What does the Eiffel Tower have to do with Prague? And why is Prague home to the little sister of the Eiffel Tower, the Petřín tower?
A party of 363 Czech travellers visited the world exhibition in Paris in 1889. The Eiffel Tower impressed them so much that they decided to have such a gigantic structure built in Prague, too. They selected the highest hill in Prague, the Petřín hill, as the perfect location.
The estimated costs exceeded the financial resources of the planners by far. Investors were searched and found.
In 1891, the smaller version of the Paris Eiffel Tower was opened in Prague. The Petřín viewing tower is located on the Petřín Hill in the Lesser Side district of Prague.
On foot, it is a 45- minute climb through the beautiful park to the tower. There is also a cable car up (but unfortunately it was closed on the exact day of our visit!).
The viewing tower Petřín is 63.2 m high. Over 299 steps on a spiralling staircase climb up to the viewing platform. There is also an elevator, but it is not always in operation. The Petřín viewing tower has an octagonal cross-section and stands on four steel columns. Right between the footings is an entrance hall. The entire construction weighs 175 tonnes.
After the hike to the Viewing Tower Petřín, we replenished our strengths at the snack bar in front of the tower. The prices were reasonable, considering that this is one of the tourist hotspots of the city. We did not climb the tower, but the view from the edge of the mountain is beautiful.
Address:
Petřínské sady 633, 118 00 Praha 1-Malá Strana, Tschechien
Opening hours:
March and October: daily 10 am – 8 pm April – September: daily 10 – 22 clock November – February: daily 10 am – 6 pm
Prices:
Adults: 120 CZK Children 6-15 years: 65 CZK Children 3-6 years: 25 CZK
Discounts will be granted to students, pensioners, disabled persons, families when submitting relevant proofs. The elevator is subject to charges and can only be used on request. No credit cards!
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