Orientation - Prague and the Czech Republic - page 44

at the airport (daily 8:00-21:00, tel. [phone]) and near
Holešovice Station (Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat 8:00-14:00,
Sun 10:00-16:00, tel. [phone]).
Best Views: Enjoy the “Golden City of a Hundred Spires” dur-
ing the early evening, when the light is warm and the colors
are rich. Good viewpoints include the terrace at the Strahov
Monastery (above the castle), the top of St. Vitus Cathedral (at
the castle), the top of either tower on Charles Bridge, the Old
Town Square clock tower (has an elevator), the Restaurant u
Prince Terrace (see page 134), and the steps of the National
Museum overlooking Wenceslas Square.
Getting Around Prague
You can walk nearly everywhere. But after you figure out the public
transportation system, the Metro is slick, the trams fun, and the
taxis quick and easy. For details,
pick up the handy transit guide at
the TI. City maps show the tram,
bus, and Metro lines.
By Metro and Train
Affordable and excellent public
transit is perhaps the best legacy
of the communist era (locals ride
all month for 550 Kč). The three-
line Metro system is handy and simple, but doesn't always get you
right to the tourist sights (landmarks such as the Old Town Square
and Prague Castle are several blocks from the nearest Metro
stops). Trams rumble by every two or three minutes and take you
just about anywhere.
Tickets: The trams and Metro work on the same tickets:
• 20-minutebasicticketwithlimitedtransferoptions—18
K č základní s omezenou přestupností . With this ticket, no
transfers are allowed on trams and buses, but on the Metro,
you can go up to five stops with one transfer (not valid for
night trams or night buses).
• 75-minutetransferticketwithunlimitedtransfers (základní
přestupní) —26 K č .
• 24-hourpass (jízdenka na 24 hodin) —100 K č .
• 3-daypass (jízdenka na 3 dny) —330 K č .
• 5-daypass (jízdenka na 5 dní) —500 K č .
Buy tickets from your hotel, at newsstand kiosks, or from
automated machines (select ticket price, then insert coins). For
convenience, buy all the tickets that you think you'll need—but
estimate conservatively. Remember, Prague is a great walking
town, so unless you're commuting from a hotel far outside the