Prague’s public transport is excellent, but for tourists, there are a few special cases and tricks that can make your trip smoother and cheaper. This is everything I usually tell my friends before they arrive. When you walk out of the airport building, you will immediately see a bus stop. From this stop, you can go from Prague Airport to city center.
📍 Prague Airport to City Center: Distance & Time
- Distance: Václav Havel Airport (PRG) is located approximately 17 km (10.5 miles) from the Old Town Square.
- Travel Time (Public Transport): About 35–45 minutes using the Trolleybus 59 + Metro A.
- Travel Time (Taxi/Uber): About 25–40 minutes, depending on traffic (Prague traffic can be heavy between 8:00–9:00 and 16:00–18:00).
- Distance to Main Train Station: Approximately 21 km (13 miles) via the Airport Express (AE) bus.
From Prague Airport to City Center by Public Transport: Where are the Bus Stops?
Václav Havel Airport in Prague has two public transport stops: Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, located right outside the terminal buildings.
Each stop has two sides—one for buses going into the city and one for buses coming from the city. How can you tell which direction the bus is going?
- Check the side of the stop where the bus arrives.
- Look at the front display above the windshield.
- If the bus is going to the city, you will see the name of the final stop.
- If the bus is going to the next airport stop, the display will show “Terminal 2”, which is the last stop for all routes.
Pay attention so you don’t end up traveling in the wrong direction.
Don’t Forget to Buy and Validate Your Ticket
At the stop, you’ll see ticket machines and yellow validation machine in pillars with a big sign above: “Please Buy a Ticket Before Boarding.” You can buy tickets directly at the machine (card payment available), so it’s simple and tourist-friendly.
👉 My advice: If it’s your first time in Prague, buy a 90-minute ticket. It will cover your whole trip from the airport and save you from a potential 2,000 CZK fine if your shorter ticket expires before you reach your destination (the fine is 1,200 CZK if paid on the spot it rises to 2,000 CZK only if you delay payment). More information about fines in the Prague public transport you will find in my article “Fine for Travelling Without a Ticket in Prague: Better No“.
The 90-minute ticket costs only 11 CZK (approx. €0.45) more than the 30-minute ticket. It is a small price to pay to avoid a 1,200 CZK fine.
- 90-minute ticket: Change to 50 CZK (Paper) or 46 CZK (Lítačka App).
- 30-minute ticket: Change to 39 CZK (Paper) or 36 CZK (App).
⚠️ Critical Warning: The 26 CZK Ticket You might see a “2-zone” ticket for 26 CZK (24 CZK in the app) in the machines. Do not buy this. This ticket is only for travel between villages outside of Prague (Zones 1–13). It is not valid for any part of your journey from the airport or anywhere within the Prague city limits (Zones P, 0, B). Using this ticket in Prague is the same as having no ticket at all!
⚠️These prices are valid from January 1 2026.
⚠️ Important: Always validate your ticket at the yellow pillar before boarding. An unvalidated ticket = no ticket.
👉 Tip: Save 4 CZK per ticket by using the app instead of paper. You can buy the ticket while waiting for your luggage and activate it the moment you walk to the bus stop.
More about Apps could be useful in Prague read in “Best Apps for Tourists in Prague and Czech Republic”
From Prague Airport to City Center by Bus/Trolleybus: about tickets
So, after you arrived to the bus stop at the airport:
- Buy a ticket from the ticket machine. The best choice is the 90-minute ticket
- Validate your ticket in the small yellow validating machine (you can see it in the photo) by inserting it inside. You will see a large silver arrow on the ticket; follow this arrow when putting the ticket into the validation machine. If the ticket is inserted correctly, the machine will print a date/time stamp (with quite a loud noise). From this moment, the prepaid time for your trip starts to count down. This is why it is better to buy the 90-minute ticket—it will cover the entire trip from Prague Airport to the city center for sure.
- Now you can pass through to the waiting area and enter a bus or a trolleybus. Then, if needed, you can transfer to the metro, another bus, or any other Prague public transport type using the same ticket.
Recognizing Real Staff vs. Scammers at the Airport
⚠️ Warning: In the airport area, there are staff members who help you find your way — but there are also scammers trying to cheat you. How can you be sure the person wants to help you and not deceive you?
If someone is showing you directions, helping you buy tickets, or giving basic information, they are helping you.
But the moment they start talking about exchanging money, “good exchange rates,” etc., they are trying to cheat you.
One common trick: they claim that you can pay for a ticket only in cash. This is false.
All ticket machines accept card payments (contactless or by inserting your card).
From Prague Airport to City Center by Taxi
Since 2023/2024, Uber is the official taxi partner of Prague Airport. There are Uber Kiosks in the arrival halls. In this way you avoid the scammers by “fixed price” at the kiosk (starting from 500 CZK). So you don’t have to worry about the meter.
