Petrin Tower Prague: Tickets, Steps & Funicular

Petřín Hill rises green and quiet right above the rooftops of Malá Strana, and on its summit stands the closest thing Prague has to its own Eiffel Tower: the Petřín Lookout Tower, built in 1891. From the top you get the widest view in the city — more of Prague in a single sweep than you’ll see from the Castle. One thing to know before you plan, though: as of June 2026 the funicular is closed for reconstruction, so right now the hill is a walk-up. Here’s how to make the most of it — the tower and the climb, the best time to go, the rest of the hill, and how to get up while the funicular’s out.

Is the Petřín funicular running? (2026 status)

Short answer: not right now. The funicular stopped on 13 September 2024, after the heavy rains that flooded much of Czechia that autumn raised the risk of a landslide on the slope it runs on. The whole line has been under reconstruction since — new track and two brand-new cabins. Service is expected back around late summer or autumn 2026, but that hinges on testing and certification, and there’s no firm date as of June 2026. The new cars come with a playful touch that fits Petřín, Prague’s romantic hill: as the two pass each other on the slope, one “winks” with its headlights while the other’s interior briefly glows red. If riding it matters to you, check the latest before your trip; otherwise, plan to walk up (last section). It’s the question we get asked most about Petřín, so we keep this updated.

The Petřín Lookout Tower

The tower went up in 1891, also for the Jubilee Exhibition, after members of the Czech Tourist Club came back from the 1889 Paris World’s Fair wanting their own version of the Eiffel Tower. The result is an eight-sided steel lattice — about 175 tonnes of iron, built at roughly 1:5 the Eiffel’s scale — that opened that August. It stands about 63.5 m tall (the operator lists 58.7 m for the steel structure itself), with a covered gallery at 20 m and the main viewing deck at 51 m. Petřín Hill sits around 324 m above sea level — roughly 130 m above the river below — so the top of this little tower reaches nearly the same altitude as the summit of the real Eiffel Tower in Paris. On a clear day the view runs across the whole basin of the city, from the Castle to the bends of the Vltava, and on the clearest days well out into Bohemia.

Climbing it: stairs, lift, or just the view

You reach the top one of two ways. The stairs are the classic climb: a double-helix staircase of 299 steps, built so people going up never cross those coming down, which keeps it from feeling crowded even when it’s busy. Much of it is open to the air, so you feel the wind and the height as you go — exhilarating for most, but worth knowing if you’re not great with heights. There are two stops along the way: the gallery at 20 m, with fixed binoculars, and the main deck at 51 m. Space at the top is tight, so most people spend 10–15 minutes up there taking it in.

The lift runs straight to the 51 m platform if you’d rather not climb. One honest tip travelers learn the hard way: a single lift ticket is poor value on its own, and the family ticket (two adults, up to four kids) is usually the smartest buy — even if not everyone in your group plans to go up. If you use a wheelchair, the lift reaches the 20 m gallery (the 51 m deck has no room to manoeuvre), and there’s a mechanical wheelchair on site to help.

A local truth, too: you don’t have to go up at all. Sitting on a bench under the tower, the whole park around you and the city below, is — on a lazy afternoon — almost as good as the climb.

Petřín Tower tickets and hours (2026)

Admission, as of 2026 (always worth a quick check before you go, as prices move):

• Adult: 250 CZK (about $11) · reduced: 170 · youth 16–26: 200 · family (2 adults + up to 4 kids): 500 · under 5: free · Lítačka holders: 225
• Lift: about 150 CZK extra (seniors 50; wheelchair users, under-5s and ZTP/P holders free)
• Skip-the-line, bought online: adult 320 · reduced 210 · youth 260 · family 600
• Combined Tower + Mirror Maze: 300 (family 600); a three-sight ticket adding the Štefánik Observatory: 340 (family 730)

Two money-savers worth knowing. The first opening hour of the day is half price, every day. And if you’re already weighing a city pass, the tower is included on it — see whether the Prague Card is worth it for your trip.

