Prague Castle's Stag Moat

A Quiet Alternative to Crowded Prague Attractions

Prague Castle's Stag Moat (Jelení Příkop) is one of those hidden places that's somehow completely obvious but rarely visited. Honestly, every time we walk through this valley of greenery, we see a maximum of 10 people.

The Stag Moat lies just below the main gate to Prague Castle not far from the tram stop (Pražský Hrad). Of course there are hundreds of tourists entering the castle, but it seems no one wants to take an alternative route to the castle. That is, until now ;-)

You can watch our video below to get a sense of the moat with its trees, flora and sculptures. It's really a remarkable place that gives you the sense of being far from the city with its big trees, birds, huge snails and little spring.

At one time, a few bears roamed around and there's even a small bear keeper's house below the bridge to the castle's main gate.

The moat is actually a natural defense to the castle and when you walk through you get a sense of just how impressive the castle actually is. You'll see the Gothic spires of St. Vitus' Cathedral, the Daliborka Tower and other parts of the castle from a remarkable view point. prague castle
stag moat

The moat itself has lots to see as well. You can wander through and see a variety of sculptures and connect to other parts of the castle's grounds including the royal gardens and Queen Anne's summer palace.

One of the most surprising sights in the moat is the bricked tunnel that courses under the castle's gate - pictured here.

The one drawback about the moat is the summer only hours. The Stag Moat is only open April 1 - October 31.

Where Is It?

The Stag Moat is basically just below the entire north side of Prague Castle. It lines the prague castle stag moat castle with the bridge to the castle's side gate crossing about the halfway point of the moat.

Here are few ways to access the moat:

Take the tram 22 to Pražský Hrad. This tram line runs parallel to the castle on the north side. The tram in either direction will work. Once you exit the tram head straight toward the castle. Just before entering the gate, turn immediately to your right and follow the path down into all the greenery.

For a fuller experience, take the Prague metro to Malostranská station (or tram stop). Exit the metro to the left at the top of the escalators. At the street turn to your left and follow the street for about 100 meters. You will pass the steps to the castle on your left - you'll note the crowds going up and down here! Keep walking past all the buildings to the small path in the grass. You'll start walking up this path to your left and eventually across a series of pathways and into the moat. This is one end of the moat and a fantastic walk.
Continue up the main path to the castle or explore the numerous other paths. Up to your right is the Queen Anne's summer palace (Kralovské Létohradek). Climb up that way to reach the castle's royal gardens and then onto the northern gate to the castle.
Our favorite way to enter the Stag Moat is via the far western entrance. You might call this its main entrance. You'll see this and the first wooden pathway in the video. This way is void of all tourists and we love to enter here after walking through the romantic New World Street.

The shortest path to this entrance is by taking the 22 tram to the stop Brusnice then cross the street and continue down the side street, U Brusnice. Walk about 100 meters and the entrance is on your left. To add New World Street to your tour, take the tram to Pohorelec and walk across the street to the Loreta. From the Loreta walk to your left and follow the street down the hill and continue onto New World (Nový Svět). At the end of the street you will see the entrance marked Jelení Příkop on the opposite wall.