How to get from Prague Airport to the City Centre

Q: How much does it cost to get from Prague Airport to the city centre?

Anywhere from 50 CZK to about 1,000 CZK, depending on how you travel. Public transport is 50 CZK per adult and children under 15 go free. The Airport Express is 200 CZK per adult. A private transfer is a fixed 790 CZK for the whole car, whatever the traffic. A metered taxi from the rank or a ride-hailing app lands somewhere between roughly 500 and 1,000 CZK, and you only find out where at the end of the journey.

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

About 30 minutes by car (transfer, taxi or ride-hailing) and about 40 minutes by public transport, including the change at Nádraží Veleslavín. Allow more in the morning and evening rush hours, 07:00-09:00 and 16:00-19:00.

Q: Will the driver meet me at the airport with a sign?

Yes. Meet and greet is included on every airport pick-up: your driver waits inside the arrivals hall with a board showing your name, the passenger's name or your company's name, and helps with your luggage.

Q: What happens if my flight is delayed?

Nothing - we track your flight number and the driver's pick-up time moves automatically. There is no delay charge and no waiting fee, even if your flight arrives several hours late.

Q: Can I get an airport transfer with a child seat in Prague?

Yes - we provide child and booster seats free of charge on request. Czech law (Act No. 361/2000 Coll., Section 6(4)) exempts taxis from the child-seat requirement within a municipality, so a rank taxi or an Uber is not obliged to carry one and usually does not. Outside Prague, for example on a transfer to Karlovy Vary, the exemption does not apply and a seat is legally required.

Q: How far in advance should I book my airport transfer?

24 hours ahead is enough for a saloon car in most cases, but book earlier for minivans, XXL minibuses, child seats or arrivals between 22:00 and 06:00, and at least a few days ahead in peak season. Booking early costs no more - the price is fixed either way.

Q: Do your drivers speak English?

Yes - all our drivers speak English. This is one of the practical differences from a rank taxi or a ride-hailing app, where the driver is whoever is nearby and English is not guaranteed.

Five ways, and only one of them is right for you. A private transfer is a fixed 790 CZK for the car and takes about 30 minutes to your door. Trolleybus 59 plus metro A costs 50 CZK a head and takes about 40. There is no metro or train at the airport. Here is the whole picture, including the times we are the wrong answer.

AIRPORT → CITY CENTRE · ALL OPTIONS
FARES CURRENT

LINE	OPTION	PRICE	TIME	TAKES YOU TO	BEST FOR
CAR	Private transfer Booked ahead, driver meets you	790 CZK fixed · whole car · 1–4	~30 min	Your address	Families, groups, business, luggage, late arrivals
59	Trolleybus 59 + Metro A Change at Nádraží Veleslavín	50 CZK per adult · 46 in app	~40 min	Metro line A	Solo travellers and couples travelling light
AE	Airport Express Direct, no changes	200 CZK per adult · 100 child 6–15	~40 min	Main Railway Station	Catching an onward train
TAXI	Taxi from the rank Metered, no booking	~700–1,000 CZK · metered · varies	~30 min	Your address	One or two people at short notice
APP	Uber · Bolt · Liftago Designated pick-up area	~500–800 CZK · surge pricing	~30 min + 5–15 wait	Your address	Light luggage, flexible timing, working data

Public transport fares as published by DPP on 16 July 2026. Taxi and ride-hailing figures are indicative — both are metered or dynamic, so the price is known only at the end of the journey.

Book at a fixed price

PICK YOUR SITUATION

Which option is right for you?

Most pages on this subject exist to sell you a car. This one will happily send you to the trolleybus.

You're alone or a couple, hand luggage, daylight, hotel near metro A

Take trolleybus 59. It's 50 CZK and it's genuinely the sensible choice. Don't overpay.

You have a train to catch from the Main Railway Station

The Airport Express, 200 CZK, no changes, luggage space, straight to the platform.

You're travelling with children, a pushchair or a suitcase each

A private transfer with free child seats. The car seat law explains why a taxi won't have one.

There are five or more of you

A minivan at 990 CZK for the whole vehicle — under 125 CZK a head for eight people.

You land after 23:30, or your flight is delayed

A private transfer. Regular services stop around 23:30 and the night network can take two hours.

You're going to Karlovy Vary, Český Krumlov or a ski resort

An intercity transfer. There's no direct public transport from the airport to any region.

