The Best Way to Get from Prague Airport to the City Centre

Short answer: if you are travelling light, alone and not in a hurry, trolleybus 59 plus metro A is the cheapest way into Prague — about 50 CZK (£2) and roughly 40 minutes door to door. If you have luggage, children, a group, or you land late at night, a private transfer is the better deal: 17 km, about 32 minutes, and a flat £28 for a car or £35 for a minivan, agreed before you fly.

Prague Airport sits 17 km west of the city centre. There is no railway station at the airport, so every option below is either a road connection or a bus feeding one of the metro lines. Here is what each one really costs and how long it really takes.

All the options side by side

Journey times and frequencies are the official figures published by Prague Public Transit Company (DPP). Ticket prices are the official Prague Airport fares. Sterling amounts are converted at the rate this site uses and rounded.

Trolleybus 59 and the metro — the cheapest way

Trolleybus 59 leaves from outside Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 every 3 to 10 minutes and reaches Nádraží Veleslavín in 17 minutes. From there, metro line A takes you straight into the centre. It replaced the old bus 119 in 2024, so if a guidebook still tells you to look for the 119, it is out of date.

Buy the 90-minute ticket for 50 CZK, not the 30-minute one for 39 CZK. The 30-minute ticket does not cover the trolleybus and the metro together — the trolleybus alone eats 17 of those minutes — and inspectors do check.

The catch: Nádraží Veleslavín and most central metro stations mean stairs, escalators and a change with your bags. In rush hour you will be standing. With two suitcases and a tired child it stops feeling like a bargain.

Airport Express — the one worth paying for

The AE bus runs to Hlavní nádraží, Prague’s main railway station, in 33 minutes, every 10 to 30 minutes. A one-way ticket is 200 CZK (about £7) and you buy it from the driver — cards accepted. It has proper luggage space.

It is the obvious choice if you are catching a train onwards to Brno, Vienna, Berlin or Dresden. If your hotel is not near the main station, you will still need a tram or metro at the end.

The taxi rank — the one that surprises people

There are licensed taxis outside arrivals and the drive takes 30 to 40 minutes. The problem is not safety, it is that you do not know the number until you arrive. The meter reacts to traffic, to the time of day and to the route taken. Two people on the same journey an hour apart can pay noticeably different amounts.

That uncertainty is the whole reason fixed-price transfers exist.

Private transfer — what you actually get for £28

The centre is 17 km from the airport, which is inside our 20 km flat-rate zone, so the price does not move: £28 for a car, £35 for a minivan, whatever the traffic does. You see the total before you book, not after you arrive.

• Your driver watches the flight number. A delayed landing does not cost you the ride.
• Meeting in the arrivals hall with a name sign — no hunting for a pick-up bay.
• Straight to the address you typed in. No changes, no stairs, no dragging cases across a platform.
• Child seats and extra luggage arranged in advance rather than negotiated at the kerb.

So which one is best for you?

• Backpack, no rush, travelling alone — trolleybus 59 and the metro. Save the money and spend it on beer.
• Catching a train the same day — Airport Express to Hlavní nádraží.
• Two or more people — do the sum. Four public transport tickets cost about £8; a minivan door to door is £35 and takes half the time with none of the stairs.
• Family with children or more than one large case — private transfer, every time.
• Landing after 23:00 — daytime lines stop around midnight and night services are slower and less frequent. Book a car.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way from Prague Airport to the city centre?

Trolleybus 59 to Nádraží Veleslavín, then metro line A. One 90-minute ticket costs 50 CZK, about £2, and covers the whole journey.

How long does it take to get from Prague Airport to the centre?

By car it is 17 km and about 32 minutes. By public transport, allow around 40 minutes once you include waiting and the change onto the metro.

Is there a train from Prague Airport?

No. There is no railway station at the airport. The closest thing is the Airport Express bus, which takes you to Hlavní nádraží in 33 minutes so you can pick up a train there.

Do I need cash for public transport?

No. Ticket machines and the Airport Express driver both take cards.

Is a taxi from Prague Airport safe?

The taxis at the official rank are licensed and regulated. The risk is not your safety, it is the fare: a meter gives you the total at the end of the journey rather than the beginning.

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