Getting from Vaclav Havel airport to Prague centre (2026) – Guide by a local

A comprehensive guide about how to get from Vaclav Havel airport to Prague centre in 2026 by public transport, direct bus, taxi and walk, including tickets and prices.

While I know that some people will arrive by train or bus to the centre of Prague, most visitors will travel to Prague by air.

If you do, you’ll arrive at the only airport in Prague – the Vaclav Havel Airport (originally called Ruzyne). Unlike other airports, Prague airport is fairly close to the centre of Prague, which makes it easy enough to get anywhere you need to in a short amount of time.

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Still, for some reason, a lot of people are worried that the only way to travel from the airport is by expensive taxi. This is probably because they are concerned about using public transport for the first time when they visit Prague and finding their way to their accommodation after a long day of travelling from their original destination.

This is why in this blog post, I want to show you the different options you have when you arrive at the Vaclav Havel airport and how best to get to the centre of Prague.

I travel to Prague from London every few weeks, so I know the journey well and if you have any more questions after you read my guide, just let me know!

New on landing for 2025/2026 – Entry/Exit System to Schengen Area (including Prague)

When you land to Prague Airport, you need to know that if your passport is from a non EU country, there is a new system in place to admit you in to the Czech Republic. This new system has been introduced on 12 October 2025.

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is a new EU system that records the time and place of entry and exit for non-EU/non-Schengen short-stay tourists. It replaces manual passport stamping with a digital record and biometric checks, which include face image and fingerprints.

All inbound non-EU/non-Schengen nationals need to register at the new EES self-service kiosks available in the arrival area before queening up to the border control. This extra registry is free and there is no need to pre-book or fill in any paperwork before you get to the self-service machine.

Since it’s a new system there are delays and depending on how many people land at any given time, this can add considerable amount of time to you leaving the airport. Some of my friends had to wait up to 2 hrs and some were through within 20 minutes.

There are only few instances, where non-EU/non-schengen nationals don’t need to register and these include: Resident permit and long-stay visa holders, Crew members, Passengers with reduced mobility, Children below 12 years/140 cm and Non-Biometric passport holders.

All EU nationals (i.e. travellers holding the nationality of any European Union country or the nationality of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland) are recommended to use the lane marked EU/EEA/CH at the border control to avoid queueing.

Also new for 2025 – 59 trolleybus replaces 119 bus & uber exclusivity contract with the airport

From March 2024 the Prague public transport has introduced a brand new trolleybuses that are spacious and long with plenty of space for luggage and also with easy access. They replace the 119 bus, but are labeled as 59.

The new trolleybuses follow the same route as the previous 119 bus and will take you from the airport to the underground station – Veleslavin, where you can get a direct metro to the centre. They start from the same place as the previous 119 bus (righ outside the airport) and cost the same 40 CZK for 90 min as before.

Also fairly new is the Uber taxi contract for the airport, although the swich over happened back in 2023. Uber now has the exclusive contract with the Prague airport for provision of taxi services from the airport. This was done so that the pricing can be regulated as often the different taxis would charge different prices often well over what the normal price might have been.

You can book your Uber through the app on your phone, but they are also ordering touch screen machines as you are just about to leave the terminal, where you can order your taxi if you don’t have the Uber app.

If you have taxi pre-booked via your hotel, they might specify slightly different pick up point from the airport as the waiting area is now mainly for the Uber taxi cars.

The Vaclav Havel airport

There are only two terminals – one from countries surrounding Czech Republic (so-called Schengen area) and one for all the other destinations.

London and all UK flights and most international flights are usually terminal 1.

In case you make a mistake and go to the wrong terminal, they are about 5-10 minutes away from each other by foot. So, please don’t worry, you can’t get this wrong!

Once you arrive and go through the security doors and passport checks, you’ll be able to collect your luggage and then you can head straight out (through a customs office/area).

After that, you have several options.

I would decide on how you travel from the airport before you arrive when you are getting ready for your trip. Depending on your accommodation location one form of transport might be easier than another.

Public Transport connections from Vaclav Havel Airport

There is no underground, tram or train at the airport, so the trolley bus or bus is your only public transport option. If you are not sure, which bus to take, go with the 59 trolleybus as it takes about 15 minutes to take you to the nearest Underground and with direct connections straight to Prague centre.

TROLLEY BUS no 59 – to Veleslavin – Underground – Metro A

Goes every few minutes during day and at longer intervals in the evenings and weekends.

