The Czech metro is considered one of the most comfortable in Europe. High-speed underground trains can quickly travel from one part of the Czech capital to another. But the rules of operation of the Prague metro are significantly different from those to which residents of post-Soviet countries are accustomed. If you are planning to visit Prague, you'd better find out in advance how to use the metro in the Czech Republic.
How the metro works in Prague
Prague is the only city in the Czech Republic with a subway. The Prague metro has 3 lines (A, B and C), their total length is 65 km. The metro starts operating at 4.35 am and closes at midnight. Train timetables can be seen on the board at each station.
If you are walking around Prague late at night, keep in mind that at most stations, trains stop accepting passengers before midnight. It will not be superfluous to clarify the mode of operation and the time of stopping the movement at the stations that you use.
There are no turnstiles familiar to Russians at the stations of the Prague subway. Passengers must independently validate the ticket at the machine located near the entrance.
Thanks to the free entrance to the Prague metro, there is no significant crowding, despite the large number of tourists.
Many metro stations in Prague are equipped with assistance systems for passengers with disabilities. There are ramps and lifts for wheelchairs and strollers at these stations:
- Lines A: Nemocnice Motol, Petřiny, Nádraží Veleslavín, Dejvická, Muzeum (A / C), Strašnická, Skalka, Depo Hostivař.
- Line B: Zličín, Stodůlky, Luka, Lužiny, Hůrka, Nové Butovice, Smíchovské nádraží, Florenc (B / C), Vysočanská, Kolbenova, Hloubětín, Rajská zahrada, Černý most.
- Line C: Háje, Opatov, Chodov, Roztyly, Budějovická, Pankrác, Vyšehrad, Muzeum (A / C), Hlavní nádraží, Florenc (B / C), Vltavská, Nádraží Holešovice, Kobylíisy., Ládvíisy.
In addition, many stations have a special guiding track for visually impaired passengers on the floor. The track consists of several longitudinal stripes, which are well felt by the cane.
Features and types of tickets in the Czech Republic
There are no separate metro tickets in the Czech Republic. Public transport charges in Prague are divided into several tariff types. Metro, trams, buses of lines No. 100-299 and 901-915, funiculars, ferries and certain sections of the railway line belong to tariff R. For all these types of transport, there are unified tickets. The fare is charged not for one trip, but for the time spent on the way.
Tickets in the Czech Republic are called jízdenka and are divided into several types depending on the available travel time.
- Short-term tickets are for trips of up to 30 minutes and cost 24 CZK for adults and 12 CZK for children 6-15 years old.
- The basic ticket type is for a 90-minute journey and costs CZK 34 for adults and CZK 16 for children.
- Tickets valid for 24 hours can be purchased for 110 CZK (55 for children), tickets for 3 days (72 hours) for 310 CZK for both adults and children. Each ticket is valid for one passenger.
For children under 6 and seniors over 70, the metro ride is free.
You can buy a metro ticket in Prague everywhere: at transport stops, at metro stations, at any kiosks of the Trafika network (newspaper, tobacco and others), in shops.
Prague also has transport information centers located at the airport (terminals 1 and 2), at the main railway station, in the lobbies of the Mustek metro station (line A), Anděl (line B), Hradčanská (line A), Nádraží Veleslavin and on 1st floor of the Town Hall (35/29 Yungmannova st.).
In the information centers you can get information about all types of transport, lines and tariffs, buy tourist cards of Prague, as well as travel tickets.
To find out more about the location of information centers and their opening hours, refer to the official website of the transport company.
In most places, tickets can only be purchased with cash. There are ticket machines near the metro entrances. They only accept coins, but give out change.
The validity period of the ticket starts counting from the moment it was punched. At the entrance to the metro, there are composting machines with arrows indicating the place where you need to enter the ticket.
Entering the subway, you punch your ticket in the machine and go to the platform. If you are traveling with a stopover, the ticket is validated only once.
If your phone has a Czech SIM card, then you can buy a ticket online. This is convenient if the valid ticket expires and you are on the road at this time.
To buy e-tickets via SMS, you need to download the free SEJF app for Android or iOS.
To purchase a ticket, you need to send an SMS to 90206 with a different code depending on the required period:
- DPT24 for a ticket valid for 30 minutes,
- DPT32 - 90 minutes,
- DPT110 for 24 hours,
- DPT310 for 72 hours.
The money will be withdrawn from the account, and an electronic version of the ticket will be sent to the phone.
At the entrance to the metro, tickets are not checked, but controllers work in Czech transport. They walk in groups of 2-3 people, have tokens and IDs.
