Prague is such a beautiful city, and well worth a few days of your time! We spent a long weekend exploring all the wonderful areas of the city, and we couldn’t have seen as much as we did without the trams, buses and metro. Like many cities in Europe, the Prague public transport system is amazing. It is clean, efficient, cost-effective, and can get you most places you’ll want to go.
We navigated the Prague public transport system and have written down everything we learned so that you can make the most of your visit.
In this post:
- Modes of Transport
- Buying Tickets
- Cost of Transport
- Getting to and from the Airport
- Finding Timetables and Routes
- Important Things to Know
Modes of Transport
In Prague, public transport mainly consists of trams, buses and metros. We ended up using all three of these modes in the time we were there as they all service different routes. There is also the Petřín Funicular, which was unfurtunately closed during our visit, and a few ferry routes for river crossings outside of the city centre.
All of these transport modes are run by the Prague Integrated Transport (PID) and share the same ticketing system.
Buses
Buses in Prague run through the city and out to the suburban areas, including the airport. There are two kinds of buses in Prague, city buses and trolleybuses, which are powered by overhead lines. Buses are the main transport that services Prague airport, with connections to transport interchanges with trams or metros. There are over 130 bus routes, with some routes operating overnight.
Trams
Prague’s very first horse powered tram line opened in 1875, with electric trams starting from 1891. While the trams in modern days actually service less of the city than they did at their peak in the 1970s, there are still more than 30 tram routes. They service the city and suburbs, running from 4:30am until around midnight. There are a few routes that also have night time services.
There are a few different kinds of trams in Prague. Some are a few carriages long while some are only one. There are also modern trams and more historic ones. During peak months and peak times, the trams can get very crowded, as they are the main transport mode for the most touristy areas around Old Town.
Metro
There are three metro lines that run from suburbs through the city centre of Prague. Routes A (green) and B (yellow) run roughly east to west, crossing over near Old Town. Route C runs predominately north-south, and crosses both A and B in the city as well. Most metro stations are underground, with clear signage from street level to indicate entrances.
While buses and trams both have night services, the metro does not. It stops service around midnight and starts again at around 5:00am each day.
Petřín Funicular
Sometimes considered part of the tram network, the Petřín Funicular runs from Malá Strana up Petřín, a hill on the west side of the city. It is currently undergoing a refurbishment, and is expected to be back up and running in summer 2026.
Ferries
Along the Vltava River, there are 6 ferry routes that provide easy river crossings. None of the routes are in the central area around Old Town. If you’re exploring further afield or going on any walks or bike rides, you might find a ferry useful!
Buying and Validating Tickets
You have a few options for buying your tickets. Firstly, if you’re looking at where to buy Prague public transport tickets, you can buy physical paper tickets at all metro stations and major bus and tram stops. You can also buy tickets on board trams and ferries. You can also use PID Lítačka app to buy and store digital tickets.
In terms of ticket types, you also have a few options ranging from 30 minute tickets to 72 hours. There is also a month long Prague public transport pass that may be useful if you are staying in the city for a while, but it is the same price as roughly 18 half-hour journeys or almost 14 of the 90-minute journeys. With all ticket types, you have access to buses, trams, metros and ferries with unlimited transfers within the time window. You only need to validate your ticket once. It is important to note that the ticket duration is when the ticket no longer allows you on the vehicle. You must be finished your journey completely when the ticket expires.
If you are intending to use your tickets for the Petřín Funicular, you will need a 24 or 72 hour ticket. Alternatively, you can also buy a specific Petřín Funicular ticket before boarding.
You should also buy an additional ticket if you are travelling with large luggage or with an animal. These can be purchased at the same time alongside your travel ticket.
Ticket Machines
If you’re after the most simple way to get your Prague public transport tickets, buying them from the machines in the city is the best option. At most transport stations or stops, you’ll find yellow ticket machines. From these, you can buy 30 or 90 minute tickets, as well as the longer term 24 or 72 hour tickets. Tickets from these yellow machines will need to be validated when you board a bus or tram in the small yellow machines. These validation machines are near the entrances to metro stations. You MUST validate your ticket as soon as you board transport or before you enter a metro station. Having an invalid ticket is simply like having no ticket at all.
On board trams and buses you will also find orange ticket machines. These will also allow you to buy 30 and 90 minute tickets with a contactless card that are validated at the time of purchase. We found this option to be great when we weren’t sure when or where we were going, as it gave us the flexibility to jump on a tram and buy a ticket then and there.
