The railway transport of the Czech Republic every year increases the turnover of passenger traffic. Trains in the Czech Republic regularly run on various routes over long distances, including abroad, and tickets for all directions can be easily purchased at any ticket office. Thanks to these and other advantages, Czech Railways is the most popular and demanded mode of transport both among locals and among tourists traveling around Europe.
Features of railway transport in the Czech Republic
Unlike buses, the routes of which depend on the season and weather conditions, rail transport in the Czech Republic provides regular scheduled transportation to any point on the map of the country. In this case, you can get off at the intermediate station, walk and see the sights, and then go further with the same ticket, but on a different train following the same route.
A flexible system of discounts allows you to save on tickets for those who travel in groups or families.
The railways are owned by the state monopoly, the Ceske drahy group - Czech Railways (CD).
The duration of the trip depends on the class of the train: thanks to new technologies, the appearance of cars of increased comfort and high speeds, the travel time is steadily decreasing, especially if you are traveling on SuperCity, EuroCity, Intercity trains.
Each passenger is guaranteed cleanliness and order on the road. Each train car has toilets, paper towels, and even the smallest stations have electronic displays.
How is the railway service organized in Prague
As a rule, tourists start their journey from Prague, where the main train station (Hlavni nadrazi) and six suburban and train stations are located, providing transportation in 27 directions. It employs trains of various levels, including the double-decker City Elefant 471.
Trains in Prague run from about 4 am to 11 pm.
Trains and stations in the metropolitan area form the Esko Praha system - part of Prague's transport infrastructure, which is used by millions of people every day, commuting to work and home, on vacation and excursions.
What do special terms mean in railway transport in the Czech Republic
Often, tourists from the CIS do not understand certain designations, train names, abbreviations and marks on tickets. Let's get acquainted with the most common terms.
- BahnTix. This is a way to print tickets in a special machine at the station upon prior order. The service costs 10 euros for trains traveling from Germany through the Czech Republic. After ordering and prepayment, the passenger receives his number by email and uses it to print out a ticket, which must be presented to the conductor in the carriage. There is no refund for tickets received in this way.
- LEO Express trains. Convenient regional express economy class connects Prague with Ostrava, Pardubice, Olomouc, Bohumin. In fact, this is a combination of the European standard and affordable prices, which is comfortable for passengers, including soft armchairs, tables, Internet access, and free drinks. You will need to book a seat in advance for the train.
- European trains. In the Czech Republic, the famous EU (EuroCity) and IC (InterCity) go, but they are presented only on international routes: to Vienna, Berlin, Budapest. EC type trains have first and second class carriages, a dining car, and additional amenities for disabled people. IC is a mid-price train. Tickets for European trains can only be purchased for certain seats in the carriage.
- Night trains. A night train from Berlin to Budapest runs through the Czech Republic - EuroNight (EN). Since it runs at night, its carriages are equipped with berths. The official website of the Prague station provides complete information on its movement.
So, the departure from Prague takes place at about midnight, and by 9 am you arrive in Budapest. In the opposite direction EN leaves from Prague railway station at about 4 am, and also by 9 am you will be in the capital of Germany. The same train will take you to intermediate stations on the route - Bratislava and Vienna.
- Pendolino. This is what the Czechs call the fastest train Supercity (SC). They are used in all European countries. The speed of the train is about 230 km / h. On the train, like on an airplane, hot food is served, the Internet is constantly available here, there are sockets for recharging phones. Pendolino runs across the country - from east to west, from Ostrava to the city of Frantiskovy Lazne. Unfortunately, Supercity is located far from the famous Karlovy Vary resort, so vacationers will not be able to use it.
- Czech trains. The regional express EX (Express) and the fast R train (Rychlik) run long distances. They stop at large stations, have carriages of the first and second classes, and restaurant cars.
Electric trains are divided into high-speed SP (Spesny vlak), which do not stop at small stations, and suburban trains Os (Osobni vlak), which will take passengers to any of the smallest stations.
What cars do Czechs and guests of the country travel in?
In the Czech Republic, the most common carriages with seating are, because the area of the country is comparable to the Leningrad or Tver region, and from west to east the length of the state's territory is only 450 km.
In almost any direction, it will take no more than six hours to travel across the Czech Republic.
And yet, officially, there are three types of carriages in the republic: compartment, reserved seat, general (like in an airplane). Reservations can only be found on the EuroNight night train. There are first and second class coupes, they are the same in terms of the provided amenities, but in the first class there are two passengers, and in the second - three. Each compartment has a transforming table that quickly changes to a washbasin.
What tickets can be purchased for the train
If you take a ticket for a local train, it should be borne in mind that travel documents can be of two types: jizdenka and mistenka. The first option gives you the right only to travel, you enter the carriage along it and sit on any unoccupied seat. But Mystenka assumes that you reserve a certain place in advance, and it will be indicated on the ticket. The cost of such a service costs up to 100 kroons (about 4 euros).
