Palace Gardens Below Prague Castle, Terraced palace gardens in Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic

The Palace Gardens Below Prague Castle comprise six linked terraced sections built on a steep slope, featuring ornamental fountains, stone sculptures, and winding pathways. These gardens rise gradually toward the castle walls and contain pavilions, planted beds, and open gathering spaces at different levels.

The south slope below Prague Castle was turned into small vineyards and gardens from the reign of Charles IV, and in the 16th century the defensive wall was partly demolished and the land bought by nobles and wealthy burghers. The gardens were first laid out in the Italian Renaissance style; after Swedish troops sacked Malá Strana on 5 August 1648 they were rebuilt in Baroque form with terraces, staircases, fountains and salas terrenas. Closed in the 1970s, they were restored in stages from about 1990 and reopened between 1995 and 2008.

The gardens carry the names of the aristocratic families who shaped them, reflecting their role as private spaces where Prague's nobility entertained guests and enjoyed leisure. Today these terraces show how the wealthy lived and spent their time during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

The gardens can be entered from several points around the Malá Strana neighborhood, though some sections involve steep or uneven pathways. Comfortable walking shoes are advisable since you will be climbing and descending repeatedly as you move between terraced levels.

The Great Pálffy Garden's lower terraces hold a small round fountain, and behind it a portal of a tunnel staircase bears a sundial. The tunnel staircase in the garden's axis also leads up to the viewing terrace. The garden was newly laid out in 1752, replacing earlier planting on the same spot.