Getting around
Václav Havel Airport sits about 17 kilometres west of the centre, and there is no metro or train to it — a fact that surprises most first-time visitors. What you get instead is a decent bus link, a direct coach to the main railway station, ride-hailing, and pre-booked cars. All of them work. Which one is right depends almost entirely on how many of you there are, how much you are carrying, and what time you land. This page lays out every option with current 2026 prices, including the ones we don't sell.
Travelling light, on a budget, and landing during the day? Take bus 119 to Nádraží Veleslavín and change to metro line A — about 40 minutes and 50 CZK (roughly €2). Two or three of you with suitcases? An Uber or Bolt runs about €20–25 door to door and is usually the best value in Prague. A pre-booked private transfer makes sense mainly for families, groups of four or more, late-night arrivals, or anyone who wants a named driver waiting in arrivals at a price fixed before they fly.
Prices and journey times checked 25 July 2026. Operators change fares — check before you travel.
| Option | Price | Journey time | How often | Door to door | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus 119 + metro line A | 50 CZK paper / 46 CZK in app (~€2) | ~40 min to Můstek | Every 5–10 min, 04:00–24:00 | No | Solo travellers and couples with hand luggage |
| Airport Express (AE) coach | 200 CZK (~€8) | ~35–45 min to Hlavní nádraží | Every 30 min, roughly 05:00–22:00 | No | Anyone with an onward train from the main station |
| Uber or Bolt | ~€20–25 to the centre | 25–35 min | On demand, 24/7 | Yes | Couples and small groups who want to keep it simple |
| Licensed taxi from the rank | ~600–800 CZK (~€25–33) | 25–35 min | On demand, 24/7 | Yes | Arrivals with no working phone or data |
| Pre-booked private transferOur service | €69 fixed (sedan, up to 3) | 25–35 min | Booked in advance, any hour | Yes | Families, groups of four or more, late-night landings, and anyone who wants it settled before they fly |
Leave either terminal and look for the marked city-transport stops directly outside arrivals. Bus 119 is the one you want. Buy a 90-minute ticket before boarding — from the yellow machines at the stop, from the transport desk in the arrivals hall, or in the PID Lítačka app, which is a few crowns cheaper. Validate a paper ticket in the small yellow box as you get on; the app ticket activates itself.
The bus takes about 16 minutes to Nádraží Veleslavín, the end of the line. Follow the signs down to metro line A (the green one) and continue towards the centre: Můstek for Wenceslas Square and the bottom of the Old Town, Staroměstská for the Old Town Square, Malostranská for the castle side of the river. The whole journey runs about 40 minutes.
Two things catch people out. Your 90-minute ticket covers the entire chain — bus, metro and a final tram — so don't buy a second one. And large suitcases officially need their own reduced-price luggage ticket, though enforcement is inconsistent; inspectors do work this route and the fine for travelling without a valid ticket rose sharply in 2026.
The AE coach runs non-stop from the airport to Hlavní nádraží, Prague's main railway station. If your next move is a train — to Vienna, Berlin, Dresden, Český Krumlov or anywhere else — it puts you exactly where you need to be with your luggage in a rack rather than on your knees.
Be aware of one change most travel guides have not caught up with: from 1 January 2026 the AE fare doubled to 200 CZK for adults, with children aged 6–15 at 100 CZK. Pages still quoting 100 CZK are out of date. At the new price the AE is about four times the cost of bus 119 and only worth it for the direct connection to the station, not as a general way into town.
Note also that it is a separate fare: normal Prague transport tickets and 24-hour passes are not valid on it.
Uber is the airport's official ride-hailing partner and operates from designated pick-up points directly in front of the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 arrival halls, with staffed desks and self-service kiosks during the day. Bolt works in Prague too and is often a crown or two cheaper. Either will run you roughly €20–25 into the centre, which is why they are the default choice for most visitors travelling in twos and threes.
Licensed taxis wait at the ranks outside both terminals. They are properly regulated and perfectly safe, but they are the priciest option for what you get, and you should still confirm the meter is running before you pull away.
The one rule that matters: never take a ride from someone who approaches you inside the terminal or in the car park. Prague's airport touts have been a problem for years. Use the app, the marked rank, or a driver you booked in advance.
We sell private transfers, so treat this section accordingly — but the honest position is that for one or two people with carry-on bags landing at two in the afternoon, an Uber is the better buy and we would rather tell you that than sell you something you don't need.