OPTION 1 OF 5 · PRIVATE TRANSFER

A car booked before you fly, at a price that can't move

Agreed before you leave home. The driver tracks your flight, meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board and takes you to your address. No changes, no queue, no meter.

Saloon car 1-4 passengers · 3 large bags	790 CZK one way
Minivan 5-8 passengers · 8 large bags	990 CZK one way
XXL minibus 9+ passengers	3,690 CZK one way
Price is per vehicle, not per person, and it's final. No waiting charge. No parking fee. No luggage supplement. No night surcharge. No charge if your flight is late.

Will the driver actually meet me?

Yes — inside the arrivals hall, holding a board with your name, the passenger's name or your company's name on it. Not a pin on a map, not a car park, not a phone call while you're still looking for the exit. Switch your phone on after landing so we can reach you if we need to.

And if the flight is late?

We track your flight number, so the pick-up time moves with the aircraft. Land three hours late and the driver is there three hours later, at the same price. There is no waiting charge and nothing you need to do.

See vehicles, how booking
works and how to pay

OPTION 2 OF 5 · PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Trolleybus 59 + metro A

The cheapest way into the city and, if you're travelling light, a perfectly good one.

Note: bus 119, which you'll still find recommended across the internet, was replaced by trolleybus 59 in 2024. Same route, new vehicles, different number on the stop.

Leave arrivals at Terminal 1 or 2 — the stop is directly in front of the building, marked 59.
Buy a ticket before you board. You can't buy one on the trolleybus. Use a machine at the stop or in the terminal, a DPP counter, or the PID Lítačka app.
Ride to the last stop, Nádraží Veleslavín — about 15 minutes.
Change to metro line A on the same ticket. Five stops to Malostranská, six to Staroměstská, seven to Můstek.

Tickets and 2026 fares

Ticket	Paper / Machine	PID Lítačka app
30 minutes	39 CZK	36 CZK
90 minutes — what you need for the airport	50 CZK	46 CZK
24 hours	150 CZK	140 CZK
72 hours	350 CZK	340 CZK
Fares as published by DPP on 16 July 2026. Children under 15 travel free within Prague, as do seniors over 65 on proof of age. Large luggage: 25 CZK per item.

Every line from the terminals

Line	Goes to	Time	Change to
59	Nádraží Veleslavín	~15 min	Metro A
100	Zličín	~18 min	Metro B
191	Petřiny — Anděl	~50 min	Metro A, Metro B
907	Hradčanská — Hlavní nádraží — Anděl	~45 min	Night trams
910	I. P. Pavlova — Kačerov — Modřany	~45 min	Night trams
Source: Václav Havel Airport Prague, checked 16 July 2026. DPP ticket counters: Terminal 1 arrivals 07:00–21:00, Terminal 2 arrivals 09:00–21:00. Machines run non-stop and take contactless cards.

OPTIONS 3, 4, AND 5

Airport Express, rank taxis and the apps

AE

Airport Express

A dedicated bus to Praha hlavní nádraží with reserved luggage space and no changes. The right call if you're catching a train.

200 CZK adult, 100 CZK child 6–15, free under 6
Luggage free
Ordinary Prague tickets are not valid — it's a separate fare
Every 20–30 min, hourly at night · ~40 min
Buy from the driver, card accepted
Towards the city it doesn't stop at Terminal 2

For two adults the AE costs 400 CZK and drops you at a railway station. The transfer is 790 CZK for the car, to the door.

AE timetable on dpp.cz →

TAXI

Taxi from the rank

Licensed taxis wait in front of both terminals. No booking needed, and reasonable for one or two people with light bags.

The fare is metered — you learn the price at the end, not the start
Expect roughly 700–1,000 CZK, more in traffic: waiting time is charged by the minute
English is not guaranteed
Child seats almost never available

Why Prague taxis have a reputation →

APP

Uber, Bolt and Liftago

All three work in Prague and pick up at the airport, from a designated ride-hailing area rather than outside arrivals.

Roughly 500–800 CZK, but dynamic — prices climb when a wave of flights lands, which is exactly when you'll be ordering
5–15 minutes of waiting, after you find the pick-up point
Whatever car is nearby: four large cases may not fit
Needs your data to work the moment you land

Fine if you're light and flexible. Not what you want when four people, four suitcases and a pushchair are standing in arrivals at midnight.

THE HONEST COMPARISON

Transfer vs. public transport, with the arithmetic shown

Let's be straight about this, because most pages on this subject aren't.

