Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By metro
Prague's futuristic, Soviet-built
metro
is fast, smooth and ultraclean (daily 5am-midnight;
every2minduringpeakhours,every4-10minintheevening).Itsthreelinesintersectatvari-
ous points in the city centre and the route plans are easy to follow.
Stations
are fairly discreetly marked above ground with the metro logo, in green (line A),
yellow (line B) or red (line C). Once inside the metro, it's worth knowing that
výstup
means
exit and
přestup
will lead you to one of the connecting lines at an interchange. The digital
clock at the end of the platform tells you what time it is and how long it has been since the
last train.
By tram
The electric
tram
(
tramvaj
) system, in operation since 1891, negotiates Prague's hills and
cobbles with remarkable dexterity. Modern Škoda low-floor trams are being introduced, but
muchofthefleet(traditionallydeckedoutinredandcream)datesbacktotheCommunistera.
After the metro, trams are the fastest andmost efficient wayofgetting around(every 6-8min
at peak times; every 5-15min at other times) - timetables posted at every stop (
zastávka
) list
the departure times from that stop. Note that stops are often named after the side streets and
notthemainstreetalongwhichtheyrun.Note,too,thatitisthecustomforyoungerfolk(and
men of all ages) to vacate their seat when an older woman enters the carriage.
Tram#22
,whichrunsfromVinohradytoHradčanyviathecentreoftownandMaláStrana,
offers a good way to orientate yourself and a cheap way of sightseeing, though you should
bewareofpickpockets.FromApriltomid-November,interwar
nostalgictram#91
runsfrom
the Transport Museum to Výstaviště, via Prague Castle, Malá Strana, Wenceslas Square and
náměstíRepublikyandbackagain(Sat&Sunhourlynoon-5.30pm;40min;35Kč,passesnot
valid).
Night trams
(
noční tramvaje
; #51-58; roughly every 30-40min midnight-4.30am)
run different routes from daytime ones; they all pass at some point along Lazarská in Nové
Město.
By bus
You'll rarely need to get on a
bus
(
autobus
) within Prague itself, since most of them keep
well out of the centre of town. If you're intent on visiting the zoo or staying in some of the
city's more obscure suburbs (or camping in Troja), though, you may need to use them: they
operate similar hours to the trams (though services are generally less frequent); route num-
bers are given in the text where appropriate.
Night buses
(
noční autobusy
; midnight-5am)
run hourly from náměstí Republiky.
OutsidePrague
, you're more likely to find yourself using buses, though timetables are de-
signed around the needs of commuters, and tend to fizzle out at the weekend. Most services
depart from Prague's main bus terminal, Praha-Florenc (metro Florenc), which is run with
