Plzen Transportation

In my personal opinion there is no reason to use public transportation in Plzen central part at all, it is not big one, the way from bus and train station to old town is not so long and complicated too.

Plzen old town is just around main square of Republics and St. Bartholomew Cathedral, every main spot is reachable by foot, except Pilsner brewery, that is about 1 kilometer (or less) away from old town.

To go forward to Plzen I took train from Beroun (it is about 35 kilometres from Prague and few from Karlstejn). It was impossible to take train directly from Karlstejn to Plzen, but to re-sit in Beroun.

My coming back to Czech capital was a direct train. The cost of a ticket was 145 Czech koruna (Kc), it is around 5,6 euros. The prices of public intercity transportation in Czech Republic is still not expensive, train ride is more expensive than bus.

Local transport in Plzen runs every some minutes until late in the night. It's no problem if you miss your bus or tram as the next one will follow almost immediately. I never waited longer than 3 minutes for the tram taking me to my pension.
Just for reasons of comparison: In Chemnitz, the city I live, the average frequency is perhaps 10-12 minutes, in Kassel, the place I was born, it's nowadays 20-30 minutes...
Apart from the comfortable running frequencies, the transport is also pretty cheap. A single ticket costs 12 Kc, a day ticket 40 Kc.

Always have a marked ticket with you when you're on trams, buses, and trolley buses. You can buy tickets 1. from orange or grey machines around town with correct change or 2. from tabak stands around, usually close to stops. (you can say 'listek na tramvaj, prosim' to the attendant and offer 12 crowns.) Tickets are 12 Kc and should be marked as soon as entering the mode of transport. There are little apparatuses that you put the ticket in and pull forward to mark it.

Alternatively, "Plzen Visitor's Passes" (special cards) can be bought from the info center on the main square and loaded with credit. You can scan your card on the transport and get a paper ticket from there. The ticket usually has some kind of coupon for food on it that you can redeem later. You don't have to mark the card or buy tickets with it. If you are asked for proof you just show your card and the inspector scans it.

If you change the transport, even from bus to bus or tram to tram, you need a new marked ticket. Sorry, Charlie.

For a longer stint a "Plzen Pass" can be bought and one month costs 350 Kc. This is a process and takes longer. A transport office can be found on Tylova street at Tylova 12.

Leaving from the Main Bus Station on Huslova street, Student Agency is the best way to travel from Plzen to Prague and back again. It is a giant yellow bus with grasshopper antennae protruding from the front sides. You can't miss it.

Why it's great? Clean! Leather seats in the front! Lot's of space to move around. Free drink! (Capuccino, Tea, Hot Chocolate) Free newspaper or magazine (in Czech)! There are tv's in the bus. They usually play Czech and Slovak music videos on "Ocko" tv or "Friends" with English subtitles. They let you borrow headphones and if you don't want to watch tv you can listen to the radio.

Price? 70 Kc ($3.23) one way. 52 Kc ($2.40) if you are a student under 26 and can prove it.

The first stop from the main bus station is on Rokycanska street, still in Plzen. The next stop is Zlicin in Prague, at the first metro stop on the left on the yellow line. If you want you can stay on the bus until the next stop, main bus station in Prague, Florence.

Always have your marked ticket and you won't have a problem. Randomly, ticket inspectors in everyday garb will flash you their badge. Don't feel offended, they are asking everybody there. Show them your marked ticket or present your travel card and you're ok. If you don't have anything to show be prepared to pay a fine on the spot.

I witnessed some tom-foolery one day at a tram stop from a tram behind. A young woman was being pulled off the tram and struggling with ticket inspectors. I assume she was trying to ride without a ticket. She tried to run several times but to no avail. Needless to say, I did not want to be her.

Buy a ticket and mark it, come on, it's cheap.

In front of the railway station to the left there is a money changer and to the right a tourist office.
When taking a train make sure to wait in the right section of the platform. We had to run a long way because we were waiting in the wrong section and the train stopped only a short time.

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Well, we thought it would be nice to take the slow local train to see the sites of rural Czech. Oh hell no! It took hours and at every stop new people were coming in and out of the compartment - overall a headache.

It was especially terrible when armed guards came and yelled at us for putting our feet on the seats with shoes on. The other guy in our compartment (after a long unairconditioned day's work) took his shoes off so he could strech out and relax. When we opened the window (which a lot of czechs dont like drafts) he closed it, needless to say we had to swich compartments, as it would be another hour before Plzen.