How to Get From Prague Airport to the City Center

Last Updated April 2, 2024||Czech Republic

If there’s one thing you should know before visiting Prague in the Czech Republic is that the public transport is amazing!

The metro, trams, and buses make the city of Prague super easy to get around.

That’s why from Prague Airport to the city center you can get there for less than $2. It only takes about 40 minutes as well.

There is the convenience of taking a taxi or an Uber, but honestly, the public transport is so convenient in Prague that they almost take the same amount of time!

In this post, we will share with you the different ways to get from Václav Havel Airport Prague to the city center.

This includes the time it takes, an estimated cost, and the how-tos. Let’s dive in!

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Everything you need to know about getting from Prague Airport to the city center

Just like from most airports around the world you can take taxis and Ubers from Prague Airport to the city center.

Back in the day, there were horror stories about taxis scamming tourists in Prague where they would overcharge and drive longer routes to get paid more (this actually happened to Jo once in 2013!).

But this almost never happens anymore. More on how to avoid this in the taxi section below.

What we want to focus on in this post though, is how you can get from Prague Airport to the city center for under $2.

The best part is that it really doesn’t take much longer than a taxi or an Uber/Bolt and it’s honestly pretty easy!

*Czech Airlines flight at Prague Airport*

Taking public transport to downtown Prague (cheap and easy)

Step 1: Take the bus from Prague Airport to the metro line

Once you leave Terminal 1 (out of Schengen) or 2 from Prague Airport the buses stop almost directly out front of the doors. (Terminal 1 is out of Schengen and terminal 2 is within Schengen.)

Before hopping on the bus, you will have to buy your bus ticket in the orange machines. The language can be set to English and you can pay by card.

You can see Prague public ticket prices here and even download the app if you want to buy them on your phone. Otherwise, you can simply buy the tickets from the ticket machine.

Make sure to buy a ticket that is valid for 90 minutes. The price for that one should be 40 CZK ($1.6)!

The journey from Prague Airport to the city center takes about 40 minutes if you time everything right.

Once you’ve purchased the ticket, you want to validate it in one of the orange “stands”. You will see a green arrow on there. That’s where you insert the ticket.

Now, you’ll wait for bus 59 which you will take to its final stop.

The bus runs from 4 am until midnight and comes roughly every 6-8 minutes so you will never have to wait long.

The bus will most likely be packed with other tourists or locals coming home from trips abroad. Almost everyone will get off at the final stop (Nadrazi Veleslavin).

This is where you can walk down to the metro which will take you right into the heart of Prague.

Step 2: Take the metro to the city center of Prague

Underground metro stations in Prague. — *Starometska Metro Station in Prague*

The Prague metro is really really easy to use and out of all the cities we’ve ever been to we haven’t found a metro system as easy as Prague’s!

Once you get off the bus at Nadrazi Veleslavin you’ll walk down (1-2 minutes) to the Metro A which is the green line.

This is the only metro that runs at this station so you just follow the crowd down.

You will take the metro in the direction of Depo Hostivar! This is on the right-hand side when you come down the escalator.

From there it’s about a 10-15 minute metro ride from Nadrazi Veleslavin to the city center of Prague depending on where you get off.

You can see the direction of the metro lines here or they will also show them down inside the metro.

Depending on where you’re staying you can get off at Malostranska, Staromestska, Mustek, or Muzeum.

Check your Google Maps or ask your place of accommodation which metro stop is closest to where you’re staying.

If you’re not sure, then Mustek is probably the best stop to get off at if you’re staying very central as Mustek is the most centrally located one.

And then hopefully won’t have a far walk to your hotel, hostel, or Airbnb from there.

Another nice thing about Prague’s public transport is the fact that the ticket you buy works on trams, buses, and the metro.

So the ticket you buy at the airport to use for the bus will also work when you transfer to the metro. You should NOT validate your ticket again. It is still valid from the airport.

That’s it! After a short bus ride and a quick transfer to the metro, you’re in the heart of Prague for less than $2.

Unless you have a couple of suitcases with you, this hands is our preferred way to get from Prague Airport to the city center.

It’s basically only a few minutes slower than taking a taxi or an Uber but a whole lot cheaper – especially if you’re traveling alone.

Beautiful photo of the city skape of Prague! — *Prague TV tower and red rooftops*

Taxi from Prague Airport to the city center

Another easy way to get from Prague Airport to the city center is by flagging down a taxi right outside the terminal you come out from.

There are always taxis waiting, so it shouldn’t take long at all to get a taxi.

One thing we want to mention is that you don’t need to take out cash to ride taxis in Prague. You can simply just use your credit card.

So there’s no reason to exchange money and lose out on money because of the conversion fees at the airport.

A taxi will probably take just over half an hour to get from Prague Airport to downtown depending on the traffic. It should cost around 650 CZK ($25).

Clearly, this is way more expensive than taking public transport but a lot more convenient especially if you want to get dropped off right at the place you’re staying.

If you see an AAA Taxi, we recommend taking that. Those are the most trusted taxis in the city.

Uber or Bolt from Prague Airport to the city center

Uber or Bolt are great options as well since you can book them directly from your phone and know the price in advance and all that.

We actually find that Bolt is usually cheaper in Prague so if you do have the Bolt app then see if there are any free drivers on there first before using Uber.

Most of the time the drivers on these apps use both platforms so you should hopefully be able to get a Bolt.

Prices vary but from Prague Airport to downtown it should be between 450-550 CZZ ($8-12).

Again, it’s a bit more expensive than taking public transport but the convenience factor here plays a part especially if you have suitcases.

Tip: To get 100 CZK off your first Bolt ride, sign up with the code ‘JOSEFINEMAIKXT’.

As you can see, there are a few ways to get from the airport to the city here in Prague! If you don’t mind public transport and don’t have too much luggage then we definitely recommend the bus and metro.

If you want to just get to your hotel or hostel and drop off all your bags, then a Bolt or Uber is probably the better option.

Any questions you may have about riding public transport or day trips from Prague feel free to reach out by leaving a comment below!

We love sharing places to see in Prague and fun day trips from the city. Prague is awesome and there’s so much to see and do!

Enjoy your time in this beautiful city and hopefully, we’ll hear from you soon.

Looking for inspiration on things to do in Prague?
Check out this post with: 38 Exciting Things to Do in Prague.