When public transport wins

Trolleybus 59 plus metro A costs 50 CZK. A transfer costs 790 CZK for the car. If you're one or two people with hand luggage, arriving in the afternoon, staying near line A and you don't mind forty minutes and one change — take the trolleybus. Prague's public transport is fast, clean, frequent and safe. You'd be spending money for very little in return.

When a transfer wins

The sum changes completely the moment any of this is true: there are more than two of you · you have real luggage and it's rush hour · you're travelling with small children · you land after 23:30 · your hotel is a fifteen-minute walk from the metro and that walk happens with the suitcases · you have a meeting, and "the metro was busy" isn't an explanation · you want the price fixed in March for a flight in August.

Travelling party	Trolleybus 59 + Metro	Airport Express	Private transfer
1 adult	50 CZK	200 CZK	790 CZK
2 adults	100 CZK	400 CZK	790 CZK
2 adults + 2 children under 15	100 CZK	600 CZK	790 CZK
4 adults	200 CZK	800 CZK	790 CZK
6 adults	300 CZK	1,200 CZK	990 CZK minivan
8 adults	400 CZK	1,600 CZK	990 CZK minivan
Public transport column assumes 90-minute paper tickets at 50 CZK; children under 15 travel free within Prague. Transfer prices are per vehicle. Highlighted cells are the cheapest of the two paid options.

Two things fall out of that table, and both are honest. Against the trolleybus we are never the cheapest — we're selling you twenty-five minutes, the door, the luggage and the certainty. Against the Airport Express we win from four people up, and the AE only takes you to a railway station.

TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN

Car seats, and what Czech law actually says

The single most misunderstood thing about airport transport in Prague. It's worth two minutes.

Under Czech law, a child weighing under 36 kg or shorter than 150 cm must travel in a child car seat. But there's an exemption, and it's the reason "I'll just grab a taxi and ask for a seat" tends not to work when you land:

The child-seat requirement does not apply to the carriage of children in a taxi operating within a municipality. The child may not sit next to the driver and must wear the seat belt.

^{Act No. 361/2000 Coll., Section 6(4) — paraphrased}

Two consequences. A taxi or an Uber at Prague Airport is under no legal obligation to give your child a seat, and most don't carry one. And the exemption ends at the city limits — on a transfer to Karlovy Vary, Český Krumlov or a ski resort, a motorway journey outside the municipality, a proper child seat is legally required, not optional.

Book with a free child seat

WHAT WE DO

✔	Child and booster seats are free, on request, on every transfer — tick the box when you book.
✔	Because you book ahead, we know your children's ages before the car leaves. No rank taxi can do that.
✔	Minivans for 5–8 mean a pushchair, four suitcases and a family aren't a negotiation with the boot.
✔	The driver loads and unloads the luggage. You hold the children.
✔	Free bottled water and Wi-Fi on board, for the twenty minutes that matter.

Legal source: Act No. 361/2000 Coll., Section 6(4), on road traffic.
 zakonyprolidi.cz →

THREE REASONS PEOPLE BOOK AHEAD

Business, groups, and everywhere that isn't Prague

Business travel

Forty minutes with a change is forty minutes you can't spend on email, and "the metro was busy" isn't an explanation for a late arrival.

Fixed price — no surge pricing before a 9:00 meeting
Flight tracking — the plane is late, the driver is late, the price isn't
Meet & greet with your name or your company's on the board
English-speaking professional drivers, not the app lottery

Corporate accounts, invoicing and rates →

Groups of 5–19

Minivan, 5–8 people — 990 CZK for the vehicle
XXL minibus, 9+ — 3,690 CZK
One vehicle, one price, everyone arrives together
At eight people that's about 124 CZK each — less than the Airport Express, and it stops at your door

Coach hire and party bus →

Beyond Prague

There's no direct public transport from the airport to any Czech region — every route means getting into Prague first, then a train or coach from a different station, with your luggage
Popular routes: Karlovy Vary, Český Krumlov, Harrachov, the Krkonoše ski resorts
Outside Prague the taxi car-seat exemption doesn't apply — a child seat is legally required. We supply them free

Intercity transfers →

LATE ARRIVALS

Landing after 23:30

The last regular buses and trolleybuses leave the airport around 23:30, and the metro stops shortly after midnight. Between then and roughly 04:30 you're on night buses 907 and 910 plus night trams, which can turn a forty-minute journey into two hours.