The transfer earns its €69 in specific situations. Four adults with four large suitcases will not fit in a standard ride-hailing car, and splitting into two is both fiddly and no cheaper. Families with small children need seats that are actually fitted, not promised. Landing at half past midnight, or on a flight that is running two hours late, is exactly when app pricing spikes and availability thins — whereas a booked driver is tracking your flight number and simply turns up later. And some people simply want the thing settled from home, at a price that cannot move, with a name board waiting past customs.
Split four ways, €69 is about €17 each — roughly a bus ticket plus the peace of mind. Split one way, it is three times the bus and worse value than Uber. Both statements are true; pick the one that describes your trip.
Everything above works in reverse, with one caveat: bus 119 and the metro are a poor choice at the start of a long travel day if you are carrying full luggage, and Prague's morning rush is real.
For an early departure, note that the metro does not start running until about 05:00 and bus 119 shortly before that. Flights before roughly 08:00 usually mean a pre-booked car or a night-time taxi. A booked transfer for the return leg costs the same €69 and can collect you at four in the morning without drama.
Allow 30–40 minutes for the drive at normal times and closer to an hour between 07:00 and 09:00 or 16:00 and 18:00 on weekdays.
Our private transfer from Václav Havel Airport to Prague city centre is €69 for the whole car, fixed when you book.
No. Václav Havel Airport has no rail or metro connection — this is the single most common misconception about arriving in Prague. The closest thing is bus 119, which takes about 16 minutes to Nádraží Veleslavín at the end of metro line A.
A 90-minute ticket costs 50 CZK on paper or 46 CZK in the PID Lítačka app (about €2) and covers bus 119, the metro and any onward tram in one journey. Buy it before you board; you cannot pay the driver by card.
Expect roughly €20–25 by Uber or Bolt to the centre, and around 600–800 CZK (€25–33) from a licensed taxi rank. A pre-booked private transfer is €69 for a sedan carrying up to three passengers, fixed at the time of booking.
About 25–35 minutes by car outside rush hour, or roughly 40 minutes using bus 119 and metro line A. Allow closer to an hour by road on weekday mornings and late afternoons.
No. The Airport Express fare doubled to 200 CZK for adults on 1 January 2026, with children aged 6–15 paying 100 CZK. Many travel guides still quote the old price. It is a separate fare — ordinary Prague transport tickets and day passes are not valid on the AE.
With a pre-booked transfer, nothing — we track the flight number you gave us and the driver arrives when you actually land, at no extra charge. With ride-hailing you simply rebook on arrival, though prices tend to be highest exactly when several delayed flights land together.
Fares and timetables come from the operators themselves. We check them on the date shown above.
Route guide
For most independent travellers the bus is the answer: RegioJet, FlixBus and Leo Express all run it in around 2 hours 40 minutes for roughly €13–22, several times a day, and they drop you a short walk from the old town. The train is slower and only has one useful direct service a day. Go by car — private transfer or a day trip with a driver — if you are three or four people, if you want to stop at Hluboká Castle or a South Bohemian village on the way, or if you are returning to Prague the same evening and don't want the last bus dictating your day.
5 options compared
Route guide
For one or two people, take the train. ÖBB Railjet and RegioJet both run city centre to city centre in about four hours, advance fares start around €15, and there are services through the day. Flying makes no sense over this distance once you count airports. A private car is worth the considerable extra cost in three cases: you are three or four people with real luggage, you want to break the journey in Mikulov or Český Krumlov and turn a transfer into a day out, or you need door-to-door at a time the timetable doesn't offer.
4 options compared
Cruise transfers
Check first whether your cruise line already includes the transfer — Viking, AmaWaterways, Avalon and Uniworld usually offer a coach from Prague as part of a pre-cruise extension, and if it is bundled, take it. If you are travelling independently, be aware that the public transport here is genuinely weak: there is no direct train from Prague to Passau (about six hours with changes, €70–140) and only one direct FlixBus a day, around four hours for €14–35. Vilshofen has no practical rail option at all. For a fixed sailing time with luggage, a pre-booked private car — three to three and a half hours door to ship, from €319–359 for the whole car depending on the port — is the option that removes the risk, which is why most independent cruise passengers end up taking one.
4 options compared
Get a fixed quote within 1 hour. No account. No hidden fees. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup.
We use necessary cookies to run the site and, with your consent, analytics cookies to improve it and marketing signals shared with Google to measure our ads and personalise advertising. See our cookie policy.