North: the Royal Garden
Founded in 1534, the Royal Garden brings Renaissance leisure architecture into a landscape later reshaped by other gardening traditions. It sits apart from the main courtyard sequence, across the northern edge of the Castle.
South: terraces above Malá Strana
The South Gardens comprise the Paradise Garden, Garden on the Ramparts and Hartig Garden. Their route runs for almost 500 metres below the southern frontage. The outlook towards Malá Strana is quite different from the more enclosed spaces of the Royal Garden.
Plečnik’s twentieth-century intervention
Jože Plečnik redesigned the Paradise Garden in the 1920s. Its monumental staircase and large granite bowl use simple forms to give the slope a new architectural order. This is a modern contribution to the Castle landscape, not a surviving medieval garden arrangement.
Choose a route, not just a viewpoint
Courtyards connect the main monuments; gardens reward a separate, slower walk. Check seasonal access before choosing an entrance, and allow for steps when planning a terrace route. The nearest gate on a map is not necessarily the most suitable approach for every visitor.