Prague getting there

• Essentials
  • Overview
  • Basics
  • Getting there
  • Getting around
• City sights
  • Top sights
  • Tourist trail
  • Offbeat sights
  • Nearby trips
• Things to do
  • Eating out
  • Cafe bars
  • Shopping
  • Nightlife
• Planning
  • When to go
  • Where to stay
  • Find a hotel

Getting there

While many visitors will fly to Prague - there's a wide range of budget airlines with services to the city - increasingly, rail is an option with fast, comfortable services from Paris, Cologne and Berlin.

Prague is also included in many central European tours also featuring Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest.

Prague flights

Ruzyne Airport is 15km northwest of Prague city centre. Direct flights from London take about 90min.

There are also flights from New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Sydney, and Prague has direct flights to and from most major European cities.

CSA, the national Czech airline, is a member of the Star Alliance along with Delta, Air France and Alitalia. Many budget carriers also have flights to Prague from a range of UK airports. There are scores of cheap flights to Prague available online.

There is no rail link from Prague airport to the city but a choice of municipal buses, shuttle mini-buses, private car services and taxis. Bus #119 goes to Dejivka metro (Line A Green) and runs every 10min. Get tickets from the news stand or from the machine at the front of the airport terminal.

Take care not to use unlicensed taxis. Many Prague hotels will arrange an airport pick-up at a reasonable price.

Travelmatch searches loads of travel deals to hundreds of destinations, including Prague, from the UK.s top tour operators.

Prague railways

Prague is well connected by rail, with trains from major European cities such as Paris and Berlin. The city is also on the Orient Express' London-Paris-Venice route, with an increasing number of special rail tours for those who want to avoid flying.

The main railway station is Hlavni Nadrazi, near the eastern end of Wenceslas Square. There are also Metro connections at the railway station.

The rail link from London is via Cologne or Berlin. You can catch an afternoon Eurostar to Brussels, a connecting train to Cologne then the Kopernikus sleeper train to Prague.

Alternatively, take an early-evening Eurostar from London to Brussels, the overnight sleeper to Berlin then a EuroCity train from Berlin to Prague. Check if the direct service from London St Pancras to Cologne is available.

Prague by coach

Coaches arrive at Prague's Florenc bus terminal and are the vehicle of choice for many on a budget. Two Metro lines (red and yellow) connect Florenc with stations throughout Prague.

Prague by car

If driving your own car, make sure you have registration documents; a red warning triangle for breakdowns; first-aid kit; replacement bulbs; a spare tyre; and display a national identification sticker. You need an International Driver's Licence if you are staying in the Czech Republic for more than a month.

The most direct route from Britain is by the Eurotunnel to Calais then via Lille, Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt and Nuremberg. You can cross into the Czech Republic at the Waidhaus - Rozvadov border. Overall, it's about 1,000km from London to Prague.