PID Lítačka App
The Prague public transport app is another easy way to purchase your tickets. In the app, you can purchase all of the short term tickets (30-minute, 90-minute, 24-hour and 72-hour), as well as monthly passes. To buy a monthly pass, you will need to create an account and be logged into the app, but for all of the other passes you can continue without an account.
When you buy a ticket in the PID Lítačka app, you can choose to validate the ticket immediately, at a certain time, or manually. If you validate it immediately after purchase, it will take 2 minutes to validate. Make sure you give yourself enough time to let the validation complete before you board a tram or bus or enter a metro station. You will also need an internet connection for the tickets to validate, so plan ahead if you won’t have access to data!
The app also has real-time data on where vehicles are, and you can check routes and timetable information.
Ticket Offices
Around the city, there are a few places where you can buy public transport tickets in person. At some metro stations, there will be people in ticket booths to help you. There are also information centres and convenience stores around the city where you can buy tickets. However, unless you’re after something specific or need to talk to someone about your options, this isn’t the most convenient way to get tickets.
Alternative Option: Visitor Pass
One last option for Prague public transport tickets is to buy the Prague Visitor Pass. This comes in 48, 72 or 120 hour options, and provides full access to buses, trams, metros and ferries in the city, as well as a return trip from Prague airport. It also will get you into many of the cities attractions, inluding Prague Castle, the Astronomical Tower and Town Hall, the City Hall, and some walking and biking tours. If you’re planning on doing a lot of these activities anyway, this could be a cost-effective option, but definitely do the maths on if it’s worthwhile for you!
Cost of Transport
As the ticket types are the same across all modes of transport, the cost is very straightforward. The below Prague public transport fares are accurate as of October 2025)
| Adult (15 – 60) | Student (15 – 26) | Senior (over 60) | Child (under 15) | |
| 30 Minute | 30 Kč | 30 Kč | 15 Kč | Free |
| 90 Minute | 40 Kč | 40 Kč | 20 Kč | Free |
| 24 Hour | 120 Kč | 120 Kč | 60 Kč | Free |
| 72 Hour | 330 Kč | 330 Kč | N/A | Free |
| One Month | 550 Kč | 130 Kč | 130 Kč | Free |
Children aged 10 – 15 may be asked to prove their age.
Tickets for luggage or pets are an additional 20 Kč. Tickets for the Petřín Funicular are 60 Kč.
Getting to and from Prague Airport
Even though the airport is outside of the city, it is very easy to travel between the Prague airport and the city centre on public transport. Of course, you can also use a taxi or rideshare, but a one-way journey using the Prague public transport will only set you back 40 Kč (around €1.60 in October 2025).
All routes from the airport to the city on public transport will start with a bus, as the trams and metros do not go to the airport. The bus stop is clearly signed from within the airport. Depending on where in the city you’re going, you’ll have a couple of options. The option we used to get to our accommodation in Prague 3 was to catch the 59 bus to Divoká Šárka and then swapping to the 26 tram. We also considered the 59 bus to Nádraží Veleslavín, then swapping to the A metro.
As the city centre is well serviced with trams and metros, there will be multiple options for your journey. You can always use Google Maps or Citymapper to find the best route for you.
For tickets to and from the airport, you can simply buy a 90 minute ticket before you board the bus at the airport from one of the ticket machines. As you get on the bus, simply validate your ticket on one of the yellow machines, and you’re good to go!
Finding Timetables and Routes
As we’ve mentioned, using the PID Lítačka app is a great way to see real-time data on all transport modes. In the app, you can enter your destination and either use your current location or enter a start point to get a route suggestion. You can also see upcoming departures from nearby transport stops.
Google Maps is also fully integrated with the Prague public transport system, as is CityMapper. Both are great options. If you are already familiar with using one of these, it will serve you just fine in Prague.
Metros, trams and buses all come quite frequently during the day. However if you’re going anywhere early in the morning or later in the evening, it would be a good idea to check in advance what times you’ll be able to get on the route you need.
Important Things to Know
- Random ticket checks do occur on all modes of transport. If your ticket has not been validated, it has expired, or you don’t have one at all, you could face a fine. This includes if you bought a ticket in the app less than 2 minutes before it is checked, as they take 2 minutes to be valid.
- Trams around Old Town can be very crowded during peak times. Some routes have smaller vehicles, so you may need to wait for a later one if they are too busy. Plan ahead if you have somewhere to be at a certain time.
- Metro stations have zones where you need a ticket. Even if you are not on a train, you can be fined if you are on the platform without a validated ticket.
- We bought tickets out of the machines multiple times, however on one occasion we bought two and it only printed one. There’s no way to get a refund without calling someone so we just left it. However just make sure you’re double checking how many tickets have been printed before you walk away.