Most tourist attractions and city sights are in a convenient location within the city and are best reached on a foot or by using the cheap public transport (metro, tram and buses). To get around without a hassle you will need a map. All pubic transports are operated by Dopravni podink hl. M. Prahy (DPP).
Prague's transport system is very well developed, efficient, accessible and because it is so popular with tourists. Compared with other EU countries – public transport in Prague is quite cheap. For more information about public transport, go to the web site at ww.dp-praha.cz or visit the their information desks located at the airport and at selected metro stations, Muzeum (lines A and C), Mustek (lines A and B), Andel (line B), Nadrazi Holesovice (line C) and Cerny Most (line B). There you can buy tickets, discount cards and get useful multilingual guides and maps to a whole transport system.
Prague Metro (underground network) The Prague metro carries around 400 million passengers a year. It is cheap, fast, efficient, clean, and easy to use. Its three lines consist of about 50 km of tracks (running mostly underground) and some 50 stations.
Metro is formed by three lines: A, B, and C. Lines are colour-coded and the metro is in operation from 5am to midnight. The green line (line A) connects terminus Skalka and terminus Dejvická. The yellow line connects terminus Černý Most and Zličín and the red line (line C) connects terminus Ládví and Háje. There are three cross stations: Muzeum (lines A and C), Můstek (lines B and A) and Florenc (lines C and B). Time intervals are approx. 2-3 min. at rush hour and 4 -10 min. off-peak.
Prague TramsTrams are quite fast way of getting around and compare to metro, you will chance to see much more. Trams cover a large area of the city (with 500 km of tracks) and are used by some 300 million people a year. Daytime trams run from 4:30 a.m. till midnight in 8-10 min. intervals (8-15 min. on weekends). Night trams (numbers 51-58) run from 00:30 a.m. till 4:30 a.m. in 30-40 min. intervals. The central interchange tram stop of night trams is Lazarská stop. Timetables can be found at tram stops.
Trams 22 and 23Follow one of Prague's most scenic routes, passing by the National Theatre to Staromestska and Malostranska metro stations, and continuing up to the Belveder, Prague Castle and Pohorelec, with some stunning views on the way.
Historic Tram 91The Nostalgic Tram no. 91 runs on weekends and holidays from the end of March through mid-November. The tram leaves from Stresovice every hour from 12:00 noon till 6 p.m. and continues through the city centre. The ticket costs 25 CZK for adults, 10 CZK for children and seniors over 70.
Funicular Railway to Petrin Hill (via Nebozízek).
Just opposite to tram stop Ujezd (trams 12, 22, 23) in Lesser Town. Railway runs daily from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (11:20 p.m. from November to March) in 10-15 min. intervals. Fare: the same ticket as for other public transport (costs 26 CZK).
City Buses
Buses (autobusy) mostly cover the outskirts of Prague. Daytime buses run from 4:30 a.m. till midnight in 6-8 min. intervals in peak hours, 10-20 min. intervals in the off hours, and 15-30 min. intervals on weekends. Night buses (numbers 501-512) run from 00:30 a.m. till 4:30 a.m. in a 40 min. intervals. Timetables are located at bus stops.
Prague City Transport FaresTravelling by city transport is only possible with a valid ticket. Passengers have to obtain their tickets before boarding the vehicle or entering the Metro system. The ticket is valid only if marked in the validation appliance. Tickets can be bought at selected Metro stations or in Dopravni podnik Information Centres, hotels, at newsstands, travel bureaus, department stores, etc. Single tickets can also be bought from the slot machines located at Metro stations or near some stops of surface transport. There are
two types of tickets, one costing 18 CZK (
single ticket - for one use/short ride) allows you to travel across 4 stations on a metro or 15 minutes by bus or tram. The other costs 26 CZK (
transfer ticket - for multiple uses/long ride) and allows you to travel on buses, metro and trams for up to 90 minutes. You may change trams, buses and metro as often as you like.
You can also buy 24 hours ticket for 100 CZK, three days ticket for 330 CZK, five days ticket for 500 CZK. Metro operates from 5am to midnight. At night there are night trams and buses. The validity of tickets can be checked by the ticket inspectors of Dopravni podnik at any time during travel or within the Metro system. If you don't have a valid ticket you may be asked to pay a penalty of up to 950 CZK.
Free-of-Charge Transport of Passengers and Objects.
- children up to 6 years of age
- citizens of the Czech Republic and foreigners with a residential permit over 70
- disabled in a wheelchair, guide and dog
- prams with babies
- animals in protective boxes
- luggage sized up to 25 x 45 x 70 centimetres
- rod-shaped luggage up to the length of 150 centimetres and 20 centimetres in diameter
- small luggage sized up to 100x100x5 centimetres
- 1 pair of skis
- a bicycle (in Metro only and off-peak hours)
Disabled Passengers:
If a disabled person in a wheelchair is to use the city surface transport, the guide should inform the driver. At the A-line Metro station Dejvicka, the B-line Metro stations Zlicin, Stodulky, Luka, Luziny, Hurka, Vysocanska, Kolbenova, Hloubetin, Rajska zahrada, Cerny Most and the C-line Nadrazi Holesovice (i.e. Holesovice Railway Station) and Hlavni nadrazi (the Main Railway Station), Muzeum and Vysehrad there is barrierless access to the platform. In a similar way, modified freight-lifts can be used in the A-line Metro station Skalka, and at the C-line - Florenc, I. P. Pavlova, Pankrac, Roztyly, Chodov, Opatov, Haje stations. On working days a special bus service of the line numbers 1 and 3 is provided for the disabled in wheelchairs at these lines: Bryksova, Invalidovna - Florenc - Namesti Republiky - I. P. Pavlova - Jedlickuv ústav - Budejovicka - Nemocnice Krc - Petyrkova - Chodov; and Sidliste Dablice - Prosek - Bulovka - Nadrazi Holesovice - Florenc - Namesti Republiky - Malostranska - Hradcanska - Brevnovska - Nemocnice Motol - Sidliste Repy - Zlicin.
Ticket Inspection:
The validity of tickets can be checked by the ticket inspectors of Dopravni podnik at any time during travel or stay in the Metro system. The ticket inspector is entitled to ask the passenger to produce his or her valid ticket, to confiscate invalid tickets, and to collect a penalty (1000 Kc, if paid at once 500 Kc) in case of travel without a valid ticket. In case of unpaid freight the inspector collects a penalty 50 Kc. To prove their identity, inspectors produce yellow-and-red badges. They issue receipts for the penalty amounts.
Prague public transportation is usually limited within summer holidays. Some trams and buses will be provisionally annulled; other closures will be caused by repartitions and modernizations of routes.
Joke: In the metro (a subway) the people are often silent and look unhappy. They are not; this is a trait remaining from the communist regime where those who "spoke a lot" were often arrested.
Tip: The centre of Prague is relatively small and most of the sights are accessible on foot. We don't recommend driving to the centre as you might encounter heavy traffic jams, impolite drivers’ behaviour and shortage of parking places.
Information centres on the Prague Public Transport
Muzeum metro Mon - Sun 7:00-21:00
Můstek metroMon - Fri 7:00-18:00
Anděl metro Mon - Fri 7:00-18:00
Nadrazi Holešovice metro Mon - Fri 7:00-18:00
Airport Ruzyně 1 Mon - Sun 7:00-22:00
Airport Ruzyně 2 Mon - Sun 7:00-22:00
Karlovo Namesti metro Mon - Fri 07:00 a.m. to 18:00
Narodni Trida metro Mon - Sun 07:00 a.m. to 21:00