Florenc Bus Stop is the main bus stop in central Prague running mainly long-distance buses (within the Czech Republic) and international destinations throughout Europe and UK.
The Main Bus Station is probably the bus station you’ll use most for day trips from Prague. If you are arriving in Prague on a bus, you’ll arrive there, and you can also use it for all the major connections within the Czech Republic and internationally (to Slovak Republic, Poland, Germany, Austria and other countries including UK).
There are no Prague city – local buses running from this bus stop, only long distance and international buses.
Florenc bus station is divided into 2 main terminals – halls and has a total of 25 departure platforms, which are situated in between the two halls.
Hall 1 is the new modern building on the side of the bus station and it’s the one you want to head over to when you are buying your tickets. It’s also more spacious and has more up-to-date facilities.
Hall 2 is where the arrivals are and it’s the original ticket hall inside the older existing building. There are also facilities there, but it’s much more cramped there and less daylight (if you are thinking of waiting for your bus to read a book).
There are also plenty of seated areas at each bus stop, including outdoor vending machines for soft drinks, hot tea & coffee and snacks.
Location
Praha Florenc UAN, Krizikova Street 2110/2b, New Town, 186 00 (postcode), Prague
You can find Florenc Main Bus Station slightly away from the centre of Prague towards the Karlin Prague District tucked away behind the Masarykovo Train Station and in close proximity to the Prague Main Train Station.
You can also take the tram or underground to get to Florenc Bus Station and it’s also possible to walk from the centre. The main bus station is well connected within Prague’s public transport.
How to get to Florenc Prague main bus station
Underground – Metro
Praha Florenc main bus station has its own underground stop called ‘Florenc’ on the B and C line.
There are quite a few different exits from the underground, so keep following the signs to Florenc UAN
Trams
You can also reach the station using the Prague network of trams no. 3, 8, 24, 25 or night trams 92 which stop about 3-5 minutes away in front of the Florenc Underground Station.
Buses
There is also a Prague town bus stop just outside the Florenc Main Bus Station – number 135 bus. The 135 route connects Florenc with Chodov (South Prague) via the Peace Square (Namesti Miru).
Walk
Whilst it’s possible to walk to Florenc Bust Station from the other major train stations, it’s probably easier (and quicker) to travel by tram or underground.
Walk from Main Train Station – about 20 minutes through a not-so-pretty part of Prague as you’ll need to walk under the main road bypass (or via Masarykovo Train Station). You can also take the no. 8 tram from the Hlavni Nadrazi Tram Stop situated at the end of the park in front of the train station.
Walk from Masarykovo Nadrazi – about 20 minutes through an older part of Prague via ‘Na Florenci Street. There are also trams from Masarykovo Nadrazi – no 3 and 8 will turn the right way towards Florenc Underground Station and then you need to walk to the bus station (3-5 min).
Walk from the centre of Prague (Old Town Square) – this is only about a 20-30 minutes walk and I do this often as taking the public transport means changing at least 2 times (depending on if you are getting the tram or underground) and it works out about the same time, plus you can’t really escape the crowds.
From the Old Town Square head towards the Powder Tower via Stupartska or Celetna Street and make your way to the Namesti Republiky – The Republic Square. Keep walking straight on towards the Komunist Museum and keep to the ‘V Celnici’ Street which leads to ‘Na Florenci’ and the bus station will be on your right hand side.
Getting from Praha Florenc main Bus station to Vaclav Havel airport
There are direct transfers from the bus station to the airport via private car companies, but these can be quite costly.
Another option is to take Uber, Bolt or Liftago (apps) – currently this cost about 400-600 CZK depending on the type of car you need (based on the number of people and your luggage).
The car journey shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes, but it does depend a lot on the traffic and what time of the day you are travelling (midday and evening/night will be quieter than during rush hour between 5-10 am and 4-7 pm)
You can also take public transport to the Vaclav Havel airport. This is quite straightforward and very doable especially if you have small luggage or are on a budget. The public transport journey usually takes 45 minutes or a little less depending on connections.
You will need the standard 40 CZK public transport ticket, which is valid for 90 minutes from validation time. You can buy the ticket directly from a ticket machine as you enter any of the Florenc Underground entrances. (Please note, the underground office staff don’t sell tickets).
Make sure you validate your ticket before you go down the escalators by stamping the time of entry in any of the yellow validating machines you pass. Keep your ticket safely with you – you won’t need to validate it again or show it to anyone – unless it’s a ticket inspector.
