In this blog, we highlight the best ways to get from Prague Airport to city centre, depending on arrival time, the volume of luggage and personal preferences.
Handling around four million passengers a year, Václav Havel International Airport sits 17 kilometres and approximately 25 minutes driving time from Prague’s city centre (old town).
Although Prague has a highly efficient and integrated public transport system, most of it starts away from the airport. Prague airport currently has no train or metro station to help move arriving and departing passengers.
In most instances, getting from Prague airport to city centre using public transport involves a mix of bus, metro and often tram.
Consequently, new visitors may find an alternative mode of transportation to get to the city centre less complicated and stressful.
Consider purchasing a Prague Card. Free entrance to over 60 top attractions, a free historical bus tour, a choice of free river cruises, and substantial discounts of 20% to 50% to many others are included. A two-day card costs 1947 CZK with discounts for children.
Options to get from Prague Airport to city centre
1. Public Service Buses and Metro
If you’re considering your first visit to Prague, travelling with standard aircraft baggage allowance, young children, or have mobility issues, we would not recommend public buses as the best option.
However, as a seasoned traveller, travelling light and not particularly bothered about how long it takes to get to your hotel, public service buses to get from Prague airport to city centre are clean, cheap and reliable.
Tickets for public bus routes from Prague airport to Prague city centre can be bought from desks in the arrivals concourse of terminals 1 and 2, or the machines at the bus terminal. From the desks or machines, tickets cost 32CZK.
All tickets must be activated (stamped) when boarding your bus and can be used to complete your journey using the metro or tram.
There is also no dedicated luggage space on public service airport buses, so unless you are travelling very light consider one of the other options.
With the most popular routes at the top, the following is a breakdown of public bus services to help you get from Prague airport to city centre.
Before choosing which bus service to use, you need to know which metro line (A, B or C) is closest to your chosen accommodation.
Bus 119
Route 119:-From airport terminal 1 and terminal 2.
- Frequency: Every 10 to 15 minutes from 04.20am to 11.40pm.
- Destination: Nadrazi Veleslavin metro station, line A, Green.
- Journey time: Approx. 20 minutes, cost 32CZK
Take the metro from Nadrazi Veleslavin station and alight at the Malostranska Station if you want to get to the Mala Strana (Lesser Town) area of Prague.
Get off at the Staromestska Station if you’re going to the Old Town area, or Museum Station to get to the edge of Wenceslas Square.
The metro runs from 04.45am to midnight. Outside of these hours, you will need to leave the metro station and find one of the night-time bus or tram services.
Bus 100
Route 100:-From airport terminal 1 and terminal 2.
- Frequency: Every 10 to 15 minutes from 04.30am to 11.45pm
- Destination: Zlicin metro station, line B, Yellow.
- Journey time: Approx. 20 minutes. Cost 32CZK
Best route if your final destination is in the western area of the city.
Bus 191
Route 191:-From airport terminal 1 and terminal 2.
- Frequency: Every 20 minutes from 05.00am to 00.30am
- Destination: Stopping at Petriny metro station line A, Andel metro station line B and bus station Na Knizeci.
- Journey time: Approx. 55 minutes to the bus station.
Night Bus 910
Night route 910:-From airport terminal 1 and terminal 2.
- Frequency: Every 30 minutes from 00.15am to 05.00am
- Destination: Na Beranku transit station.
- Journey time: Approx. 75 minutes to end of route
If heading for the city centre, alight at I.P. Pavlova near Wenceslas Square and complete your journey by foot or night tram.
More info: https://www.dpp.cz/
2. Getting from Prague Airport to city centre by Airport Express Coach
Airport Express Coaches operate out of the airport from 06.30am to 10.00pm and leave the airport bus/coach terminals every 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the time of day.
If you want to use the express to return to the airport, operating times are 05.30am to 09.30pm from the central train station. You may also be asked to prove you will be boarding a flight, such as showing a ticket or boarding pass.
Although around double the cost of a standard bus ticket at 60CZK ( half price for children), these coaches have dedicated luggage space and a route into the city which means you can avoid using the metro system. Journey time into the city is around 30-40 minutes.
