Vyšehrad without barriers

Tábor Gate (Táborská brána) → Leopold Gate (Leopoldova brána) → The Royal and Princely Acropolis (Královská a knížecí akropole) →

Unfortunately, Vyšehrad does not offer any ideal access route, but it is worth overcoming occasional elevations and uneven terrain for its unique charm.

The best option is to drive directly to the area by car and park in front of the Jedlička Institute building (between the Leopold and Tábor Gates) in a small parking lot with a reserved parking space.

We can also travel to the vicinity of Vyšehrad by metro on line C. It is however essential to get off the train onto the platform in the direction heading out of the centre, facing toward the Vltava, the opposite platform is not accessible. A four-section ramp leads from the metro exit to the adjacent park (incline max. 8%). Follow the asphalt road with an occasional slope past the greenery alongside the Vyšehrad Business Centre building to Lumírova street, then take the crosswise sloping pedestrian crossing to the castle wall.

In front of the Tábor Gate, which forms the entrance to the outer Baroque fortifications of Vyšehrad, there is then a difficult section with very rough paving. Past the gate, we continue along V Pevnosti street along the left walkway with mosaic paving, occasional unevenness and a slight transverse slope to Leopold Gate, with a short section of poor-quality paving. The Leopold gate itself is a beautiful building with a central passage and side passages for pedestrians, decorated with columns and a gable with the emblems of the Habsburgs and the Kingdom of Bohemia. It is therefore worth taking your gaze off the walkway and briefly enjoying this Baroque splendour.

Just a few metres behind the Leopold Gate is a turning to Soběslavova street. This has rougher paved surface, which also rises at a 15% incline for some twenty metres to a large and imaginative playground for children, themed with Czech legends. We can continue straight to the central area of the Royal and Princely Acropolis, or turn left and follow the steep road to the outer fortifications, opening up to beautiful views of the Podolské nábřeží embankment and the Vltava river. Along the Baroque bastion behind the Old Burgrave’s House, we descend again down a 15% incline to the Acropolis along a thirty-meter walkway with very rough stone paving.

The large Royal and Princely Acropolis at Vyšehrad is the place where the Přemyslid castle once stood. The remains of the foundations of two palace buildings, the remains of the Romanesque bridge connecting the castle with the temple, the building of the Old Burgrave’s House, the building of the former watchtower and two wells have been preserved. In addition, in the middle of the 20th century, Myslbek’s sculpture depicting scenes from Czech history was moved here from the Palacký Bridge. There is also a Gothic cellar with an exhibition on Vyšehrad through history.

The airy grassy area, full of light, underwent extensive work between 2002 and 2006. The flat area of the park is interwoven with a network of high-quality compacted grit paths connecting key points. The perimeter road is paved, with a narrow asphalt strip, but less satisfactory paving is at the junction between the Old Burgrave’s House and the Basilica of St Peter and Paul.

→ Štulcova → Štulcovy sady → Vyšehrad Cemetery →

From the Acropolis, the route will lead us along the barrier entrance to the Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul, which dominates the Vyšehrad area. Since its foundation in the 11th century, it has undergone a number of reconstructions, the current façade is Neo-Gothic.

You can continue along the road down the adjacent Štulcova street, but the paving is very rough in this part. Although the paving stones on the side pavement are not so rough, there is a significant crosswise slope (5–10%) and the pavement is damaged by tree roots near the basilica.

Situated at the bend in Štulcova ulice is the entrance to Štulcovy sady, a small, intimate park with lime trees and an early Baroque statue of St. Wenceslas on horseback. The area is flat with well-maintained clay paths. Along the eastern side, the path around the park, which has moderately rough paving and a slight slope, leads to another magnificent view of the Hradčany skyline.

We will leave Štulcovy sady and around the building of the New Provostship proceed along the rough surfaced path to the northern entrance of the Vyšehrad cemetery and its laudatory Slavín. The extensive complex is the final resting place of many notable figures of Czech culture and learning. It makes up a distinctive artistic unit, which is at the same time a matchless showcase of funereal sculpture and a manifestation of Czech artistic trends from the middle of the 19th century to the present.

Behind the metal entrance gate there is a step up, mitigated by a steep straight ramp (see Recommended buildings along the route).

The grounds are divided up by a system of pathways with mosaic paving and occasional slopes, into fifteen distinct areas. The greater part of the area is accessible, steps can be circumvented. We will go through the Vyšehrad cemetery to the southern gate at the main façade of the Basilica of St Peter and Paul, around which we will continue along the walkway with a variable transverse slope (3–5%) and several local narrows (width min. 76 cm) to Karlachovy sady.

However, when crossing Soběslavova street in front of the park, we have one more stretch of rough paving to overcome, on the
slanted kerbs and the crossing itself.

→ Karlach Park (Karlachovy sady) → K Rotundě → V Pevnosti

In the orchard park, named after its founder, Provost Mikuláš Karlach, we can find a stone sculpture of St John of Nepomuk, a neo-Gothic well and newly also a statue of provost Karlach. The park has nice compacted grit paths with a level surface. Wide paths are lined by avenues of linden trees.

Going between the well and the building of the Royal Chapter, we take the right walkway, which leads along K Rotundě street to V Pevnosti street. At the end of the walkway is a lowered kerb, and the route continues along the cobbled roadway.

Before we head back to Leopold’s gate, we can enjoy the sight of another extraordinary Vyšehrad monument, the rotunda of St Martin, the oldest preserved building of this type in Prague.