PRAGUE TRANSPORTATION TIPS
(PragueHotels.com)
Prague's Ruzyně
International Airport
Ruzyně International Airport
(airport website)
is 20 km northwest of Prague's center. While the largest
airport in the Czech Republic, it is not yet accessible by tram or metro, so
plan to take a bus (or taxi) to connect with the metro system at
Dejvická
station, the end point of the metro's Green Line "A".
You need buy only one ticket (since it will work for both bus and
metro) and validate it only once (on the first transport you board, whether bus,
tram or metro).
* City buses
to the City Center and metro system
depart from Terminal North 1 or 2. Purchase a ticket for 26 Czech Koruna (CZK) = US$1.50
at the arrivals lobby, from orange ticket machines or from news agents. (Note
that extra large suitcases may require their own half-price tickets costing 13
Czech Koruna.) Here are 4 popular bus options:
Bus route 100
brings you to
Metro Yellow
Line "B" at Zliĉín
for a 15-minute trip to
Mustek subway station (in town center).
Bus route
119
takes you to
Dejvická
metro station, where you can change to Metro Green Line "A" for a 20-minute trip.
If you are heading for the main/central train station, transfer from this Green
Line "A" to Red Line "C" at Muzeum stop ... and continue one
stop until you reach the Hlavni Nadrazi
stop, right underneath this main/central train station.
Bus route 179
is a longer but more interesting connector with Yellow Line B.
From
midnight until 3:30 a.m.,
Night Bus Route 510
runs to
Divoká
Šárka, whence Tram # 51 will take you to
Dejvická
metro station, or all the way to the city center at
Namesti Republiky or Wenceslas Square.
* Airport Express Buses
are the
quickest way to get to Prague's main/central train station. They leave every 30 minutes from
5 a.m. to 10 p.m. The
45-Koruna fare (US$3) includes not only travel from the airport, but also the
transfer from Holešovice railway station to Prague Main/Central Station (via Czech Rail).
* A taxi from the airport to central
Prague will cost from 650 to 1000 CZK = US$36 to US$55.
*
Rental cars
can be reserved at Ruzyně airport through Otels.
Brno
International Airport
lies 200 kilometers southeast
of Prague.
The city of Brno is in the south of Moravia, one of the
Czech Republic's 3 provinces.
Prague (Praha) Train Stations
(train
info &
Czech Eurail)
Best to
reserve an international train at least a few weeks before traveling to Prague,
especially in summer. Most international trains arrive and depart from Praha Hlavni Nadrazi
(which translates literally from Czech as "Prague Main Station"
but is often called "Prague Central Station"
and often abbreviated as "hl.n."), in the neighborhood of Nove Město. This
station offers
the most complete range of facilities, including train information, currency exchange,
showers, lost and found, day-use lockers, and fast food. (Note: at night you should use
caution and not take strolls in the parks outside the station.)
International
trains often pass through Prague's other railway stations: Praha Holesovice
and Praha Smichov
and Praha Masarykovo Nadrazi. Subway lines serve all these stations and are easily accessible.
Tram and Underground (Prague
subway
map)
Prague's
public transit system allows for use of the same ticket on trams, subway cars or
buses. For about 20 Koruna (US$1) you can ride for 75 minutes on any of
these forms of transport. A 40 Koruna ticket allows for 180 minutes of
travel. Tickets are available at any coin dispenser or tobacco shop.
At major subway stations, tickets for longer periods (24
hours, 3 days and 7 days) can be bought. Be sure to time-stamp your ticket when boarding bus
or tram, or at the entrance to subway stations. 500- Koruna fines are
possible for unstamped tickets or freeloading.
Budget tip: Consider the Prague
Card (www.praguecard.biz)
for
740 Koruna (US$37), which gives you 4 days of travel, free entry to over 50
museums, other discounts, and
a guidebook.
Sightseeing
information
While today the capital of the Czech Republic and home to 1.2 million people,
Prague has been the center of the "Czech" world and Bohemian life for over 800
years. The Stare Mesto and Mala Strana
districts, lying on either side of the Vltava River, together form one of
Europe’s best preserved old city centers. Most every street will attract
your eye with its stone walkways as well as Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque
architecture. Click
here
for more information about Prague tourist destinations.
PragueHotels.com
hopes you enjoy
your stay in this city of a 100 spires!