🚇 Transport
Getting around Prague
Three metro lines, a tram network that reaches almost every door, and a centre small enough that walking usually wins. How the time-based ticket system works, what to buy, and which rides are worth taking for their own sake.
Walking first
The historic centre is small: the Old Town Square to Wenceslas Square is ten minutes on foot, and across Charles Bridge to Malá Strana another fifteen. Most visitor days involve less transport than people expect. The exceptions are the climb to the Castle and Petřín, where tram 22 and the funicular exist for a reason, and the neighbourhoods one ride out.
The metro
Three lines, all built from the 1970s onwards, fast and frequent:
- A (green) runs from Nádraží Veleslavín — the connection for the airport trolleybus — through Malostranská, Staroměstská, Můstek and Muzeum out to Vinohrady.
- B (yellow) crosses the centre east to west via Můstek and Florenc and serves Smíchov.
- C (red) runs north–south through the main railway station and Muzeum to Vyšehrad.
Náměstí Míru on line A has one of the longest escalators in the European Union. The metro runs until around midnight.
Trams
Trams are how Prague actually moves, and they reach places the metro does not.
- 22 climbs from Národní třída through Malá Strana to the Castle gates — the scenic line, and the one to watch your pockets on.
- 17 follows the right-bank embankment below the Old Town, with the Castle across the water.
- Night trams numbered in the 90s run all night after the metro closes, meeting at Lazarská.
Tickets
One time-based system — PID — covers the metro, trams, buses, trolleybuses, ferries and trains within the city. A 30- or 90-minute ticket lets you change freely until it runs out; a 24- or 72-hour ticket is the right choice for most visitors and also covers the Petřín funicular. The PID tickets page explains how to buy and validate, and the current fares are on what it costs.
Ferries
Several small ferry lines cross the Vltava on the ordinary ticket. They are transport, not a cruise — and on a summer evening, the cheapest river view in the city.
Taxis and ride apps
Do not flag down a taxi on the street in the tourist centre. Use Bolt, Uber or Liftago, or a pre-booked car, so the price is set before you get in.
Cycling
Shared bikes and e-scooters are everywhere, and the riverside paths north to Troja and south past Vyšehrad are flat and pleasant. The cobbled centre and the Castle hill are neither.