Prague’s Funicular Has a New Trick: It Winks, Blushes and Carries a Century of History Uphill

Two cars meet halfway up Petřín Hill, as they have done for generations. But the encounter now comes with a small theatrical flourish: each carriage appears to wink at the other before its lights turn red, as if the two vehicles were blushing.

The flirtatious exchange is the signature feature of Prague’s newly rebuilt Petřín funicular, which resumed passenger service on September 22 after almost two years out of operation. The line now combines a historic route with fourth-generation cars designed for contemporary Prague—and with a sense of humor rarely associated with public transport.

The idea was first presented publicly in 2023, when Prague officials unveiled the proposed redesign. The new cars were conceived by Anna Marešová Designers, the studio behind the celebrated T3 Coupé tram. Their brief was not simply to replace aging vehicles, but to make the ride more spacious, visually open and connected to the landscape through which it travels.

The result preserves the funicular’s familiar two-car arrangement while introducing larger areas of glazing and a distinctive blue glass roof. The expanded windows are intended to improve views of Prague during the ascent and descent, while the minimized technical space helps keep Prague Castle visible from the carriage. Folding seats create more flexibility between seated and standing passengers, and the new cars can carry up to 120 people—an increase over the previous generation.

The most memorable detail, however, is the least necessary one. When the cars pass each other, lighting elements produce the wink-and-blush effect. It is visible not only to passengers but also to people waiting near the Nebozízek station, turning a routine meeting of railway vehicles into a small public performance.

A landmark interrupted by rain

The reopening follows a difficult period for one of Prague’s best-known transport landmarks. In September 2024, extreme rainfall damaged the funicular’s track and parts of the Petřín hillside. Because a comprehensive reconstruction had already been planned, the service did not return with the old cars. Instead, the project expanded to include the track, slope-related works, rails, cable technology and other operating equipment.

The restoration has effectively renewed the entire line. It now covers approximately 509 metres, climbs more than 126 metres and reaches a maximum gradient of 296 per mille. The journey takes about three minutes, with cars running at up to four metres per second.

The scale of the work is significant, but the route itself remains reassuringly familiar: Újezd at the foot of the hill, Nebozízek halfway up and Petřín near the summit. The line remains part of Prague’s integrated public transport system, linking the Lesser Town with one of the city’s most popular green spaces and viewpoints.

From water power to electric cars

The Petřín funicular is not a recent tourist invention. It first opened on July 25, 1891, in connection with the development of Petřín Hill and its lookout tower. The original system used water-balanced propulsion and was, at the time, the longest funicular in Austria-Hungary.

The line ceased operating during the First World War. It returned in 1932 with electric propulsion, a longer route and new equipment. A second major interruption came in 1965, when landslides damaged the line. The funicular remained closed for two decades before reopening in 1985 as part of Prague’s regular public transport network.

That history helps explain why the latest project is more than a vehicle upgrade. Petřín’s funicular has repeatedly been forced to adapt to changing technology, weather and urban needs. The new design continues that pattern while giving the system a more visible personality.

A practical ride with a theatrical view

The renewed service runs daily from 7 a.m. to 10:15 p.m., with departures every ten minutes. A single journey costs 100 Czech koruna, or 90 koruna when purchased through the PID Lítačka app. Holders of valid 24-hour or 72-hour Prague tickets, long-term travel passes and the Prague Visitor Pass do not need to pay an additional fare.

Passengers should note one unusual feature of the route: Nebozízek is served on the uphill journey, but the funicular passes through the station without stopping when travelling downhill. The stop provides access to the surrounding parkland and nearby restaurant, as well as views toward Prague Castle.

At the top, visitors can continue to Petřín Lookout Tower, the Mirror Maze, the Štefánik Observatory and the hill’s gardens. The line also passes through the Hunger Wall, the medieval fortification commissioned by Charles IV in the fourteenth century. In just a few minutes, the journey links medieval Prague, nineteenth-century engineering, twentieth-century public transport and twenty-first-century design.

The new funicular is not fully wheelchair accessible, although the redesigned cars are better suited to prams and bicycles. Its fare rules also differ from some ordinary Prague transport services, so passengers need a valid ticket for the entire journey.

For Prague, the reopening restores more than a convenient route to a hilltop attraction. It brings back a recognizable part of the city’s daily rhythm: the brief pause at Újezd, the climb through trees and gardens, the glimpse of the castle, and the meeting of two cars on the slope.

Now that meeting has a face—or at least two illuminated eyes. And for a city famous for its romance, a funicular that winks before blushing may be exactly the right way to begin its next chapter.