From Florenc Underground take the B line to Mustek and change for Line A to travel to Veleslavin (6th stop). If you happen to end up on the Florenc Underground line C, don’t panic, just take the C line to Mustek and change to line A there to travel to Veleslavin (7th stop). Either way, you need to get to underground line A travelling towards Nemocnice Motol and you need to get off at Veleslavin.
At Veleslavin follow the exit signs to Bus 119 to Letiste Vaclava Havla. The 119 bus goes every few minutes during the day and at longer intervals in the evenings and weekends (15-20 min max).
The no 119 operates a long double bus 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 it stops directly in front of the airport terminals.
Make sure that you know which terminal you need – the first terminal is usually for destinations outside immediate central Europe (e.g. all flights to UK and London) and the second terminal is for countries such as Germany or Austria.
If you are not sure, don’t worry. You can easily walk from one terminal to the other within 5-10 minutes.
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Getting from Praha Florenc Bus Station to other main areas
Florenc – Hlavni Nadrazi – Main Train Station
Walk to the Florenc underground (3-5 minutes) and then take the C line to Hlavni Nadrazi (1 stop).
Florenc – Masarykovo Nadrazi – Masarykovo Train Station
This train station is in walking distance – about 15-20 minutes. Take the ‘Na Florenci’ street which will take you directly to the side of Masarykovo Train Station.
You can also take the 6 & 8 tram from the Florenc Underground (the B line exit).
The main towns you can get to from Florenc Bus Station within Czech Republic
Many towns within the Czech Republic are reachable from the Florenc Bus Station, but here are the main destinations.
- Cesky Krumlov
- Karlovy Vary, Frantiskovy Lazne,
- Brno
- Jihlava
- Ceske Budejovice
- Cheb
- Znojmo
International Destinations from Florenc Bus Station
Here are just a few examples of the major towns that you can travel to from Florenc Bust Station.
- Slovak Republic – Bratislava, Zilina, Poprad, Nitra, Banska Bystrica, Kosice etc.
- Austria – Vienna, Graz, Linz
- Germany – Munich, Regensburg, Berlin, Hanover, Dresden etc.
- Poland – Krakow, Lyon
- United Kingdom – London
- Ukraine – Kyiv, Odessa
- Hungary – Budapest
Ticket Offices
The ticket offices are in both halls, but you need to buy the right ticket from the right ticket office depending on the bus company you are travelling with.
For example, Regio Jet ticket offices are in Hall 1. If you are not sure, go to the modern Hall 1 where there are more ticket offices and a very good information desk, where they can help you.
Similarly to buying your train ticket you can buy your bus ticket using cash (Czech currency only) or card (any major debit or credit card).
You can also buy tickets online ahead of your travel. I like the Regio Jet app (which I’ve downloaded to my smart phone) because I can buy the any time I need to and change the time and date up to an hour before I travel.
This makes it a lot easier to plan your day, because if I need to take an earlier or later bus returning from somewhere I can do that. If you are using the app, you don’t need to print your ticket, just show the confirmation notification with a code on your phone to the driver who will scan you in.
Main bus companies operating from Florenc Bus Station
- Regio Jet (the yellow buses)
- Flix Bus (the green buses)
Florenc Bus station facilities
As you’d expect there are all the necessary facilities at this bus station and there is an equal amount of these split between the two terminals, including waiting rooms, WC, minimarkets, luggage storage and refreshments.
Opening Times
The Florenc bus station opening times are based on the first and last busses leaving the station. This is approximately 3 am (morning) to 1 pm or 12.30 pm at night.
This means that if your bus is leaving very early in the morning – say at 3 am, you won’t be able to wait inside the terminal through the night as the halls will be closed from midnight to 3 am.
Food & Drink facilities
There are a couple of fast food restaurants (eg. Burger King), plenty of coffee places (e.g. Starbucks), food and drink vending machines.
There are also drink & snacks vending machines outside the halls (these are closer to the bus stops and open all the time).
The nearest large supermarket (Billa) with normal food and drink prices is at the exit of line B Florenc Underground just 3 minutes walk. If you have a long journey ahead of you, you can get all your snacks, ready-made sandwiches and fresh pastries there.
Shops & News agents
There is a mini market at each hall – terminal selling soft drinks, sweets, savoury snacks and also magazines and newspapers (including English and international magazines/newspapers).
Free Wifi
There is a good free wifi connection in both halls – 1 and 2. Once you are on the bus, some bus companies (such as Regio Jet) also provide very good free wifi.
Luggage Storage
There is left luggage at each of the bus terminals.
The prices are per piece of luggage and you pay 70 CZK per item per day.
The left luggage office is open every day from 5 am to 12 pm (terminal 1) and 6 am – 10 pm terminal 2).
