10 lovely forests and child-friendly nature excursions in Prague

What´s probably most fascinating here in Central Europe is the amazing nature that feels very special. It reminds me in many ways about Gotland in Sweden´s magically beautiful cliff landscape because of the surroundings around Prague that is based on a several 100 million-year-old seabed. The landscape here is dramatic with many ravines, caves and strange rock formations. You can find fossils and dinosaur tracks if you are looking in the right place. Some of the better specimens of mammoth bones have been found here in the Czech Republic. One can imagine that mysteriously cone-shaped mountains once had been volcanoes.

In order to find the beautiful scenery, you don´t need to go far from the city. You can even find the exciting nature in the city and get to the areas that I mention here with the public transportation. But one thing is certain, that it isnt as wild and breathtaking near the city but still quite okay to get your nature dose that you are longing for. You can see old and new traces of humanity everywhere in the most easily accessible nature such as strange statues and mini-chapels, and quite a lot of graffiti that the Prague teenagers seem to have a penchant for. The best nature areas are therefore, in my opinion, outside the local traffic network, but there are many gems in and around the city. These are our favorites:

Obora Hvezda

Translated from Czech, it roughly means "the star-park". This forest / park has been named by the beautiful star-shaped castle-like building in the middle of it. It is located in Prague 6 which is easy to reach by both tram and metro. In the spring, the ground is covered with wood anemones and wild garlic. Many of the trees are covered in ivy. There are several playgrounds and a traffic playground outside. This place is suitable for picnics and family meet-ups.

 Ďáblicky Haj

This forest is slightly off the beaten path in Prague 8 but is still relatively easy to reach by tram. It´s very nice to spend a day in it. There is a large play area with several barbecue spots and many beautiful ravines and cliffs. There is also an observatory at the top.

Lysolaje Udoli

Údolí means "valley" in Czech. This is a nature area where you can walk around in a valley or rather in sort of a mini-canyon as it is very steep. The natural landscape is quite dramatic. There are also exciting things that humanity has left behind - including a cold spring water pool, chapels and statues here and there. The valley is located in Prague 6 and is most easily reached by car. You can also walk through Divoká Šárka to get there.

Tiche Udoli

The "quiet valley" is quite deafening when there are incoming airplanes as they go in for landing at the airport over this forest but otherwise it seems to be pretty quiet there. There are some wild animals that you can read about on the informative signs. We saw a gray heron and a squirrel as well as various common birds. There seemed to be traces of otters or beavers in the stream as well. It is easiest to get there by car, but there are also buses from Prague.

 Cibulka

This forest, located in Prague 5, is quite central and easy to reach by bus 123 which goes up the hill. Here are both deciduous and coniferous trees. There are a few playgrounds and picnic huts, as well as some ponds, a number of statues, caves / tunnels, a mini-castle that you can walk up in and a lot of other interesting things. There is a stream to play in too.

 Divoká Šárka

"Wild Šarka" is a nature reserve in Prague 6 that extends to the two valleys mentioned above. It's big and wild for being so close to the city. There are dramatic cliffs and ravines that the stream meanders its way through. There is also a pond where you can swim in and spring water pools. Although it´s partly tamed by humans, there are surprisingly wild areas that fit well for a day-trip. It is easy to reach the nature reserve by public transport or by car.

 Draháň-Troja

This nature area is located in Prague 8 and is pretty close to Dáblice so you can explore both areas the same day if you want. We went there on a sunny autumn day and parked in Cimice (which you can also go by bus to). We walked in the valley along the Cimice stream and then crossed the fields and meadows to get to the lookout picnic spot near the river. There is a big drop there, maybe 80 m high, so it is definitely not suitable for toddlers and babies but the view is quite nice. You can skip that part if you have littles as there is plenty of other things to explore. There is also a small lake.

Kunratice

This forest is probably our kids favorite. It´s located in Prague 4 and is a fairly large natural area. Friends who live near have reported wild animal herds of different kinds. If you don't see them, you might be content with the mini-zoo there. There is an excellent forest pub with outdoor playground and large areas to run around. The children's favorite place is the stream where there is blue clay and the playground with fireplace where you can have a bbq.

Mala Chuchle

This forest called "Little Chuchle" is located next to "Big Chuchle" which we haven´t visited yet. It´s a large forest in Prague 5 which is a little more tricky to reach but you can both take the bus or drive. We went there on an ice cold winter day. You have to go up a really steep hill to get to the minizoo.place. In hindsight I would definitely not have taken the stroller with me. We all had to push it up the worst bits. But the nature is beautiful and the mini-zoo at the top of the hill has a playground and quite a few animals. In the summer, the pub will be open too. At the "entrance" there is a beautiful church.

