Prague has one of the best public transportation systems in Europe. The
metro, trams and buses are used by two-thirds of Prague's population
and cover the majority of the city and outskirts. Especially the metro
makes getting around town a breeze since it enables you to cover long
distances in a matter of minutes. If you can't continue to your
destination on foot, you'll be able to catch a tram or bus from near
the subway station.
Prague
Metro (Subway)
The Prague metro carries around
400 million passengers a year. It is fast, efficient, clean, and easy
to use. Its three lines consist of about 50 km of tracks (running
mostly underground) and some 50 stations.
The lines currently are:
Line A (Green) - running east to
west from Skalka to Dejvická
Line B (Yellow) - running east to west from Cerný most to
Zlicín
Line C (Red) - running north to south from
Nádraží Holešovice to Háje
There are three transfer stations
in the city center where two lines intersect:
Mustek (lower end of Wenceslas Square) - lines A and B
Muzeum (upper end of Wenceslas Square) - lines A and C
Florenc (main bus station) - lines B and C
These are transfer points from one line to another. Each transfer route
is clearly marked and takes some 3-5 minutes.
The
Prague public transport system uses two types of tickets:
Single ticket (for one use/short ride)
Adults: 14 Kc, children 6-15 years: 7 Kc, children under 6: free
This ticket can only be used one time on one type of transportation. It
is valid for 20 minutes from validation on trams and buses or 5
stations on the subway, allowing transfers between subway stations for
up to 30 min. of total time of use. This ticket is not valid on night
trams and buses and on the Petrín funicular.
Transfer ticket (for multiple use/long
ride)
Adults: 20 Kc, children 6-15 years: 10 Kc, children under 6: free
This ticket can be used on any type of public transportation and allows
transfers between lines (subway to subway, tram to tram, etc.) and
types of transport (subway to tram, tram to bus, etc.) for up to 75
min. from validation (90 min. on weekends/holidays and from 8 p.m. to 5
a.m. on weekdays).
Single
and transfer tickets are sold through yellow ticket vending machines
located at every metro station (also in English, coins only), at ticket
offices located at some metro stations, at a Tabák/Trafika,
at some newsstands, and at tourist information centers.
A
ticket needs to be punched at the entrance to the metro station and on
the tram/bus to mark the start of the validation period.
There
are several short-term and long-term passes available:
Short-term (tourist) passes:
24-hour pass: 80 Kc
3-day pass: 220 Kc
7-day pass: 280 Kc
15-day pass: 320 Kc
Long-term passes (issued with a photo-ID):
Monthly: 460 Kc
Quarterly: 1,260 Kc
Annual: 4,150 Kc
Passes
can be used on any type of Prague public transportation for the
duration of the period for which the pass is valid. Children under 6
ride free.
Short-term
(tourist) passes are sold at ticket offices located at some metro
stations and at tourist information centers. Long-term passes are sold
at ticket offices at some metro stations
Ticket
offices are located at some metro stations (e.g. Dejvická,
Hradcanská, Mustek,
Florenc, Hlavní
nádralí, Nádralí
Holeaovice) and are usually open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30
p.m., some closed for lunch.
As
you get off your flight in Prague, you will have several options of
reaching your destination:
The
airport in Prague is serviced by two
buses: no. 119 and no. 100. Taking the bus is the cheapest
way to get to and from the airport. Bus 119 is the better choice if
your destination is in the historical center of Prague (the Old Town,
Lesser Town, New Town, Prague Castle area) as it connects with line A
of the metro, which will get you to the center in no time (2 - 4 stops,
depending on where you're going). To take either of the buses, you will
need a public transport ticket for 20 Kc (transfer ticket) - see Tickets, Fares, Schedules - or you
can pay the bus driver directly (the ticket may cost a little more).
• Bus 119
Bus
119 runs between the Ruzyne Airport and Dejvická
metro station (line A). Connections run every 7 to 20 minutes and the
ride takes 20 minutes.
Traveling
from the airport:
Bus 119 leaves from the second platform outside the Arrivals terminal
and runs from 4:25 a.m. until 11:40 p.m. It will take you to the Dejvická
metro station, which is the last stop. From there, you can take the
metro using the same ticket (watch the time that's passed since the
validation) to continue to your destination. Metro stations: Malostranská
- Malá Strana, Staromestská
- Old Town, Mustek - bottom of Wenceslas Square, Muzeum
- top of Wenceslas Square.
Traveling
to the airport:
Take the metro to Dejvická (line A).
Bus 119 leaves from near the station exit and runs from 4:52 a.m. till
0:18 a.m. The airport is the last stop.
• Bus 100
Bus
100 runs between the Ruzyne airport and the Zlicín
metro station (line B). The service runs every 15 minutes during the
day and every 30 minutes after 7 p.m. and the ride takes 15 minutes.
Traveling
from the airport:
Bus 100 runs
from 5:45 a.m. until 11:39 p.m. It
will
take
you
to
the Zlicín metro
station, which is the last stop. From there, you can take the metro
using the
same ticket (watch the time that's passed since the validation) to
continue to
your destination. Once you get on the metro, expect the ride to take
about 20 minutes (11 - 13 stops) to get you into the center.
Traveling
to the airport:
Take the metro to Zlicín
(line B)
and get on bus 100, which runs from
5:30
a.m. until 11:50 p.m. The airport is the last
stop.
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