Prague public transport: tickets, passes and apps

The decision depends on how many rides you take, not how long you stay. A single 30-minute ticket covers most central hops; a 90-minute ticket covers longer trips or one change. If you plan three or more rides a day, a 24-hour pass is cheaper than singles and removes the counting.

For a long weekend, a 72-hour pass usually wins over daily passes if you ride most days. If you only walk and take one or two trams, singles are fine. The PID Lítačka app sells the same tickets and stores them on your phone, which avoids hunting for a machine.

Buy the pass that matches your first full day, not your arrival evening. A 24-hour pass starts when you validate it, so a late arrival wastes hours.

Fares are set by the Prague transport authority and are the same on metro, trams, buses and the Petřín funicular within the zones you buy. Children, students and seniors get reduced fares with proof of age or status. Prices below are 2026 estimates — check the official PID or DPP site before you travel.

Three ways work: the PID Lítačka app, a contactless bank card tapped on board where readers exist, and paper tickets from machines or kiosks. The app is the simplest for visitors because it stores the ticket and shows the expiry time.

Paper tickets must be stamped once in the yellow box on first boarding. Do not stamp again on each change; one validation covers the whole validity window. Inspectors check tickets on the spot and fines are collected immediately, so keep the ticket until you leave the system.

Contactless readers are being rolled out across the network; where a reader is present, tap your card and go. Where there is no reader, use the app or a paper ticket. Carry a little cash for machines that do not take cards.

Prague uses a zone system. Central Prague is zone P, and most visitor trips stay inside it. The airport and outer suburbs sit in zones 0–3, so an airport trip may need a ticket that covers those zones or an add-on.

If you stay inside zone P, a standard 30-minute, 90-minute or 24-hour ticket is enough. If you go to the airport or a village outside the city, check which zones your ticket covers before boarding; an inspector will treat an under-zoned ticket as invalid.

The Petřín funicular and the ferries across the Vltava are included in the same ticket within the zones you buy.

Václav Havel Airport has no rail link. The usual route is bus 119 to metro Nádraží Veleslavín on line A, then metro into the centre. The Airport Express bus runs to the main railway station (Hlavní nádraží). Both take roughly 45–60 minutes to the centre depending on traffic and connections.

Buy an airport ticket that covers zones 0–3, or use the app to buy the right zone ticket before boarding. A taxi or Bolt from the airport to central Prague costs more but is simpler with heavy bags; agree the fare in the app.

For an early flight, check the first bus and metro times the night before; night trams do not serve the airport directly.

Validate once and keep the ticket. Inspectors are common on trams and metro and fines are collected on the spot.

The metro closes overnight; night trams run all night and cover most of the centre. Check the night route map at your stop.

Avoid buying from touts near the main station; use machines, kiosks or the app.

If you plan day trips by train, buy those tickets separately — a Prague pass does not cover ČD or RegioJet trains out of the city.