Prokopske Udoli

The Prokop Valley is also located in Prague 5. This is an area rich in fossils. You can find them in the stream and on the slopes. The valley, like the others we explored in Prague, is dramatically steep. Here it´s possible to get up on the hill and then you can walk past a natural well with drinking water. There are barbecue areas, playgrounds and several areas for picnics. It´s easy to get there with the tram. The pub on the way down to the valley has a large playground and good food which can be good to know if you don´t bring food.

Google maps with mentioned nature areas above. However, you will find your way easiest by using mapy.cz. Then you will see the markings for wells, view points and points of interest that are not listed on Google.

Bitcoin family-picnic in Stromovka

It's nice that there are enough families here to get together a bitcoin family picnic. I had invited our bitcoin friends and families who were interested in bitcoin. Bitcoin has a lot in common with unschooling..I wish more would see the connection! We packed the stroller full of chocolate muffins and salmon sandwiches which we had prepared in the morning. The picnic area was decorated with yellow balloons with the bitcoin "₿" on. There were 3 Swedish families plus some more swedes and Kristyna which was the only czech person as well as a Brazilian / Finnish family who found us by chance. The majority of us were Swedish speakers except 3 people, which was extraordinary because its not usually like that. 

In the background, you can see the boat which you pull with the rope to get to the "island" of the dam.

Picture taken by Mikaela. Here you can see exactly what it is like to not let go of a running one-year-old with your eyes while making coffee at the portable gas stove!

Advanced bitcoin-talk going on.

The water was a little too cold to swim in today so Edward was happy with just pouring with the water can. Next week it will be around 29 degrees again.

In the dam on the other side there were huge fishes that looked like carps as you can see in the picture if you look closely. There were perchants as well.

The new family. One can see that Edward has been on the go and spread popcorn everywhere on the picnic blanket.

Practical to breastfeed wherever you are!

Play fighting with 3 little boys.

We decided to move on because of the beer-needy adults and the need for a change of environment.

The Vozovna playground has a restaurant / pub attached so the children can run around at the large playground or climb the trees next to us while the adults take it easy.

With the exception of Edward of course. One person can never relax as to make sure that he doesnt hurt himself or run away.

The Stromovka Park has really got a facelift. Renovation is still underway, but there are many beautiful parts, and it is nice to have greenery here when you live in town.

Want to learn more about bitcoin in Prague? Visit the unique bitcoin café Paralelni Polis! Do you want to know where the beautiful park is located? Here is a map! The map needle is located near the pond by the boat. The playground pub / restaurant is called Restaurace Vozovna.

Awesome things for kids in Holesovice

We ended up in Holesovice pretty much because it was easy here and we felt a little lazy after 1,5 years of living as nomads in 26 different countries. Holesovice is a fairly quiet area but rich in things to do near central Prague. It was the first area we stayed in here and after exploring other parts of Prague we decided it was our favourite. There is so many things to do here for families, just outside our door step. Its a surprisingly nice part of the world that is not very well known and often gets missed by visitors. I´ll list our favourites! All of these places are near the two worldschooling flats that we offer to rent when we are travelling.

1) Kralovska Obora / Stromovka Park

The royal park is the largest park in Prague and is great for kids. There are several play parks. Many of them have a pub or restaurant attached. (where else would you find a play park where you also could get some cheap quality beer if not in Prague??) There is a planetarium, exhibition grounds in the stunning Vystaviste Holesovice where there are some interesting exhibitions every now and again, duck ponds where you can feed the ducks and where there are some summer activities, or in the winter where you can skate. There is a fun fair as well, and you can rent pedal cars and do some other things in the summer. When there is snow there is a good hill for toboggans and people also go cross country skiing here. There is plenty of trees which is nice in a big city, and some lovely spots for picknicks and ball games. There are also stables and you can walk to the zoo over the river.

2) DOX arts museum

The contemporary arts museum offers workshops for families and homeschoolers, and you can get an interactive kit in english. There is a huge wooden zeppelin on top.

3) VELETRŽNÍ PALÁC - Narodni Galerie arts museum

This is another arts museum with some impressive paintings that also have events for kids sometimes.

4) Krokodyli zoo

There is a little crocodile zoo in the middle of Holesovice. Its just a stones throw away from one of our worldschooling flats. You can see when they feed the crocodiles at certain times. They have some events and childrens activities.

5) Morsky Svet

This is the biggest aquarium in Czech republic where you can see sharks and exotic fish. It is located just near Vystaviste Holesovice so its a great combination together with the park, or instead of the park if its bad weather.