A booked transfer doesn't care what time you land. We track the flight, we work 24/7 including public holidays, and there's no night surcharge.

STRAIGHT TALKS

Prague taxi scams

Prague's reputation for taxi overcharging is older than it deserves — regulation has improved a lot — but the risk on the rank hasn't gone to zero. If you're taking one:

Agree the price or confirm the tariff before you get in.
Check for a visible licence and a printed tariff on the door.
Ask for a receipt. It's your evidence.
Remember waiting time is charged by the minute — a jam is expensive.
Or book a fixed price and skip the conversation entirely.

QUESTIONS PEOPLE ACTUALLY ASK

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to get from Prague Airport to the city centre?
▼

Anywhere from 50 CZK to about 1,000 CZK, depending on how you travel. Public transport is 50 CZK per adult and children under 15 go free. The Airport Express is 200 CZK per adult. A private transfer is a fixed 790 CZK for the whole car, whatever the traffic. A metered taxi from the rank or a ride-hailing app lands somewhere between roughly 500 and 1,000 CZK, and you only find out where at the end of the journey.

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

Public transport. Trolleybus 59 to Nádraží Veleslavín plus metro line A costs 50 CZK per adult (46 CZK in the PID Lítačka app) on a single 90-minute ticket, and children under 15 travel free within Prague. The journey takes about 40 minutes with one change.

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

About 30 minutes by car (transfer, taxi or ride-hailing) and about 40 minutes by public transport, including the change at Nádraží Veleslavín. Allow more in the rush hours, 07:00–09:00 and 16:00–19:00.

Is there a metro or train from Prague Airport?
▼

No. Václav Havel Airport Prague has no metro or railway station. Every public transport route into the city involves a bus or trolleybus first: line 59 to metro A, line 100 to metro B, or the Airport Express to the Main Railway Station.

Will the driver meet me at the airport with a sign?
▼

Yes. Meet and greet is included on every airport pick-up: your driver waits inside the arrivals hall with a board showing your name, the passenger's name or your company's name, and helps with your luggage. Please switch your phone on after landing so we can reach you.

What happens if my flight is delayed?
▼

Nothing — we track your flight number and the driver's pick-up time moves automatically. There's no delay charge and no waiting fee, even if your flight arrives several hours late. You don't need to call us, though you're welcome to.

Can I get an airport transfer with a child seat in Prague?
▼

Yes — we provide child and booster seats free of charge on request; tick the box when booking.

This matters because Czech law (Act No. 361/2000 Coll., Section 6(4)) exempts taxis from the child-seat requirement within a municipality, so a rank taxi or an Uber isn't obliged to carry one and usually doesn't. Outside Prague — on a transfer to Karlovy Vary, say — the exemption doesn't apply and a seat is legally required.

How far in advance should I book my airport transfer?
▼

24 hours is enough for a saloon car in most cases, but book earlier for minivans, XXL minibuses, child seats or arrivals between 22:00 and 06:00, and at least a few days ahead in peak season. Booking early costs no more — the price is fixed either way.

Do your drivers speak English?
▼

Yes — all our drivers speak English. That's one of the practical differences from a rank taxi or a ride-hailing app, where the driver is whoever is nearby and English isn't guaranteed.

How much does a minivan transfer cost in Prague?
▼

A minivan for 5–8 passengers from Prague Airport to the city centre costs a fixed 990 CZK for the whole vehicle, one way. For eight people that's about 124 CZK each — less than the Airport Express bus, and it stops at your door. For 9 or more passengers, an XXL minibus costs 3,690 CZK.

Can I book a transfer from Prague Airport to Karlovy Vary or a ski resort?
▼

Yes. There's no direct public transport from the airport to any Czech region, so a private intercity transfer goes straight from the terminal to your hotel or resort at a price fixed in advance. Popular routes include Karlovy Vary, Český Krumlov, Harrachov and the Krkonoše ski resorts. Child seats are legally required on these journeys and we provide them free.

Know the price before
you board the plane

Fixed fare, free cancellation, free child seats, and a
driver in the arrivals hall with your name on a board.

Book a transfer

790 CZK · 1–4 PEOPLE · AIRPORT TO
CITY CENTRE

SOURCES

Last checked 16 July 2026

Public transport prices, lines and times on this page come from the operators themselves, not from other travel blogs:

Fares and timetables change. If you spot something out of date, tell us at info@prague-airport-transport.co.uk and we'll fix it.