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.
From Prague Airport to City Center: Where is 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.
⚠️ Important: Always validate your ticket at the yellow pillar before boarding. An unvalidated ticket = no ticket, and the fine is 2,000 CZK.
From Prague Airport to City Center by Bus
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 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).
How to Get From Prague Airport to City Center: Bus & Trolleybus Numbers
There are several options to reach the Prague center:
- Trolleybus 59: Connects the airport with Nádraží Veleslavín (Metro Line A). From there, you take the metro and go to your destination stop.
- Bus 100: Connects the airport with Zličín (Metro Line B). Exit the bus, go about 50–80 meters forward to the entrance to Metro Line B, and go to your destination.
Choose one of these 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 options:
- Bus 161 → Bořislavka (Metro Line A)
- Bus 191 → Na Knížecí (Metro Line B)
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.
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).
Another option (longer and more complicated):
- 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.
This route takes more time, but it’s a backup if the Airport Express isn’t running.
How to Get from Prague Airport to the City Center at Night
From midnight until 5:00 a.m., Prague runs night buses. Two of them stop at the airport:
- Bus 907
- Bus 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.
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.
