Orientation - Prague and the Czech Republic - page 39

By Plane
Prague's modern, tidy, low-key Ruzyn ě Airport, located 12 miles
(about 30 min) west of the city center, is as user-friendly as any
airport in Western Europe or the US. The new Terminal 2 serves
destinations within the EU except for Great Britain (no passport
controls); Terminal 1 serves Great Britain and everywhere else.
The airport has ATMs (avoid the change desks); desks promoting
their transportation services (such as city transit and shuttle buses);
kiosks selling city maps and phone cards; and a tourist service with
few printed materials. Airport info: tel. [phone], operator tel.
220-111-111.
Getting from the Airport to Downtown: It's easy. Leaving
either airport terminal, you have five options, listed below from
cheapest to priciest:
Dirt Cheap: Take bus #119 to the Dejvická Metro station, or
#100 to the Zličín Metro station (20 min), then take the Metro
into the center (20 Kč, info desk in airport arrival hall).
Budget: Take the airport express (AE) bus to Holešovice
Station, then take the Metro into the center (bus runs daily 4:40-
21:10, 2/hr, 30 min, 45 Kč, look for the AE sign in front of the
terminal and pay the driver, www.czech-transport.com).
Moderate: Take the Čedaz minibus shuttle to Náměstí
Republiky, across from Kotva department store (daily 5:30-21:30,
2/hr, pay 120 Kč directly to driver, info desk in arrival hall).
Expensive: Take a Čedaz minibus directly to your hotel, with
a couple of stops likely en route (480 Kč for a group of up to four,
tel. [phone]).
Splurge: Catch a taxi. Cabbies wait at the curb directly in
front of the arrival hall. Airport taxi cabbies are honest but more
expensive. Carefully confirm the complete price before getting in.
It's a fixed rate of 600-700 Kč, with no meter.
Helpful Hints
Medical Help: A 24-hour pharmacy is at Palackého 5 (a block
from Wenceslas Square, tel. [phone]). For standard
assistance, there are two state hospitals in the center: the
General Hospital (open daily 24 hours, moderate wait time,
right above Karlovo Náměstí at U Nemocnice 2, Praha 2, use
entry G, tel. [phone]); and the Na Františku Hospital
(on the embankment next to Hotel InterContinental, Na
Františku 1, go to the main entrance, for English assistance
call Mr. Hacker between 8:00-14:00, tel. [phone] or tel.
222-801-371—serious problems only). The reception staff may
not speak English, but doctors do.
For better-than-standard assistance in English (includ-
ing dental service), consider the top-quality Hospital Na