Kids in Prague

In-line track and Playgroud, Nove Butovice Prague 5

Playgrounds, Sports and Fitness on 06 April 2009 by Darina

Ladies (and some of you Gentleman) heres the perfect opportunity to shape up for bikini season and take your kids out to play at the same time. Right behind Galerie Butovice Shopping Mall you can hop on In-line skates and roll it. Kids can follow you on bikes or play at the Playground which is in site of the track. This is the place where we taught Marcus to ride a bike because the surface is smooth, straight and not too long.

It is very well hidden, you have to drive through the parking lot in front of the shopping mall and try to get behind it from the right. You might be stopped by a No Entry sign, but don’t worry, just drive through. Behind Hypernova there are several parking places marked for In-line skaters only next to spots for the employees of the Supermarket. If you don’t want to take any risks, leave your car at the main parking lot and walk around the back on the right side.

This is the perfect place for In-line beginners since the 500 m track is flat with a very nice surface. During your ride you can enjoy the beautiful views over the “Prokopske udoli” (Prokopske Valley) which is very popular for walks and spreads all the way from Prague Stodulky to Prague Barrandov. Its also a safe place where you can teach your children to ride bikes as well. For advanced skaters I suggest Ladronka park with much longer and profiled tracks.

The playground is fenced and you can leave your kid playing while you skate. I think this is more suitable for children over 4 years or more rather than younger aged kids. The playground has attractions for both smaller and bigger kids and if your husband gets bored, he can try the climbing wall there. I wanted to be courageous and show my boys mummy is not afraid of anything but when I came closer to the climbing wall it looked rather too tall and I decided my freshly polished nail tips were too expensive to chip off and so I took the boys to the slide instead.

This is a very practical spot. You can do your shopping in the mall and then shoot off to and do some sports or un-leash you kids. Take some refhresments, because the kiosk that used to serve food and drinks in the middle of the track shut down.

I almost forgot! There is a basketball pitch right in front of the playground and I have seen some active fathers playing ball games with their kids. You can also bring Petanque sets and play in between the tracks. The surface there is sandy and very suitable for this French game. If you get hungry, I can recommend a very nice Pizza place on the first floor of the Shopping Mall.

I have already mentioned Prokopske Udoli (Prokopske Valley). Its is a natural reserve and one of the most important and protected landscapes in Prague with karst areas, creeks, fossil fields, prairies and groves. The Prokopské Valley begins behind New Butovice and heads towards the Great Barrandov Hill until Hlubočepy. The valley is a designated nature reserve and linked to it are other reservations such as the natural monument Opatřilka which is a red quarry, also the Prokopské quarry- here is the site of the former Prokopské cave, which according to legend lived the Holy Prokop and St. Procopius’ s hermitage. Also popular is Hlubočepské Jezírko (small pond) that flooded the former limestone quarry. The area is very popular for joggers, cyclists and walkers (walking is possible with a pram, the route is aprox 3 km long).