One warning: Prague City Tourism is the only official seller, at its own desks and online through its ticketing partner. Tickets bought through random third-party sites may not be valid at the door, so book direct.

Opening hours run by season — roughly 9 a.m.–7 p.m. from April to August, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. in September, and 10 a.m.–6 p.m. from October through March. Confirm current hours on the official Prague City Tourism page before heading up.

Best time to go: sunset, light and crowds

For the view, aim for late afternoon into early evening. The light turns gold over the rooftops, and on clear evenings the tower is lit up — one of the prettier sights on the hill. It’s also the most photogenic window, so it draws people; if you’d rather have the place quiet, the first hour after opening is both calmer and half price. Weekends and clear summer days are the busiest — expect a short queue for tickets and a brief wait to go up, though staff cap numbers so the top never feels packed.

Petřín, Prague’s romantic hill

There’s a reason couples make the climb. Petřín is Prague’s hill of lovers, tied to the 19th-century Romantic poet Karel Hynek Mácha and his poem May — and to a tradition that’s still going: on 1 May, couples come up to kiss under the blossoming cherry trees. The record set here, unbroken to this day, is 108 couples kissing at the same moment. If you’re visiting in spring, the orchards in bloom are reason enough on their own. 2026 is a milestone year, too — the 135th anniversary of the tower and the Mirror Maze, both born of that same 1891 exhibition.

More to do on Petřín Hill

The tower isn’t the only reason to come up. Petřín is a half-day in itself:

• Mirror Maze (Zrcadlové bludiště) — a fun-house hall of mirrors in a little neo-Gothic castle, about 150 CZK for adults (combined tickets with the tower are listed above). Kids love it.
• Štefánik Observatory — a working public observatory where you can look through the telescopes on clear days.
• The Hunger Wall (Hladová zeď) — a medieval fortification built under Charles IV in 1360–1362, running across the hillside; free to walk alongside.
• The rose garden — a free public garden near the observatory, at its best in early summer.

One correction worth flagging: the wooden Church of St. Michael, a 17th-century church moved here from Carpathian Ruthenia in 1929, was badly damaged by fire in 2020 and is under restoration — so it isn’t a sight to visit right now, whatever older guides say.

How to get up Petřín Hill

When the funicular’s running, it’s the easy way up — board at the bottom on Újezd street and ride to the top, every 10 minutes or so. While it’s closed, here’s how to reach the top on foot, and the routes really differ in effort:

• The flat way (best for most) — come in from the Strahov side. Tram 22 or 23 to Pohořelec, or any tram or bus to the Strahov stops, then an easy, level walk through the campus and the Rose Garden to the tower. No real climb, and it pairs perfectly with a visit to the Strahov Monastery next door.
• The scenic climb — up from Újezd, following the funicular’s path through the park and orchards, about 20–25 minutes uphill. Trams 9, 12, 15, 20, 22 and 23 stop at Újezd. It’s the prettier approach but a genuine climb — and the steep paths up from this side and from Malostranské náměstí aren’t maintained in winter, so skip them in ice and snow.

When the cable cars are back, one nuance catches people out: the short 30- and 90-minute PID tickets don’t actually cover the funicular. You’ll need a 24-hour pass or longer, or a dedicated funicular ticket (about 60 CZK).

If you’ll be paying cash up top — for tickets, or the paid toilets (around 20 CZK, coins) — it’s worth changing money in the centre rather than at the airport; here’s our guide to changing money in Prague. And if you’re slotting Petřín into a wider plan, our Prague in 2 days guide shows where it fits.

Funicular or footpath, Petřín pays you back for the trip up: the widest view in Prague, a whole hillside of gardens, and a calm the Old Town can’t give you. Bring decent shoes while the climb’s the only way up — and we’ll update this the moment the cable cars are back.

See you in Prague.