The no 59 operates a long double trolleybus with a low level floor and plenty of space for your luggage and for you to sit down.

The ride takes about 15-17 minutes and from Veleslavin you can get Metro line A to straight to the centre and change anywhere.

READ MORE:

• Comprehensive guide to Prague underground (Metro) >>
• Florenc Main Bus Station (with international connections) >>

Bus no 100 – Zlicin – Underground – Metro Line B

Goes only about 3 times an hour and takes 15 minutes to reach Zlicin – Metro B line. This is great if your accommodation is in Smichov, Andel or Prague 5. You can also get to the centre and change to Line C or A.

Zlicin also directly connects to Smichov Train Station (via underground), which is handy if you have further connections from there.

Bus no 191

Goes about 3 times an hour and takes about 55 minutes to get to Andel – Smichov, but unless your hotel or accommodation is on route it’s much more of a scenic tour than a useful way to get to the centre of Prague. Saying that, since this bus goes straight past my flat building, I usually take it during non-rush hours.

Special bus to the main train station from Vaclav Havel airport

The Airport Express bus (‘AE’) is a direct shuttle bus (using low level buses with plenty of luggage space) from Prague’s Vaclav Havel airport to Prague Main Train station and runs every 30 minutes.

This special bus runs every day including public holidays, day and night, so you can get to the airport any time you need.

This special bus service has a lower level of luggage storage and will comfortably fit any amount of luggage you have.

The journey takes about 40 minutes and the only pick up stops are Airport Terminal 1 and Airport Terminal 2 – after that, the bus goes directly to the main train station without stopping.

Since this is a privately run bus service, normal public transport tickets are not valid on this particular bus and you have to buy tickets from the driver as you enter the bus.

The tickets are 100 CZK one way per person and you can pay by card or with cash. This is about 2,5 times more than regular ticket. The cost will be increasing to 200 CZK from 1 January 2026 (this is per person, including any luggage and there are no concessions for students, children or seniors).

The price is worth it if you want to get directly to the main train station to get your train connection out of Prague (or if you have a hotel in the upper part of the central Prague or close to the Wenceslas Square).

Public transport from Vaclav Havel airport to Prague at night

The same public buses operate during the night too. By 8-9 pm in the evening the frequency usually drops to few an hour. After midnight the frequency is about every 30 minutes or 45 minutes.

This is still a very good frequency, but the problem is that the Prague underground stops running at midnight.

You can still take the trolleybus 59 and go to Veleslavin, but then you will need to get a tram to the central Prague. The trams still run regularly through the night and they all connect in the middle of Prague, so that you can change to whatever other tram you need.

If you are new to Prague, this is actually easier to navigate than the tram system during the day, when you have so many options to change and if you miss your stop you have to go back.

Unless your accommodation is in Prague 5, Zlicin, Stodulky or Repy, it’s probably not a good idea to take the number 100 bus.

Zlicin doesn’t have any trams and whilst the busses run during the night, there are no connections to the central Prague, only to Prague 5 or 6.

The night route of bus 191 is slightly different and it can take you all the way to the centre of Prague. If you get this bus, it will take about 45 minutes to get to Andel (Prague 5) and then the bus goes closer to the centre via Prague 2 – Charles Square, where you can again change for night tram. The main changing stop is at Lazarska stop, which is only few minutes walk from Charles Square.

Tickets for public transport at night cost exactly the same as the day tickets (see below).

Buying ticket for bus (and public transport) from Vaclav Havel Airport

New for 2026 – Ticket Cost Increase

From 1.1.2026 the public transport ticket prices will be increasing slightly. The new costs are:

• 30 min ticket – 39 CZK
• 90 min ticket – 50 CZK
• 24 hrs ticket – 150 CZK
• 72 hrs ticket – 350 CZK
• Airport Express – 200 CZK

These prices are for ‘paper’ tickets that you can buy from the ticket machines at the entrances to the underground or directly on trams, buses or trolleybuses.

These tickets prices are for full priced tickets for adults, concessions for children, students, seniors remain about 1/2 of the full price.

The new tickets are slightly discounted if you purchase them via PID app, which is the Prague Public transport app.

Buying ticket for one Journey

As you walk out of the airport terminal, you’ll see yellow ticket machines, which sell bus/tram tickets. There are several more situated at the bus stop, once you cross the airport approach road.

