Czech Republic · Hlavní město Praha · Prague
Smíchov, Prague — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Smíchov is a district on the west bank of the Vltava, in Prague 5. It was a separate community until 1922, when it was incorporated into Prague as a formal cadastral area, and that late arrival keeps it a little apart from the medieval core. The river marks its eastern edge. Above it the ground climbs to Petřín hill, crowned by the Petřín Lookout Tower.
About Smíchov
Where to stay in Smíchov
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
Staying in Smíchov puts you outside the medieval core of Prague, in a quarter that only joined the city in 1922. Beds here tend to be calmer and better value than in the old town. From the district you can climb onto Petřín hill to reach the Petřín Lookout Tower, or walk north into Malá Strana and on up to Prague Castle.
It suits travellers happy to trade a central address for quiet and a short tram ride. Choose it for the value. If you would rather sleep among the monuments, the denser hotel streets lie across the Vltava in the historic centre.
About Smíchov
What are the main landmarks in Smíchov?
Smíchov's own skyline is short on monuments, but several of Prague's landmarks sit right on its doorstep. Directly above the district, on the crest of Petřín hill, stands the Petřín Lookout Tower, with Strahov Monastery a little further along the same ridge. Step north into Malá Strana and you reach the Church of Our Lady of Victories, the shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague.
Higher still rises Prague Castle. Down by the water, the Franz Kafka Museum sits on the Malá Strana embankment within easy walking distance.
What is the history of Smíchov?
For most of its history Smíchov was a community in its own right, a separate town set apart from Prague on the far bank of the Vltava. The turning point came in 1922, when a greater-Prague reform folded it into the capital as a cadastral area within Prague 5. That setting is old. The ridge above it already carried Strahov Monastery, whose foundation predates the district's absorption by many centuries.
That older layer, monastic hill above and river town below, still frames how Smíchov sits in the city.
Where is Smíchov?
Smíchov spreads across the valley floor on the Vltava's west bank, within Prague 5. The river draws its eastern boundary. To the north-east the wooded slope of Petřín hill rises steeply and pens the quarter in against the ridge. Upstream along the same bank sits Malá Strana, the Lesser Town, and from the water the land tilts up so sharply that the western streets stand well above those by the river.
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Updated July 2026