Tickets can be bought from airport kiosks or directly from the driver (cash only), and the route terminates at the central train station (Praha Hlavni Nadrazi), from where you can transfer to a tram, or pick up the red metro line C for stations around the city centre.
More info: Airport Express
3. Getting from Prague airport to city centre by Airport Taxi
At first glance, grabbing a taxi at the airport, stowing your luggage in the boot and telling the driver where you want to go, seems a reasonably straightforward and quick way to get to your hotel – and it is. But there are several caveats to be considered.
Like other big cities worldwide, Prague has its own collection of rogue drivers whose sole intention is to charge as much as possible, often dropping unsuspecting visitors miles from where they want to be.
Although things have improved a lot over the last ten years, the issue is still very much alive, and Prague council, the police and honest cab firms continue to try to minimise the problem.
To reduce your risk of becoming another statistic, ask at the airport if the cabs on the rank are all airport approved or if they can recommend particular taxi companies. Likewise, if you want a cab when leaving your accommodation, ask if they can suggest a hotel approved cab company.
Be sure you only ever get into a genuine taxi. Most (but not all) are yellow, with a lit roof bar and company details painted or stencilled on the doors and often the car’s bonnet.
Taxi fares are notoriously difficult to pin down as they fluctuate with the number of passengers, baggage, time of day, waiting time (traffic hold-ups) and obviously mileage.
However, an average charge to get from Prague airport to city centre would be between 650CZK and 900CZK. Average journey time 25 minutes, often rising to an hour or more during daily peak periods.
4. Getting from Prague airport to city centre by Uber
Founded in 2009 in San Francisco, US, and now operating in over 10,500 cities worldwide, Uber arrived in Prague in 2014, and has developed into a leading mobility service provider for those wanting to get from Prague airport to city centre quickly and reliably.
Although other mobility apps such as Bolt and Liftago are available, in Prague Uber has become the go-to service provider for visitors and locals who no longer trust taxis.
To give you one less thing to worry about when travelling, you can book an Uber ride from Prague airport to city centre up to 30 days before your trip.
Uber cannot park up inside the airport, so most find somewhere to wait just outside the airport boundaries. All drivers are vetted for honesty and city knowledge and should be with you in five to ten minutes.
Unfortunately, Uber fares can fluctuate similarly to taxis throughout the day. Nonetheless, they are generally cheaper than taxis, with an average ride into town costing about 450CZK and journey time, depending on traffic, around 25 minutes.
5. Getting from Prague Airport to city centre using Private Hire
Several reliable private hire companies in Prague are available to book online. Your flight will be tracked, and your driver will be waiting in arrivals to walk you to the car and get you from Prague airport to city centre as smoothly and quickly as possible. The driver will also drop you at your hotel.
>>> Check prices here <<<
6. Getting from Prague Airport to city centre using Private Shuttle
If you are travelling as part of a larger party or are happy sharing with other passengers, several private shuttle options can be pre-booked online.
Vehicles are generally modern and clean, eight or twelve-seater Mercedes or Volkswagen with all the usual mod cons including air-con. Booked online, the company will arrange a meeting place for all passengers using the service.
Transfer from Prague airport to city centre will generally take 30 minutes to an hour plus to your hotel, depending on travel time and number of drop-offs. The average cost per person is 410CZK.
>>> Check prices here <<<
Helping you use Prague public transport to get around the city
Whether you want to use public transport to get from Prague airport to city centre or help to get around the many sights quickly and easily, there are some excellent tools online to help you with the process. Two of the most popular are:
1. PUBTRAN. A Prague public transport app utilising GPS. When activated, it will pinpoint your position and offer metro, bus or tram options to get you to your destination.
2. DPP INFO. The official app for the Prague Public Transport (DPP) system provides basic information on timetables, routes, hold-ups and delays to service. It also has the sim ticketing option, but this can only be activated using a Czech sim.
As previously mentioned, apps are also available for Uber, Taxi companies and private hire companies.
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