Depending on where you are heading, buy 30 CZK ticket for 30 minutes or 40CZK for 90 minutes. Unless your accommodation is close by to the Veleslavin or Zlicin areas, I would strongly advise you to buy the 90 min ticket, because 30 minutes might not be enough to get you there.

Once you buy your ticket, make sure you validate it in the smaller yellow ticket machine on any bus or at the bus stop. The machine stamps it with a date and time and you have either 30 or 90 minutes to get to your destination, including any changes.

You don’t need to validate the ticket again when you change, say from a bus to a tram, just keep it in your pocket somewhere safe.

You can get paper ticket or e-ticket send (and validated) to your smart phone.

Public Transport tickets for 1, 3 or 30 Days

If you are buying tickets for a longer period you can also buy it at the Public Transport ticket office which is just a few metres walk towards the terminal 2 (from terminal 1) or there is a second one directly in terminal 2.

If you know that you are going to be using public transport during your stay ( personally I think it’s the best way to get around the town), you can also buy 24 hrs ticket (120 CZK), 72 hrs ticket (330 CZK) or even a monthly ticket (1000 CZK).

The monthly ticket (valid for any consecutive 30 days) might look like too much money, but even if you are in Prague for 2 weeks, it’s still cheaper than buying individual tickets.

More importantly, for the sum of approx £33 (1000 CZK) you can use any tram, bus or train within the greater Prague public transport system and you don’t need to worry about getting tickets every time you want to catch a tram or remembering to get off because you’ve run out of time on your ticket.

The monthly ticket is also useful if you are thinking of doing any day trips from Prague. Since the ticket covers you for the inner part of Prague (zones 0, B) you only need to buy a train ticket for the rest of the journey.

When you are buying your train ticket, just show the monthly ticket and the ticket officer will sell you a ticket to top up your Prague ticket. The same applies to buses and outer Prague buses. I’ve worked out that on average I’m saving about 20-25 CZK each journey.

Ticket inspectors on public transport from Vaclav Havel Airport

A word of warning – ticket inspectors are in plain clothes (not uniforms) and do regular spot checks. Currently, the fine is 1500 CZK (raising up to 2000 CZK from 1.1. 2026), but if you pay on the spot or within 2 weeks, you’ll only pay 50% of the fine.

I travel to and from Vaclav Havel Airport every few weeks, so I notice how often I see the inspectors and believe me they regularly get on the buses heading to and from the airport. They know that tourists are either going to be a bit confused about what ticket to get or perhaps think that they don’t need a ticket for their last journey to the airport.

For the sake of less than couple of pounds, it’s not worth the hassle by getting caught by the ticket inspector for not having a ticket.

Pre-booked Taxi

Taxi is a comfortable and convenient way to travel from the airport to the centre. It’s also particularly good if you are not sure where your hotel is exactly and you have a lot of luggage or tired children with you.

Uber now has an exclusivity contract with Prague airport, but you can still use other taxi companies.

The ride to the centre could be 500-800 CZK (not including a tip for the driver) depending on the taxi company, distance or whether it’s a state holiday or weekend.

If you can, check with the driver how much it would be to your destination, so that you have at least some idea of how much your ride is going to be.

Bolt, Uber, Liftago

The equivalent of Uber, Bolt app can be downloaded to your smart phone and you can have your car ready in a few minutes. The last time I checked, Bolt charged about 450-500 CZK for a ride to the centre.

walk from Vaclav Havel Airport to the centre of Prague

Only kidding…but actually, if you want to have a go, the airport is 17 km on foot from Old Town Square, which shouldn’t take more than 3.5 -4 hrs.

The Vaclav Havel Airport is surrounded by fields, green spaces and woodland areas.

There is no official walk marked from the airport to the centre, but when you look on the map, you can easily connect the wooded areas, parks, Prague Castle and the most picturesque part of central Prague to get a pretty good walk itinerary!

Although I’ve not walked this walk in one go, I have walked the section from close to the airport via Sarka Valley Park (see my route 22 tram guide), Breznov Monastery, Vypich, Ladronka and Kinsky Park, Petrin and down through the Prague Castle area, crossing the river on Charles Bridge and arriving in the Old Town Square via the old King Street.

I know this walk idea sounds slightly mad, but the other day, because of train delays, it took me the same time to get back from Stansted London to where I live on the borders of Kent/London and I was travelling by train!

By comparison, a scenic walk through a historic city sounded much nicer than an overcrowded London tube!

This blog post was originally written on 13 October 2021 and last updated on 30 October 2025