If you sat down in an empty seat, and then a passenger came with a ticket for it, you will have to get up, because he has the right to it. Therefore, it is more profitable to take a ticket on the website of the Czech Railways, since this way a certain place will be booked free of charge.
Before purchasing a ticket, you should familiarize yourself with the possibilities to save on fares.
Weekend group ticket
When traveling with a family (2 adults, 3 children) on weekends, it is convenient to take a special train ticket - Skupinová víkendová jízdenka. It is valid on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. A one-day ticket costs 800 kroons (a little over 30 euros), and with it you can travel with the whole family throughout the country. A family ticket for one region costs up to 250 CZK (10 euros).
Group ticket
If you are going to travel with a group of friends, when ordering tickets online, you will automatically be offered a discount for a group of 2-5 people. The cost is calculated as follows: 100% of the price for the first passenger, 75% for the second, 50% for the third and the rest.
Children under 6 years old travel on trains free of charge, passengers from 7 to 12 years old are entitled to a 50% discount.
Approximate cost of a full ticket: on the Prague-Brno route, the second class costs 199 kroons, the first - 455 kroons (8 and 17 euros, respectively); Prague - Karlovy Vary - 153 kroons will cost a place in the second class, 423 kroons - in the first class (6 and 16 euros).
When buying a round-trip ticket, there is a 5% discount. Crowns are accepted at the box office; it is impossible to buy a ticket for euros at most stations.
How to buy an e-ticket on the CD website
Buying a ticket online is the most profitable and convenient option for purchasing travel documents. To do this, you need to go to the railway website.
If you know English, it is better to immediately click on the upper right on the button to change the language and use the site in English.
- On the right side of the page, a form for ordering tickets is displayed: from which city (From) to which (to).
2. If you click on the word “station”, a hint appears. For example, let's order a ticket from Prague to Brno (Praha hl.n. - Brno hl.n.), where the letters Hl.n. denote the main railway station of the city - this postscript will automatically appear in the lines.
3. Next, select the departure date: today (today), tomorrow (tomorrow), you can also click on the calendar icon and specify the desired date and approximate time of departure. So, we set the search parameters for 10.30 am the next day.
4. The adjacent field indicates that the default ticket is for one adult between 26 and 69 years old. If you click on the arrow on the right, a form will be displayed for adding other passengers.
5. Next, click the green "Search" button below. A page appears showing all trains that run to Brno at the appropriate time. There is a ticket that costs 219 kroons (8 euros) at 10.51 and 119 kroons (4 euros) at 11.51.
6. After choosing a train, you can press the green button with the indicated price to get details: how much does the first and second class cost.
7. At the bottom right, click “Continue”, and a list of additional services opens in front of us: booking a seat, transporting a bicycle, animals, etc. If there is no need for this, put a tick in front of “No” and click on “Continue” again.
8. Then you need to fill in the passenger information. We select the ID card and enter the number of the foreign passport, in the column “name”, “surname” - the name and surname according to the passport. At the end, you need to click the "Place in your shopping cart" button and proceed to paying for the ticket with a bank card.
After a successful transaction, a ticket in pdf format is sent to the e-mail, where the route of the trip, the time of departure and arrival, and the cost are indicated. On the printed version, the barcode must not be folded.
Features of the use of railways in the Czech Republic
Those who are just starting to travel around the Czech Republic are often interested in specific tips and tricks. Let's leave a few recommendations on the use of Czech railways:
- An international ticket is valid only with the passport for which it was purchased, it is personalized, it is prohibited to transfer it to other people.
- The ticket can be returned or changed at the railway ticket offices at least one day before the specified travel date.
- International tickets are printed, internal tickets are enough to show to conductors and controllers in electronic form.
- Each carriage has a traffic plan with indication of stations.
- Sometimes passengers do not have time to buy a ticket because they are late. It is allowed to enter the carriage and purchase a travel document from a conductor (controller), but its cost will increase by 40 kroons (1.5 euros). Accepted for payment are card, cash, crowns, euros - what you have with you.
- If you bought a jizdenka without a seat, and there is nowhere to sit, you will have to stand all the way.
- It is allowed to take the bike with you, but you have to pay extra for it up to 100 CZK (about 4 euros).
- Small dogs and cats can be carried in carriers free of charge, but for large dogs you need to pay from 15 to 50 kroons (up to 1.6 euros) and put on a muzzle.
Conclusion
Foreigners, in particular those from the CIS, are happy to use such simple and inexpensive transport as railways in the Czech Republic. Trains move in different directions almost around the clock, and the carriages with conveniences will make the journey especially comfortable. By the way, almost all conductors and employees of railway stations, if they do not speak, then understand Russian, so there will be no problems during travel.
