For many visitors, Petřín Hill is the obvious destination for panoramic views over Prague.

Yet the city’s oldest observation tower stands in a completely different location. Hidden among the trees of Cibulka Forest Park in Prague’s Košíře district, this little-known landmark offers a quiet alternative to the capital’s busiest tourist attractions—and visiting it costs nothing.

Built in 1820, the stone tower predates the famous Petřín Lookout Tower by decades. It formed part of a romantic English-style landscape park commissioned by Leopold Thun-Hohenstein, the Bishop of Passau, as part of the Cibulka estate.

Designed as a place for leisure rather than spectacle, the park reflected the 19th-century fashion for picturesque gardens filled with architectural features and hidden corners.

Unlike Petřín’s towering structure, the Cibulka observation tower rises only 13 meters above the ground. Its modest height means the viewing platform sits just above the surrounding treetops rather than soaring above the city skyline. Visitors climb a narrow spiral staircase before reaching views over Košíře, Motol, and parts of western Prague.

Despite lying only a short walk from the busy Plzeňská Street, the forest park feels surprisingly peaceful. The absence of crowds makes it easy to enjoy the surroundings, whether for a short walk or a longer afternoon exploring one of Prague’s lesser-known green spaces.

The observation tower is only one part of what makes Cibulka worth visiting. The former castle park contains several romantic structures inspired by the landscape gardens popular among European aristocracy in the early 19th century. Visitors can still find an artificial castle ruin, a Chinese pavilion, a hermitage, and winding paths that give the area a distinctive atmosphere.

Getting there is straightforward. Trams from central Prague stop within walking distance of the park, and reaching the tower requires only a short walk through the woodland. Admission is free throughout the year, making it one of the capital’s easiest historical landmarks to explore without spending anything.

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