Prague public transport tickets: which one to buy, how to validate, what a fine costs

Prague has one of the best public transport systems in Europe and one of the cheapest in any capital. Three metro lines, a tram network that goes everywhere the metro does not, buses, ferries and a funicular all run on one ticket, sold by time rather than by distance or by vehicle. Learn three rules — buy before you board, stamp a paper ticket, know which ticket length you need — and you never think about it again. Figures below were checked on the official PID price list and on the Prague Public Transit Company's own pages (dpp.cz) in September 2026; the running list is on the prices page.

The fares

| Ticket | In the app | On paper | |---|---|---| | 30 minutes | 36 Kč | 39 Kč | | 90 minutes | 46 Kč | 50 Kč | | 24 hours | 140 Kč | 150 Kč | | 72 hours | 340 Kč | 350 Kč | | Large luggage | 23 Kč | 25 Kč |

A time ticket covers everything: metro, tram, bus, the Petřín funicular and the river ferries, with unlimited changes until it expires. Children under 15 travel free, and from the age of six they should be able to prove their age if asked.

Which one to buy

• Staying in the centre for a weekend and walking most of it: single 30- or 90-minute tickets, bought as you go.
• Three or four rides a day: the 24-hour ticket pays for itself at the third ride.
• Three days or more: the 72-hour ticket. It is the best-value ticket in the system and it starts when you first validate it, not at midnight.
• A week or more: ask at a transport desk about a longer pass; from a certain length, a monthly coupon on a Lítačka card is cheaper than repeated 72-hour tickets.

Where to buy

• The PID Lítačka app — the cheapest option and the one locals use. Buy the ticket, and it is active from the moment you choose; there is nothing to stamp.
• Yellow ticket machines at every metro station and at many tram stops. They take cards, including contactless.
• Contactless card straight at the metro gate or on a tram validator — tap and a 30-minute ticket is charged.
• Newsagents and the transport desks at the airport and the main station.

Buying on board a bus from the driver is possible on some lines but costs more and is not something to rely on.

Validating: the part that catches visitors

A paper ticket is not valid until it is stamped in the small yellow validator — on the bus or tram, or at the entrance to the metro platform, before you go down. The machine prints the date and time, and the clock starts then.

A ticket bought in the app is already running and does not need stamping. A contactless tap is its own validation.

The single most common mistake is holding a 30-minute ticket and not realising the clock started at the stamp, not at boarding.

If you get it wrong: the surcharge

Inspectors are frequent, in plain clothes, and they show a badge. There is no warning for tourists. When checked on dpp.cz in September 2026, travelling without a valid ticket inside Prague cost:

• 1,200 Kč paid on the spot;
• 1,500 Kč if paid within 15 days;
• 2,000 Kč otherwise.

An unpaid piece of large luggage or a dog is 200 Kč on the spot, and a forgotten season ticket that you can prove later is 50 Kč. Pay it; the amounts are enforced and they follow you.

The network

• Metro: line A (green) runs from the west, past the Castle side at Malostranská, through the centre to Vinohrady and out east. Line B (yellow) crosses the centre at Můstek and Florenc. Line C (red) runs north–south through Muzeum and Vyšehrad. Trains run roughly from 5 a.m. to midnight.
• Trams: the real network of the city. Tram 22 is the sightseeing line, climbing from the New Town across the river to Prague Castle. Night trams, numbered in the 90s, run every half hour through the night and all meet at Lazarská.
• The Petřín funicular is part of the system, but it has its own fare unless you hold a 24- or 72-hour ticket. See Petřín.
• Ferries across the Vltava are included and are a pleasant way to reach Troja in summer.

From the airport

There is no train or metro at the terminals. Trolleybus 59 connects to metro line A at Nádraží Veleslavín, and the whole journey is one 90-minute ticket. The Airport Express bus to the main station is a separate service with its own fare — ordinary PID tickets are not valid on it. The full comparison is in Prague Airport to the city.

Practical notes

• Large luggage — one piece over a certain size needs its own 23 Kč ticket. Backpacks and cabin bags do not.
• Trams have priority. Let them pass; they cannot swerve.
• Apps: PID Lítačka for tickets, and its journey planner or a maps app for connections. Both work offline for the map, not for the ticket.
• Park and ride: if you drive in, leave the car at a P+R by a metro station — see driving to Prague.

For everything else about getting around, including taxis and ride apps, see the getting around guide, and for what the rest of a trip costs, is Prague expensive?.