Playground Under Charles Bridge, Prague 1
NEWLY RECONSTRUCTED FOR SUMMER!
As its name implies, the Charles Bridge Playground is located directly under the bridge on the left bank of the Vltava river (Mala Strana side). It is ideal for parents and children who might wish to play and unwind or just take a break from sightseeing, right in the heart of one of the most historically important parts of town. We started going to this gem of a playground even before we moved to Prague. The views it offers of the city are just amazing.
The upgrade includes thick rubber matting under all the equipment and they have replanted the lawn so it is lush underfoot rather than patchy. The park still contains several swings, slides, climbing frames, rocking animals and even a sandpit. There is plenty of space for just running and fooling around and both my 3 as well as 7-year-old always find lots of things to do here, whenever we visit.
An iron fence encloses the entire play area, so there is no danger of anyone running away or jumping into the river. As there are quite a number of benches around, grown-ups can also take a rest, while watching the boats on the Vltava float by. Tickets for scenic boat rides on the river, are available at numerous stands under the bridge on this side of the river. One example being Prague Venice
The up-market Kampa Park Restaurant is located right next to the playground, and theoretically, if sitting at the right table, one could keep an eye on their kids in the playground and dine at the same time. This arrangement would only work for older children, who would be able to make their own way back to the restaurant (30 seconds of walking). There is no direct access from the playground to the restaurant itself.
An additional eatery at a more modest price that we reviewed in the nearby vicinity is Bio Cafe Klarov which has a small indoor play area right near metro stop Malostranska (NB: Unfortunately the Bio Cafe group of restaurants are no longer due to the economic recession) and a short (but crowded) walk across the bridge is the recently reviewed Lehka Hlava.
New photos courtesy of Larissa.
OPEN: April 1st - October 31st: 08:00 - 19:00, November 1st - March 31st: 08:00 - 17:00
ADDRESS: Playground is underneath Charles Bridge (Mala Strana side), Prague 1
DIRECTIONS: Take tram 12, 20, or 22 to Malostranske Namesti and walk towards Charles Bridge. Turn left at the entrance to the Bridge and walk downwards, as if alongside the bridge. Walk for about 150m, veering to the left. With the Metro, get off at Malostranska (Line A - green). Walk towards Charles Bridge, veer left and follow the edge of the bridge (on your right), until you reach the playground, which will be on your left. Paid parking (CZK 50 per hour), is available at Malostranske Namesti.
Sarah on 22 April 2009 @ 01:13 PM
Thanks for updating your articles. Though, I am bummed to hear that the Bio Cafes had to close due to the economy! I was also sad to notice that my favorite Cafe Ebel near Tyn Church closed in early April too. Difficult times.
Larissa on 24 April 2009 @ 04:11 PM
Hi Sarah, yes it’s disappointing and hopefully there are no others that suffer the same fate. On a positive note I can share with you the recently opened Bio Zahrada right near Namesti Miru. This is a smoke free, bio cafe which is very pleasant to visit now, but will be even better in the future when they develop an outdoor play area for kids in their gorgeous inner courtyard. We will plan to cover this the moment it is open. In the meantime you can check out http://www.bio-zahrada.cz/en
Suzanne on 26 May 2009 @ 09:18 PM
We live in Mala Strana and never used this playground in the 18 months we have lived here (as it wasn’t great). A BIG thanks KIP for this article as we have revisited the playground after its upgrade and it is fantastic - great for toddlers and older kids!!!
Todd Woelfl on 04 August 2009 @ 05:46 AM
This was our favorite playground in Prague. It is very, very clean and well kept. Our 4 year old daughter quickly made many friends from several different countries. Despite our desire to have her experience “real” local parks, we found that she made more friends in parks like this one with lots of international tourists rather than local parks where the children were confused when our daughter couldn’t understand them. You can’t beat the great pictures you’ll get with your kids swinging in front of the Charles bridge.