You are not sure if the taxi in Prague safe? And don’t know how much does it cost? Or how to get a taxi and not overpay? Answers you will find in article “How to Avoid Prague Taxi Scams: 2026 Guide for Tourists“
How to Get From Prague Airport to City Center: Best Choice + Bus & Trolleybus Numbers
There are several options to reach the Prague center but mostly you need to change bus/trolleybus to metro. This changing not difficult – you exit the bus/trolleybus final stop and get starting metro stop. So, ni problems with directions or hurry to get the vehicles. So, main way to go from Prague airpotr to city center:
- High-capacity Trolleybus 59 (choose this way if you need to go to Prague Old Town (Staroměstská, Malostranská, Můstek, Muzeum, Náměstí Míru metro stops)):
- Connects the airport with Nádraží Veleslavín (Metro Line A). Exit at the final stop (Nádraží Veleslavín), use one of the nearest entrance to the metro (big yellow letter B above the entrance.).
- From there, you take the metro A train and go to your destination stop (you can find it in a line map in the platform).
- Bus 100 (choose this way if you need to go to Smichovske nádraží, Anděl, Národní Třída, Můstek (Václavské náměstí), Náměstí Republiky, Florence):
- Connects the airport with Zličín (Metro Line B).
- Exit the bus, go about 50–80 meters forward to the entrance to Metro Line B (big yellow arrow below the entrance), and go to your destination stop.
👉Choose Bus 100 or Trolleybus 59 if your destination is on Metro Line A or B. Both buses stop very close to the metro entrance (1–2 minutes’ walk), making orientation easy.
Other Buses at Prague Airport
Other options – buses number 161 and 191. These buses goes from Prague airport to city center but they stop in the middle of the metro lines, so you’ll need to be more careful choosing the correct direction. They are useful if your hotel is near those stops, as you can avoid transfers and travel with less stress.
- Bus 161 → Bořislavka (Metro Line A)
- Bus 191 → Na Knížecí (Metro Line B)
Don’t know how to choose the correct direction in metro? Answer is in the article “How to Use Prague Metro: Navigation and Rules”
How to Get form Airport to the Main Railway Station
The simplest way is the Airport Express (AE) bus, which goes directly to Prague’s main train station (Hlavní nádraží).It is significantly more expensive than using Public transport and increase in 2026. The Price now 200 CZK (it was 100 CZK).
The stop of AE bus are on same platfoms as a public transport.
👉The AE bus now costs 200 CZK—four times more than the trolleybus. Only take it if you specifically need the Main Railway Station without transfers.
Another option (longer and more complicated but cheaper – same 90-minutes ticket (for 50 CZK in paper) will cover all the way):
- Take any airport bus.
- Transfer to Metro Line A or B.
- Ride to a transfer station (Muzeum on Line A or Florenc on Line B).
- Change to Line C.
- Exit at Hlavní nádraží stop.
This route takes more time, but it’s a backup if the Airport Express isn’t running.
How to Go from Prague airport to city center: The Final Table
| Route | Best For | Cost (2026) | Time |
| Trolleybus 59 + Metro A | Old Town / Wenceslas Sq | 50 CZK | 35 min |
| Bus 100 + Metro B | New Town / Anděl | 50 CZK | 40 min |
| Airport Express (AE) | Main Train Station | 200 CZK | 40 min |
| Uber (Official) | Door-to-door comfort | ~500+ CZK | 30 min |
How to Get from Prague Airport to the City Center by Night Transport (After Midnight)
From midnight until 5:00 a.m., Prague runs night buses. You can use it to go from Prague airport to city center after midnight. At the airport stop night buses number 907 and 910. Both go to the city center, but different areas.
⚠️ Important: The same tickets are valid for the night bus. The boarding process is the same — buy a ticket, validate it, and get on the bus.
If night buses in Prague safe? Physically you completely safe. But your property (wallet, backpack) could be no. How to avoid stilling in night transport (and not only night) read in “Night Public Transport in Prague: Is It Safe? What Tourists Should Know“
Choose the night bus from Prague airport to city center using the list of stops below.
Bus 907 goes to (stops in the Center of Prague City):
- Náměstí Republiky
- Masarykovo nádraží
- Hlavní nádraží
- Muzeum
- Karlovo náměstí
- Palackého náměstí
- Zborovská
- Anděl (ul. Nádražní)
- Na Knížecí
- Smíchovské nádraží
Bus 910 goes to stops in the Center of Prague City):
- Arbesovo náměstí
- Středočeská
- Jiráskovo náměstí
- Myslíkova
- Štěpánská
- I. P. Pavlova
- Vyšehrad
- Pražského povstání
You can check the full list of stops and the night bus schedules for routes 907 and 910 on the official PID/DPP website.
