Prague Transportation

Prague is a very easy place to navigate. The city public transportation system is clean, cheap and effective.

The metro runs from 5 am to midnight.

Regular trams and buses run from 430 am to 1130pm.

After midnight, the night trams and buses run, but less frequently (up to every 40 minutes).

Did you know that you can take the city bus from the Prague airport to the center and vice versa? It is by far the cheapest way to travel from/to the airport and the trip is convenient enough if you don't have a lot of luggage to carry and know how to get to your destination by public transport (I recommend you research this in advance, e.g. by asking your hotel).

The Prague airport is serviced by two buses: no. 119 and no. 100. To take either of the buses, all you need is a regular public transport ticket for 20 CZK (less than 1 USD) per person. Each of the buses will drop you off at a metro (subway) station from where you can continue using the same ticket for another 50 - 60 minutes.

Detailed info about the routes, schedules, as well as other ways to travel from/to the Prague airport, can be found here.

Prague airport can close due to bad weather!

If it happens you can be stuck there for a couple of days. If you have flown with Easyjet, better pay for a ticket with CSA, otherwise you may be stuck there for ever!

No more 12czk tickets, instead 20czk for 75 minutes (this would be the ticket you buy to get you from the airport by bus 119 to Dejvicka Metro station, then Metro into town eg Mustek).....check the website for other changes to fares.

Unlike England, where the bus driver takes money for fares off each passenger, drivers on Prague's bus and trams have no involvement.

Tickets are monitored by inspectors, who randomly board trams and buses to check people's tickets. Get caught without one, skimping on a 12kc ticket will stuff you with a 400kc fine.

So if you're going to be travelling hobo, your best chance is to stand by the doors at the centre of the carriage. Inspectors usually board by the front or rear doors, then move down asking for tickets while the bus is in motion.

The drivers don't hang around at each stop, and you'll quite often find yourself having to dive through doors like a boobytrap in an Aztec temple. This works to your advantage when legging it from an inspector, though.

After a few brushes with these characters, you'll be able to spot one a mile off and even disembark before he even boards the vehicle. Usually they're stocky fellas with a big gut, wearing jeans and a puffa or leather jacket.

Feasibly you could travel around forever without getting caught. Metro is a different matter, though - they accost you when you get off and are making your way to the escalators. Best bet is to walk along in a brusk manner holding an old ticket in your hand. Might just work...!

On the day I had a meeting at a client's office, I bought one time ticket (good for 1 hour) since I didn't plan to use metro again that day. When I got off at Muzeum to switch the line, I was stopped by a man who showed me a badge and asked me to show my ticket.

He calimed that my ticket was no good, and I had to pay a fine. After about 15 minutes of me refusing to give my passport and to pay the fine until I speak to another metro station officer and Japanese embassy, he finally let me go that it was his mistake and my ticket was valid.

After this incident, I believe that it would be a good idea to keep your contry's embassy phone number and a copy of your passport with you when you are in the foreign country.

I took an airport shuttle bus from Praha airport to my hotel in city center. You can pre-book online prior to your departure, or book it at the shuttle booth at the airport. The shuttle leaves the airport every 15 min. or so, and very combenient.

You can get to and from the airport by public transport if you want (bus and metro) - very cheap but can be a hassle with suitcases.

OR use the Cedaz minibuses, although they try to push their expensive "minibus-taxi" service they have a frequent shuttle going from the airport to the center of town for 90 crowns (~$4). This runs most of the day (6am to 9 pm I think) and will drop you off at Namesti Republiky - right in the center of town.