Getting around Prague is easy with the metro, and here's everything you need to know to travel confidently.
Getting around Prague by metro is the fastest and most efficient way how to visit the city's must-see attractions. Every day more than a million and a half people use this service, and there is a reason why this mean of transport is so popular among both locals and travelers.
It's the best way to cover long distances in a short time and great for people living on the outskirts of the city, but also for tourists who want to quickly get from one point on their itinerary to another.
Don't be surprised, when the metro gets crowded during rush hours in the morning and afternoon when people commute from or to work, but the situation is for sure not somehow terrible when we compare it with other metro systems around the world.
Getting Around Prague By Metro
Now ask yourself, have you ever traveled by metro in a foreign country and had difficulties to figure out how the system works? If yes, then this travel guide focusing on getting around Prague by subway is just for you.
You would think that there is no catch, and it's fairly easy to use the metro, and you're right. Except there are few things you might want to know before your first journey.
In this article, we are going to give you an idea of Prague's metro system, we will share with you how it works and how to travel around the city, so your stay will be as comfortable and pleasant as possible.
But first things first. You might have noticed that different countries have different names for this kind of transportation. In New York, it's a Subway, in London Tube or Underground.
Here in Prague, we call it Metro. Now when we know the correct name of the underground public transport system, nothing can stop us, right.
Get around Prague safely with our travel guide including useful tips, information, and what mistakes as a newbie to Prague transport you should avoid.
Where to Buy the Ticket
You can purchase the ticket for getting around Prague at the yellow/orange vending machines you can usually find inside the vestibule of the metro, on bus or tram stops.
You can also buy the ticket in tobacco shops, tourist information centers, or serviced ticket booths in the metro. Remember, that vending machines are in all metro vestibules, but not on every bus or tram stop.
Another option is to send SMS to 90206 with text, DPT42 (30min), DPT55 (90min), DPT150 (24h) or DPT350 (72h), and wait about two minutes for an incoming text message. You only must have a local SIM card to be able to send and receive the message.
Because the Prague transport system is integrated, the tickets are the same for all means of transport within the city. One ticket is valid for metro, tram, bus, train, ferry, and Petrin Hill funicular.
How Many Times Do You Have to Validate the Ticket
Once. Always remember to validate your ticket, make it a habit.
The same rule applies to a one day or three-day ticket, you need to validate it only the very first time you are going to use it. And each ticket allows passengers to transfer between metro, tram and bus lines as necessary.
If you make the mistake and restamp the ticket, it becomes immediately invalid, and you'll be facing a hefty fine if caught.
For How Long is My Ticket Valid
Every ticket is valid for a certain time. For example, if you buy the cheapest ticket for 39 CZK, it's valid for 30 minutes. 50 CZK ticket is valid for up to 90 minutes. If you are using the Jizdni Rady app, it will show you, which ticket you need when you enter your starting point and final destination.
Always validate your ticket before you enter the designated metro area.
Now, this is very important. There are always barriers you have to walk through, but there are not any metal bars blocking your way, as they do have in New York or Paris, so you might think, that you can validate the ticket later, but that would be a mistake.
If you fail to stamp your ticket, and you run into the uniformed and plainclothes fare inspectors, you'll get a fine. This is quite a different system from traveling by tram or bus in Prague, where you have to validate the ticket after you get on.
If you have Litacka, Prague's metro card, don't stop and go directly to the platform. Also if you have stamped your ticket in tram or bus, and it is still valid, continue to the platform without stopping.
Do not get confused that most of the people go straight to the metro without stamping the ticket, they are most likely locals who have the top-up metro card, or travelers who had bought one-day or three-day ticket for 150 CZK or 350 CZK retrospectively.
Metro Zones and Lines
Prague has only one metro zone and three lines, so navigating around the city is fairly easy.
A line is green, B is yellow and C is red. Memorize these three stations - Muzeum, Mustek, and Florenc, in these stations, you can transfer to another line. Metro in Prague is very reliable with almost no delays and outages, and it's a perfect way of getting around the city.
Mistakes to Avoid
Now we'll look into two situations that we think are most common when using the Prague metro.
So you met your friend, and went sightseeing in Prague, visited Vysehrad, Prague Castle or Old Town Square, and now it's time to get back to your accommodation.
You ask your friend to purchase the tickets, she buys them, validate both of them, but you forget to get the ticket.
Eventually, she gets off the train a stop early, as both of you are staying in different places, and you end up riding the metro without a ticket.
Always keep the ticket.
The other situation is even more tricky. You want to meet your friend again the next day, and she texted you to meet her at the metro platform.
You'll go down to the platform to pick her up, but you completely forget to buy and validate the ticket, even though, you are not planning on going anywhere and using the metro at all.
Safety
Metro in Prague is as safe as probably the underground transport system can be. Nevertheless, we advise you to use common sense when getting around Prague. Keep your valuables safe, watch out for the pickpockets.
One tip for female travelers with big phones and small front pockets, don't keep your phone in your back pocket, put it in your anti-theft purse instead.
If you happen to be the only person left in the car, and some drunk or shady-looking person gets on, it might be a good idea to move to a car with more passengers only as a precaution.
Though, this situation is more likely to happen in the late hours of the day on the outskirts, not in the city center.
Metro Etiquette
There are flyers on the walls in every single car how to behave in the metro, so we won't get into details, you can read them if you ever get bored in public transport, but we will cover only the most important basics.
Most of the guidelines and recommendations are pretty elementary, sit on the seats, keep your feet on the ground, don't eat, don't urinate in the car, the usual stuff, you would probably expect.
Here in Prague (and overall in Czechia), we respect personal space, and when you accidentally bump into someone, we usually say 'sorry' or 'promiňte'. So far so good.
And now we've come tho the most important part.
When the train arrives at the station and stops, wait for the people to get off, then it's your turn, so get on. This is something so incredibly simple, that it always surprises us how many people can get this one wrong.
In the rush hour, don't hold the door for others, as you are delaying the train, and since it goes every two or three minutes, there is no need to do so.
When using escalators, keep to the right side, so others can pass. We also usually give up a seat for elderly or pregnant women.
Experience Czechia's past and present through engaging exhibitions on history, culture, and nature at Prague's National Museum.