A rare visit to the Czech Republic is complete without a visit to Karlovy Vary. It is a world famous health resort, which is very popular with both foreign tourists and the local population. After visiting this resort, travelers usually head to the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague. At the same time, many visitors are interested in how to get from Karlovy Vary to Prague and what kind of transport is the best way to do it.
What ways can you get
The most convenient way to get from Prague Airport to Karlovy Vary or from Karlovy Vary to Prague is by land transport.
There is a private airport in Karlovy Vary, but there are no direct flights to Prague from it.
Trips by different types of transport differ markedly both in their duration and in the cost of tickets.
| Way | Price | Travel time | Notes (edit) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car rent | 120 euros | 2 hours | Remember about the obligatory blocking of the amount of the deposit on the credit card for the duration of the car rental (650-1000 euros). |
| Bus | 6 euros | 2.5 hours | Please note that each additional piece of baggage is charged separately in the amount of 2 euros. |
| Train | 6.5 Euro | 3.5 hours | Night flights take 2-2.5 times longer than day flights. If you are not planning to sleep on the train, take the morning departure. |
Traveling from Karlovy Vary by train
Railways in the Czech Republic offer tourists a quick and convenient way to get to the capital of the Czech Republic using the Karlovy Vary - Praha train. If you are used to traveling in comfort, this is the best option possible.
A large number of flights to Prague leave from the Karlovy Vary train station every day. The earliest of them fall at 04.56 and 05.58 in the morning.
Starting from 07.16, trains run every two hours until 19.16 inclusive. The last train leaves at 22.57 to arrive in Prague the next morning at 06.08. The train schedule can be found immediately before purchasing tickets on the carrier's website.
It should be noted that the night train runs longer than the others - a little over seven hours. The average travel time for morning and afternoon flights is 3.5-4 hours.
The duration of the trip depends on the number of settlements through which the train route runs. If you are planning to travel in II class, the cost of tickets for all categories of passengers in 2021 is 6.2 euros.
Travel in a first class carriage will cost you 16.7 euros, but there is no business class on short-distance trains.
Children from 0 to 5 years old travel free of charge, subject to travel in the arms of their parents.
The ticket price includes the carriage of one piece of hand luggage, the total dimensions of which should not exceed 200 cm, and the weight - 35 kg. You can book a ticket in advance on the official website.
To get to the Upper Train Station in Karlovy Vary (Nákladní 83/31), you can take a walk as the town is relatively small. The distance from the city center to the train station is about 2 km.
If you are in a hurry to the train station, use a local taxi, Kiwi Taxi service, or take bus 91 and get off at Horní Nádraží stop.
Getting to the main railway station in Prague (Wilsonova, 8) is also not difficult. Take bus no. 119, 340 or 350 to get off at the Nádraží Veleslavín stop, then take the A metro line to get off at Museum station.
How to get to Prague by bus
Flights from Karlovy Vary to Prague are offered by two carriers: Flixbus and Regiojet. Another popular Czech company Student Agency does not operate in Karlovy Vary.
Regiojet
Every day from the bus station in Karlovy Vary there are up to twenty flights to Prague from the Regiojet company. Buses run every hour, so you can always choose a comfortable departure time.
The travel time is 2.5 hours, the distance is about 220 kilometers. The cost of a full adult ticket is around 6 euros, children under 5 years old are entitled to free travel, provided they travel in the arms of their parents.
A ticket for children from 6 to 18 years old will cost 50% of the cost, a discount for a ticket for people with disabilities is 75% of the total cost.
Discounts are not provided for other preferential categories of passengers. You can buy a bus ticket in advance on the official website of the carrier.
You can take with you on the bus no more than one piece of hand luggage weighing up to 35 kg with a total size of up to 200 cm. For each subsequent piece of baggage you will have to pay a penalty of 2 euros.
Flixbus
Flixbus, an international carrier, competes with Regiojet for speed. The maximum duration of its flights is 2 hours and 10 minutes, since the buses do not make stops along the route. Arrival is carried out either at the station "Florenc", or at the metro station "Hradcanska" on line A, from which you can easily get to anywhere in the city.
Flixbus operates 6 daily flights from Karlovy Vary.
The cost of a full ticket is from 5 euros, for children from 0 to 17 years old there is a 50% discount. Discounts are not provided for other preferential categories.
One piece of carry-on baggage is included in the ticket price. If you plan to carry a large luggage with you, prepare to pay € 2 for each extra seat, and another € 15 on top for a bike. You can buy a bus ticket on the official website of the carrier.
How to get to the bus station
You can get to the bus station in Karlovy Vary (Zapadnaya str., 1793 / 2a) on foot, as well as by taxi or bus number 18, 13 or 6, getting off at the Sportovni stop.
To get to the Florenc bus station in Prague (Pod výtopnou, 13/10), take metro line B or C and get off at Florenc station.
If you are not in a hurry for your flight, take trams no. 3, 8, 14, 24 or 26 and get off at the stop of the same name. So you will not only get to the bus station, but also see some of the sights of the city.
Travel from Karlovy Vary to Prague by car
It should be noted that car travel is the most expensive way to get from Karlovy Vary to Prague. You can make such a trip either by your own or by a rented car. If you wish, use the blablacar.cz travel companion search service.
The distance between Karlovy Vary and Prague is about 130 km, and if you follow the shortest route without stopping, you will spend about 2 hours on the road.
The optimal time to leave Karlovy Vary is 11.30 am, since during this period the roads are the least congested.
With an average fuel cost of 33 kroons (1.28 euros) per liter and taking into account that it will take you about 11 liters for the road, the cost of gasoline will be 15 euros.
Some highways in the Czech Republic are paid, so you should purchase a vignette yourself - a travel permit. The vignette can be bought at any gas station or service station, it costs 12.5 euros and is valid for 10 days. Be sure to attach the vignette to the inside of the windshield so that the Highway Patrol can check if necessary.
Before setting off by car, plan an approximate route along which you will be moving. At the exit from Karlovy Vary, take the E48 road and follow it past Angelskaya Gora, Bočov and Skripov. On the way you will meet Lubenets, Chernitsa, Hostivice and Belaya Gora. You will enter Prague from Dejvice, the northern part of the city.
Drive to Prague with a rented car
If you intend to rent a car, use the services of the car rental companies Economybookings.com or rentalcars.com. Remember to pay a deposit for the car - usually its size ranges from 600 to 1000 euros, depending on the car model and its mileage.
The cost of renting a mini-class car in the Czech Republic for a day is about 40 euros, for a middle class car - 60 euros.To this amount are added the cost of gasoline (15 euros), the commission for returning the car in another city (30 euros) and car insurance. The minimum rental amount reaches 120 euros, subject to prior booking and payment by card.
Finally
You can get from Karlovy Vary to Prague by land transport, in particular by car, bus or train. Since the distance between these cities is relatively short, travel time averages between 3 and 3.5 hours.
If possible, choose to travel by car in order to explore as many local attractions as possible along the way. And to quickly get from one city to another, take a bus or train. However, in any case, the choice is yours.