6) Planetarium

The planetarium is located in the Stromovka park. Sometimes they have events for families.

7) Národní zemědělské muzeum (Agriculture museum)

The Agriculture museum is an interactive museum for kids that is a little more exciting than it may sound! We found farm animals outside the entrance. Lots of old tractors, and some small tractors for kids. It can be good fun for a rainy day.

8) Montessori kindergarden

There is a little montessori kindergarden called Marina academy by the marina in Holesovice. The language is english but the kids come from different countries. Its 100% private which means they dont have to follow the government rules. From 3-6.

9) Pražská tržnice (Prague market)

The big market in Prague is just a short walk from our two worldschooling family homes. Most of the sellers are Vietnamese, so we nicknamed the market "the Vietnamese market". They sell really a mish mash of stuff, everything from clothes to weapons, toys, some indecent stuff, home decor and souvenirs. You can also buy things for cooking asian food there. There is an vietnamese eatery that serves the best pho soup in Prague for about 100 czech koruna. In the summer when it was over 30 degrees celsius and there were so many vietnamese kids playing there late at night, it really felt for a while like we werent in Prague but in south east asia! The big vegetable market is an interesting place to take the kids. The size of some of the vegetables like pumpkins and beetroot are pretty impressive. Its good for getting your vegetables and locally produced milk and eggs.

10) Draw planet arts school

This arts school have drop in kids lessons on saturdays which is great if you dont want to commit to something. There are also workshops and classes for adults. Its located in a giant old communist building.

11) Muddum arts school

This arts school is run by a spanish couple. They do workshops for kids in english and spanish, pottery and african arts for instance.

12) Paralelni Polis

This is a creative place for people interested in a state free society, crypto currency and arts. There is a 3D printing workshop where adults and kids can take lessons. Sometimes there are interesting lectures in english, and once a year there is the hackers congress (hacking applies to worldschooling too as we hack through the school system :) ) Most important, it is bitcoin only and a great place for families and children to learn about how the monetary system works and what the difference is for decentralized currencies like gold and bitcoin. The corrupt czech finance minister made fun of below.

13) Tančírna dance studio

This is a dance studio on Delnicka street near both our worldschooling flats, the lessons are in czech but the staff can instruct in english a little too. You will find lessons for kids, adults and yoga also.

14) Letna Park - Letensky Sady

This is another nice park between Holesovice and Hradcany. You just take a tram to Korunovacni or Sparta. It is quite big, with a couple of play parks, some sports areas and iceskating at christmas. There are play park pubs of course where you can get drinks and hot dogs if you forget a picnic. Walk to the metronome and have a look at the wonderful view over the city of Prague.

15) Mammut climbing centre 

This climbing centre has both courses and you can rent equipment to climb here yourself too. Suitable for both small kids and adults.

16) Vystaviste swimming pool and sports facilities

There are plenty of sports activities and facilities in Vystaviste like indoor iceskating and swimming. We particularly like the small newly renovated pool there. Its very cheap and clean, and just swimming lanes so its perfect for small kids to learn to swim and the adults to get some exercise. You will find the swimming pool and sports centres to the right side of the exhibition halls. Walk or take the tram to Vystaviste Holesovice.

17) Technical museum

This museum is located near the letenske namesti tram stop. Its perfect for a rainy day. There are several floors with interesting stuff and an ok restaurant.

18) Bio Oko 

This is an alternative cinema that shows foreign films, often with english text or in english.

19) Tennis club and lessons

On a little island just south of Holesovice you can find the CLTK tennis club where you can get lessons and play.

20) The Marina and around on the eastern side of Holesovice 

Holesovice is a traditional "workers area" that used to be where the meat packing industry was before in the communist times. It was quite run down and poor. This has changed totally just recently. Today its a cool place with many nice restaurants, clubs and things to do. The eastern area is full of renovated and new buildings, many tech offices, fancy homes  and therefore many nice lunch restaurants and small parks have sprung up. We love living here. The best restaurant in Prague (according to us) is located in the citys old brewery building and around it there are new shops, yoga studios and gyms, places for parents and toddlers and many healthy food options (with czech price tags). The camera shop Megapixel offers photography and studio lessons. We like walking along the river where there are many interesting boats and old run down warehouses. In fact since the last month or so we barely left Holesovice, not feeling the need for it!

Regarding information about our two worldschooling flats, one of them will be available for rent full time, and the other one that we live in will be available when we are travelling. It is free april 6th-may 6th. Please send a message for more info as they are both not listed for rent yet but I will post when they are.