm • 50Kč
Fata Morgana
Closed Mon • 120Kč • 234 148 111,
www.botanicka.cz
• To get here,
walk from Výstaviště, catch bus #112, which runs frequently from metro Nádraží Holešovice, or take a boat
(April & Oct Sat & Sun; May-Sept daily; 180Kč;
paroplavba.cz
)
from the PPS landing place on Rašínovo
nábřeží (metro Karlovo náměstí)
Hidden in the woods north of the
zámek
is the
Botanická zahrada Prahy
. The botanic gar-
dens feature a vineyard, a Japanese garden, several glasshouses and great views over Prague.
A little higher up the hill there's also a spectacularly curvaceous greenhouse, the
Fata Mor-
gana
, with butterflies flitting about amid the desert and tropical plants. Fata Morgana, incid-
entally, means “mirage” in Czech and the greenhouse will certainly seem like one on a freez-
ing winter day.
The northwest suburbs
Spread across the hills to the northwest of the city centre are the leafy garden suburbs of
De-
jvice
and neighbouring
Střešovice
, peppered with fashionable modern villas built in the first
half of the twentieth century for the upwardly mobile Prague bourgeoisie and commanding
magnificent views across the north of the city. Dejvice is short on conventional sights, but
interesting to explore all the same; Střešovice has one compelling attraction, the
Müllerova
vila
, a restored functionalist dwelling designed by Adolf Loos. Some 4km further west, the
Šárka valley
is about as far as you can get from an urban environment without leaving the
