Search Flights from San Francisco to Prague

The mystic city of Prague dates back to the Middle Ages. The capital of the Czech Republic, the city of Prague is filled with historic castles, bridges, and architecture. Prague reflects the magic of its extensive history to visitors while at the same time offering them an amazing and modern city. Simply hop on a plane to come visit this wonderful city.

Prague is a highly developed city in terms of transportation. The city is divided in two by the Vltava River, which is located in the middle of Prague. The city center is divided into five main areas. The Prague Castle is located in the northwest section of the city, which also forms the first part of the city. The Lesser Town section is located below the first part. As you continue further down you can cross the Charles Bridge, which connects the two sides of the city, to get to the other side of Prague. This part of the city is known as the Old Town or Prague 1 and makes up the city center.   

As its name suggests, the Old Town is made up of old buildings, displaying the entire history of the city before you. If you continue up from here you get to the Josefov area, also known as the Jewish Quarter. If you continue down from the Old Town you get to the New Town. As it names suggests the New Town is a part of the city that developed more recently, featuring new modern buildings. Exploring this central region and walking from the Prague Castle to the New Town on foot would take about 25-30 minutes. There are convenient public transportation options that you can use to easily get around in the city such as the bus, metro, and tram.

In fact, there is a tram line that runs between the Lesser Town and Petrin Hill and boats tours along the Vltava River. These methods of transportation are generally accessible from the city center, enabling you to easily travel to the section of the city you desire to go to from this area. Prague is divided into a total of 21 districts. These districts will be very useful when trying to figure out what part of the city you would like to go to. After your plane lands at Václav Havel Airport you can take a taxi, rental car, or airport shuttle bus to the city center. Unfortunately, there aren’t many alternatives in terms of public transportation methods from the airport to the city center.

Airport Shuttle Buses

The Airport Express Bus is a service operated by the Czech Railways that runs every 15-30 minutes. You can take the Airport Express Bus to Hlavní Nádraží, Masarykovo Nádraží, and Náměstí Republiky stations. You can purchase a ticket for the bus on board from the bus driver or online. However, it is cheaper to buy your ticket online.  

You can also use the Minibus Cedaz, which is operated by AAA Taxi, to get to the city center from the airport. This service is more expensive than the Airport Express Bus. Minibus Cedaz runs between the airport and Náměstí Republiky every 30 minutes.

You can also take advantage of private transfer services or shuttles that provide door-to-door service. These door-to-door services are more luxurious than the other transportation alternatives. You can find several companies that provide this service at the airport. If you are planning on using a private transfer service you must make a reservation online beforehand.

Bus

Public transportation buses provide access to several subway stations. Using these buses you can get to the city center from the airport in about 45 minutes. You can purchase tickets for public transportation vehicles at the airport from the Public Transportation kiosks in the arrivals hall.

If you have to transfer to another vehicle you can purchase a 90-minute ticket from the bus driver once you’re on the bus. After you purchase a 90-minute ticket you can transfer between the tram, metro, and bus for no additional fee as long as it is within a 90-minute period. Do not forget to swipe your ticket on the yellow machine once you board the bus.

Bus lines that operate between the airport and the city center include lines 100, 119, and 191. If you landed at Václav Havel Airport after midnight, you can take Night Bus 510. Bus line 100 runs every 12-30 minutes and gets to Zličín Station on metro line B in 18 minutes.

Bus line 119 runs every 5-20 minutes and gets to Nádraží Veleslavín on metro line C in 17 minutes. Bus line 191 gets to Petřiny Station on metro line A in 24 minutes and Anděl Station on metro line B in 48 minutes. Night Bus 510 runs every 30 minutes and gets to Arbesovo náměstí in 36 minutes and I. P. Pavlova in 42 minutes.

Metro

The buses that depart from the airport will take you to the first stop of various metro stations. From these stops it is very easy to get to the city center. The easiest way to get to the city center is by taking bus line 191 and transferring to Petřiny Metro Station. The other routes take longer to get to the city center. The Prague metro is divided into three main lines, A, B, and C. The A Line, also known as the Green Line, operates between Prague Castle, Lesser Town, Old Town Square, Wensceslas Square in the New Town, and Depo Hostivař.

The B Line, also known as the Yellow Line, starts at Zličín Station south of Lesser Town and runs to Můstek Station, which intersects with the A Line. From there it continues to Černý Most Square, which is east of Old Town. The C Line, also known as the Red Line, departs from Letňany Station and intersects with the B Line at Florenc Station and intersects with the A Line at Muzeum Station. From there the C Line continues to the Háje Station.

Tram

Another transportation alternative to reach the city center once you land at the airport is the tram. You have to take the airport bus first and then transfer to the tram. Airport buses provide access to tram lines 1, 2, 7, 9, 10, 18, 20, 22, 25, and 36. Trams are another way to access locations that the metro doesn’t. The trams depart from the metro stops and go to various locations in the city. The tram network is a system that relieves local transportation. Trams run every 4-10 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes after midnight.  

Train

Trains aren’t used as much for urban transportation. Trains are used more as an alternative method of transportation to other cities or countries. The high-speed trains provide easy and fast transportation to other cities in the Czech Republic. The Praha Hlavni Nadrazi Train Station is the main departure point for these trains. In addition, some trains depart from Nadrazi Holešovice Station. You can access this station using metro line C. After you land at the airport take the airport buses and transfer to the metro, from where you can easily travel to both stations.   

Taxi

While taxis are another transportation alternative to get to the city center from the airport they are an expensive option. We would recommend taking public transportation, airport shuttle buses, or renting a car.  

Rental Car

There are several rental car companies located at the airport. Renting a car is a great way to get to the city center from the airport and a great way to get around in the city as well. Renting a car is a comfortable means of transportation. You can also book a rental car online.

Airport Information

Spending time at Václav Havel Airport is quite pleasant. The airport features affordable restaurants and upscale restaurants to fit any budget. The restaurants are categorized by price using the dollar symbol ($). Restaurants with one dollar sign ($) are cheaper venues, restaurants marked with two dollar signs ($$) are reasonably priced, and restaurants with three dollar signs ($$$) are categorized as premium venues. There are many duty free stores in the airport where you can find affordable products like alcohol, chocolate, and perfume.

The airport also contains souvenir shops, bookstores, brand name stores like Burberry, Emperio Armani, Hugo Boss, Longchamp, Lacoste, and Victoria’s Secret, and luxurious VIP lounges.