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Example: Airport to
the
main (central) train station, to catch a
train to Brno
You only have to purchase one ticket to
get you from the airport to the main/central station. The
ticket gets you on a number 119 bus from the airport to Dejvicka,
then it gets you onto the underground at Dejvicka to Muzeum,
where you change to a different underground line (still using
the same ticket) to get you to the main/central
station “Hlavni
Nadrazi”.
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Remember: only
validate your ticket ONCE, on the first transport
that you enter  (bus
/ tram / metro)
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The ticket lasts 60 minutes during office hours, and 90
minutes off peak. Getting from the airport to the hlavni
nadrazi takes less than an hour, so you are safe with one
ticket.
One ticket for one hour costs 20 crowns (about 45p). BUT
any large bags/suitcases you have with you have to have a
ticket too: 10 crowns each for any luggage items exceeding
25x45x70cm. So you may need to buy a 20 crown and a 10 crown
ticket.
Charles Bridge (Karluv Most), Prague |
You
can buy these tickets at orange coin
operated machines on
the streets or at the entrance to underground stations, or
at newsagents etc. At the airport there’s a transport
desk just as you come out of arrivals, where you should be
able to get them too.
You have to validate the ticket(s) as soon
as you get on the bus, or as you enter the underground station.
There are little
yellow machines that you poke the right end of the
ticket into, and it stamps the location, date and time onto
the end of the ticket. Only validate it once though, at the
start of your journey! Watch out for the plain-clothes ticket
inspectors
— they will show you a badge before asking for your
ticket, so make sure you retain the ticket until you are
completely out of the underground.
To re-iterate: From Prague airport
to the main/central train station:
-
buy a 20 crown and 10 crown ticket
from the desk at the airport, or if you have coins,
from the orange machine at the bus stop at the airport.
-
take the number 119 bus to Dejvicka (it’s marked “Dejvicka”).
Get both tickets validated in the little yellow machine
on the bus.
-
get off at Dejvicka and go down into the underground
(Metro). Because it’s the end of the underground
line, there’s
only one direction you can go in. The line you are on
is the Green “A” line.
-
get off at the stop called “Muzeum”,
and transfer onto the other underground line, which is
the red “C” line. It’s a bit of a walk
through the underground tunnels.
-
it’s just one stop from there to Hlavni
Nadrazi (make sure you
are heading in the right direction though! If after one
stop you’re not at Hlavni Nadrazi, then get off
and go to the other platform, and go back 2 stops!).
Once you are there, as you come up the stairs or escalator
you find yourself in the lower level of the main station
proper. There is a small set of stairs that leads you
from there to a higher level, where you’ll find
the tunnel to get you to the platforms.
-
at the ticket booths in the lower
level, go and ask for a 1 way ticket to Brno
(or wherever). Return tickets, though cheap, only allow
the return part of the trip to be the following day.
If you’ll be away for longer than that you have to get
a single for each direction. Hopefully they will speak
English! If not, try the following:
Prosim vas, jeden do Brna. Jen
tam. [if you want to go to Brno]
Prosim vas, jeden do Ceskych Budejovic. Jen tam. [if
you want to go to Ceske Budejovice]
skyline, Tabor |
That sounds something like this:
Proseem vaas, yeden doe brna. Yen taam. [to Brno]
Proseem vaas, yeden doe chess-keek Bood-ye-yo-veets.
Yen taam. [to C.B.]
(please, one to Brno/C.B. Just one way.)
Before getting on the train, double check that it’s the
right one by looking at the signs on the platform, but also
on the boards attached to the end of each carriage that state
the starting and ending stations. If in doubt, ask someone
(even in English) and hopefully you’ll get a reply!
Bus and Train timetables on the WWW
Before you actually
leave home it would be a good idea to check out the online
train timetable to see when the different trains from Prague
to Brno run.
http://www.jizdnirady.cz/ConnForm.asp?tt=c&cl=E5
There’s a button on that page for English translation
(if you use the link above, it will be in English already).
Then, for start and destination stations,
type “Praha” (instead
of Prague) and “Brno”. It doesn’t
know what “Prague” is,
which is a bit stupid. The search comes up with buses as
well as trains, but I recommend sticking to trains, it’s
a lot easier to get to the central train station than it
is to find and get to all the various bus stations!
Here are some example times for trains based on travelling
on a Saturday to Brno (please check
for yourself, entering
the exact day you will be travelling!). These are probably
out of date by the time you read this, but it gives you an
idea of frequency and cost:
- dep 10:00, arr 12:41 (2hr 41), 160 crowns
- dep 10:15, arr 13:40 (3hr 25), 130 crowns
- dep 12:00, arr
14:41 (2hr 41), 160 crowns
- dep 12:35, arr 15:47 (3hr 12),
160 crowns
- (actually that one leaves from Holesovice
station, not central station). Central station = “hl.
n.” (Hlavni
Nadrazi)
- dep 14:10, arr 17:38 (3hr 28), 130 crowns
- dep 14:32, arr 17:09 (2hr 37), 160 crowns
Then there are more at 13:32 (from Holesovice), 15:20 (from
central), 16:00 (from central), 16:10 (from Liben station
— don’t
know where that is!), 16:35 (from Holesovice), 18:00 (central),
18:03 (Holesovice), 18:10 (central), 20:10 (central).
So you have a few to choose from.
Other things to remember:
-
Watch your pockets at all times! Don’t become
a pickpocket statistic! I have friends who have recently
lost bags/purses on the crowded metro (underground).
With everyone jostling around you, you can’t tell
when someone is relieving you of your valuables, even
from inside your bags.
-
On the train you can’t guarantee that there will
be a restaurant car, so make sure you get some food and
drink to take with you. If you can afford it, buy something
at your home airport or at Prague airport. Food available
at the main station is universally horrible.
-
Check the carriage you are getting
into, to make sure it’s
2nd class and non-smoking. There should be a number 2
with a box around it displayed near the door, and a non-smoking
symbol.
OK, that’s all I can think of for now — I trust that this
helps!
-- Stephen Brandon, September 2005 |
