8 Best Sights in Letna, Holešovice, and Troja, Prague

This giant modern art hub makes up the trio of big-beast artistic institutions in Prague 7 that have seen the district christened the city's most creative, alongside the Trade Fair Palace and the Academy of Fine Arts college next to Stromovka Park. This one is arguably the most fun, from its witty slogans (emblazoned on the building and sold as postcards) to its often flamboyant modern art collection, via a discussion space located in a life-size suspended airship. Housed in a former factory, DOX is more than just a brilliant modern art gallery, though; it is also a cultural center aiming to put art at the forefront of modern ways of thinking about the world.

This large, shady park offers a pretty view of Prague's bridges. From the enormous concrete pedestal at the center of the park—now occupied by a giant working metronome, which some say is marking time since the 1989 Velvet Revolution—the world's largest statue of Stalin once beckoned to citizens on Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square) below. The statue was blown up in 1962, just seven years after it was completed. In nice weather, there's a large and popular beer garden at the park's eastern end and Czechs and expats playing games on the grass. Walk east along Milady Horákové ulice after exiting the Metro or take the tram, or head up the hill from Staré Mĕsto if you want some exercise. At the back of the park, toward the home of the football club Sparta at the Generali Arena, there's a huge open space that is often used for the Czech Republic's largest protests (it's even bigger than famous Wenceslas Square), including those heralding the end of communism in 1989.

This sometimes overlooked gallery, boasting the National Gallery's The Art of a Long Century (1796–1918), as well as the art of The First Republic (1918–38), has a real claim to being the city's best. Touring the vast spaces of this 1920s functionalist exposition hall filled to the brim with quirky, stimulating, comprehensive modern and contemporary local art is the best way to see how Czechs surfed the forefront of the avant-garde wave until the cultural freeze following World War II. Keep an eye out for works by František Kupka, credited as one of the first-ever abstract artists, and other Czech giants like Josef Čapek. Also on display are works by Western European—mostly French—artists from Delacroix to the present, with paintings by Gauguin, Picasso, and Braque an unexpected bonus. But painting is only the beginning—also occupying the many levels of the museum are collages, cubist sculptures, vintage gramophones, futuristic architectural models, art deco furnishings, and an exhaustive gathering of work from this new century, some of which is just as engrossing as the older stuff. Also, watch the papers and posters for information on traveling shows and temporary exhibits.

Not far from Zoologická zahrada v Praze (Prague Zoo), the public garden has a path in a greenhouse that first takes you through a semidesert environment, then through a tunnel beneath a tropical lake and into a rain forest; you end up cooling off in a room devoted to plants found in tropical mountains. Sliding doors and computer-controlled climate systems help keep it all together. The impressive Fata Morgana, a snaking 429-foot greenhouse that simulates the three different environments, has been drawing large crowds since it opened in 2004. There are lots of other areas in the huge outdoor gardens to explore, too, including beehives, a Japanese ornamental garden, and hilly areas with good views. The trails, including a scented trail and a nature trail, are pleasant as well. And don't miss the vineyard.

This thoroughly renovated and kid-friendly museum is dedicated to the fun aspects of science, technology, and industry. There are full-sized steam locomotives, historic automobiles, and old aircraft on display. There are also engrossing exhibits on photography and astronomy and an active program of rotating temporary shows.

Built in the late 17th century for the Czech nobleman Count Šternberg, this sprawling summer residence, modeled on a classical Italian villa, had the first French-style gardens in Bohemia. Inside, rich frescoes that took more than 20 years to complete depict the stories of emperors. Outside, there's plenty of pomp and ceremony, with a red-and-white baroque façade and a sweeping staircase adorned with statues of the sons of Mother Earth.

The château is closed from November through March.

This vineyard perched on a hill within the Botanical Gardens is a rewarding stop on a visit to Troja's zoo, the gardens, or the château. Well priced and lively, with delicious hyperlocal vintages, of course, it's a beautiful and relaxed spot for sunset among the vines. Note: you have to pay admission to the Botanical Gardens to go to the vineyard.

Flora, fauna, and fresh air are the main things you can find in Prague's zoo. Hit hard by the floods in 2002, when some 134 animals perished, and again in 2013, when much of the zoo's grounds were inundated with water, Prague's zoo gets a periodic cleanup and offers a welcome break from the bustle of the city, particularly for those traveling with kids. Covering 160 acres on a slope overlooking the Vltava River, the zoo has thousands of animals representing 500 species. Take the chairlift for an outstanding view of the area, and look into arriving via boat: either, in summer, on a steamboat from the center of town or on the simple daily passenger ferry between Podbaba and Podhoří.