Please make sure that you pick up your luggage in plenty of time before closing time, just in case there are any hold-ups or the staff are busy.
If you don’t pick up your bag before closing time, you won’t have the chance to retrieve it until the office opens the next day (and you will of course need to pay for an extra day of storage).
Lost & found
If you lose anything at the Florenc Bus Station (or on the bus you were travelling on), you can contact the main bus office at the luggage storage at Hall 2 via the bus station website or just by popping in.
It’s a good idea to have your ticket from the bus you’ve used or remember the name of the company you travelled with or at least the destination.
Toilets
There are toilets in each Hall 1, and 2 and also close to the bus stops in the middle of the bus stands (towards the back of the bus stands – Platform 3 ). There is a fee payable 20 CZK and you might need a change in Czech Currency to pay.
It’s worth knowing that there are also showers available for extra cost. This is really good if you have a long journey or you want to freshen up when you arrive in Prague.
The Hall 1 toilets have a separate shower area and the cost is 100 CZK and the Hall 2 has showers within a toilet cubicle (don’t ask me how that works…) but you only pay 50 CZK.
Money Exchange
There are exchange offices in both terminals 1 and 2 and cash machines (ATM’s) are available in terminal – hall 2.
Whilst you are welcome to exchange money at the Florenc bus station I would strongly advise you to check the current rates and take out only what you need.
You will find that you can pay for most things in Prague by card anyway and that withdrawal from a proper bank cash machine is a lot cheaper than using ATM’S or money exchange shops.
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Travelling safely
The main bus station is always busy, which unfortunately attracts people who might not have your best interest at heart. Please keep all your belongings with you, never leave them unattended and be careful with your purse and money always keeping them safe on your person.
There are security guards visible and constantly walking around the area, so if you have any problem, there will be there to help you.
As you walk from the underground, you might notice homeless people and people who sleep rough or beg for money. They are usually fairly harmless and keep themselves to themselves, but if anyone approaches you, just politely decline and calmly walk away. There are charities and social workers regularly working with these people.
The modern Hall 1 seems like a much nicer place to wait than the old Hall 2, but Starbucks also has plenty of seating space inside.
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Parking at Florenc Bus Station
There is an easy drop-off point for anyone travelling to the bus station, just in front of the entrance. The general car park is also in front of the bus station (follow the directions to the main entrance)
Praha Florenc UAN – The Main Bus Station History
The Florenc Bus Station was founded in 1929 when the Czech State Railways decided that they wanted to corner the bus transport market too!
This is the reason why the original bus building – the older building on the corner as you walk towards Hall 1 – is now the headquarters of the Czech Railways.
The bus station was remodelled a few times over the years, more notably in 2009 when the modern low-level Hall 1 was built.
By the way, the name is thought to come from the name of the area ‘Florenc’ which was known as an area where Charles IV allowed Italian craftsmen from Florence to settle in the 14th century. This was at the time, when the king decided to found the New Town (of Prague) and needed a lot of specialist workmen, stonemasons and other craftsmen to help to built the town.
Interestingly, the area is known as Florenc (in Prague) but it has never become a separate district of Prague.
Other main bus stations in Prague
Over the last 20 years, the use of Florenc Bus station has changed from accommodating pretty much all the long-distance buses nationally and internationally to being used mainly by the longer-distance buses (both national and international).
This is because the fees for using the Florenc Bus Station have been going up, forcing the bus companies to start their journeys from Prague from the outskirts of Prague rather than from the centre.
On top of that, the traffic in the centre of Prague has also been increasing rapidly, so often when you get off a bus that stops on the outskirts of Prague (and then take an underground) it’s much faster than staying on the bus to the end stop at Florenc.
As a result, some bus companies serving more regional towns outside Prague have been favouring outer Prague as their starting point for their journeys.
Other bus stations and the main town destinations include:
Na Knizeci – Prague 5 Smichov – Andel Underground Line B
Cesky Krumlov, Ceske Budejovice, Pisek
Smichovske Nadrazi – Prague 5, Smichov, Smichovske Nadrazi Underground B
Pribram, Dobris, Mnisek pod Brdy
Zlicin – Prague 5, Zlicin Underground Line B (end stop)
Rakovnik, Beroun, Zdice
Cerny Most – Cerny Most Underground B (end stop)
Mlada Boleslav, Liberec, Hradec Kralove
STAY IN TOUCH
Hope this blog post inspires you and as ever I’d love to what you think! Let me know in the comments below or catch up with me over on Instagram.
Magdalena
This blog post was originally written on 4 February 2023 and last updated on 6 February 2023