If the time of a paid trip is delayed even by 1 minute, you will still be fined, so be careful when traveling. The fine for traveling without a ticket in Prague is 800 CZK if paid locally, or 1500 CZK if you pay later.
If you plan to stay in Prague long enough, you can purchase a travel pass for a month. It costs CZK 550 for adults and CZK 260 for children.
For luggage larger than 25x45x70 cm, a dog in a transport cage or a pram without a child, an additional charge of 16 CZK is required.
The validity period of the baggage ticket applies to the validity period of the main passenger ticket, but not more than 300 minutes.
Strollers with children, bicycles, skis, snowboards, bags on wheels are transported free of charge. In most parts of Prague, dogs without transport cages can be transported on the metro free of charge.
Metro lines
The Prague metro has three lines:
- A - green line, 11 km long, 13 stations, termini Nemocnice Motol and Depo Hostivař. Travel time between end stations is 23 minutes.
- B - yellow line, length 25.7 km, 24 stations, terminal Zličín and Černý Most, travel time 41 minutes.
- C - red line, length 22.6 km, 20 stations, termini Háje and Letňany, the journey takes 36 minutes.
In the central part of the city, the lines intersect, forming a "interchange triangle". You can change from line A to line B at Můstek station, from line B to line C at Florenc station, from line C to line A at Museum station.
The distance between stations in the central part of Prague is short, about 1 km, and the train goes from one station to another for about 1.5 minutes.
In areas remote from the center, the length of the tracks increases. The interval of metro trains during peak hours is about 2 minutes, in the afternoon about 5 minutes, in the evening and early in the morning 10-12 minutes.
It is not difficult to navigate the Prague metro, but maps of the metro lines in the Czech subway are not available everywhere. Therefore, it will be more convenient for tourists to use the layout of the lines in the form of a printout or view it online on the phone.
Prague metro map in Russian:
Scheme of the metro and other modes of transport in Czech:
We go to the Prague metro
Let's say you arrived in Prague by plane and got from the airport by bus to the Zličín metro station. Now you need to take the metro to the city center, to the Namesti Miru station. To do this, you need to do the following:
- A map of the metro lines will tell you exactly where you need to go. You will find that the starting station of your route is on the yellow line B, and the final station on the green line A. Therefore, you will need to change at Můstek station.
- Buy a metro ticket.
If you purchase a pass at a kiosk or ticket office at a station, keep in mind that sellers often do not understand Russian or English, but Russian and Czech numerals sound very similar.To ask for a ticket in Czech, say “Jízdenku prosím” (“ticket please”) and add a price indication: “za dvacet čtyři korun (for 24 kroons),“ za třicet čtyři korun ”(for 34 kroons),“ za dvanáct korun ”(for 12 kroons - for a child) and the like. To thank the seller for the service, say “děkuji” (thank you).
- Ticket machines located in the metro lobby are marked in yellow. To buy a ticket at the terminal, click the button next to the type of travel ticket you need as many times as you need tickets. If you are purchasing a ticket for a child, additionally press the DISCOUNT button. The screen will display the amount you have to pay. Deposit money into the machine, get tickets and change. If you made a mistake when choosing a ticket or in the number of tickets, then press the "storno" button to cancel the operation.
- To validate the ticket. Composting devices are yellow and located in the lobby. The slot where you want to insert the ticket is indicated by an arrow. After punching, the date and time of the start of the trip appear on the ticket.
- Pass freely to the subway platform.
- Orient yourself with the direction of the trip. Signs on the platforms indicate the end stations to which the train is heading. If you need to travel from Zličín to the Můstek transfer station, take a train heading towards Černý Most.
- In order not to miss the desired station, listen to the announcements of the announcer. The stations are announced with the phrase "Příští stanice" (next station) and their name. In front of the transfer station, you will also hear: "Přestup na linku A" (transition to line A).
- Doors in metro cars at stations do not open automatically. To open the door, you need to press a special button. Get off at Můstek station and, following the signs, move to the platform of line A. Now you should go in the direction of Depo Hostivař.
- Drive to Namesti Miru station. Do not forget to press the button at the carriage door to exit. Each metro station has many exits, so follow the signs.
Conclusion
Prague is a city full of sights. Most of them are located in the central part of the city, and the most convenient way to get to them is by metro. In addition, metro tickets are also valid for other modes of transport.
If you buy a daily valid ticket for 110 CZK or a three-day ticket for 310 CZK, then after activating it, you can travel by metro, city buses, funicular and ferry for the duration of the validity period without worrying about paying for the fare. Trying to save on tickets in the Czech Republic is not worth it - the fines for travel without a ticket are very high.
