How to Use Prague Public Transit 

This is the best summary of our public transport i ever saw.

This should be broadcasted on every plane heading to Prague

update: you can now also use app to buy "virtual" tickets

actually u can use the ticket for 6 types of transport within Prague - not only bus, tram or metro - but also for S-trains = metropolitan commuters within Prague, funicular to Petřín hill and the small cross river ferry P1 to P9

Important thing to say: If you past the yellow machines, it counts as you are already traveling. It is called "přepravní prostor" (traveling space). When your ticket is not valid when you are in this space (in the metro stop), you can also get fined. Reminder, it is just in the metro.

You can use same tickets for ferries on a river, funicular on Petřín hill and some of trains in and around Prague (but it's little bit tricky). And fine for not having ticket is 1500 CZK. But if you pay it in 15 days from day when they catch you, they give you a "sale" and fine is 800 CZK.

Hello, thanks for this guide. As local resident railfan and lover of public transport systems I like how you summarised > 95 % of public transport use cases and basics of public transport etiquete :) With Czech subtitles even local infrequent drives would get basic idea how not to get lost in our trams. ;) Few notes valid at 02/2020 and my personal suggestions and experience - PID (Prague integrated transport organisation) started to provide timetables for 3rd party apps (Google maps, idos, etc.), so relying on Google maps is good idea - Some trams (especially around 9h - 11h and 18h - 24h) can drive back to depot after early/evening rush hours. Those trams have inverted colours of line. Normally there is black background and green/yellow number of line + name of last stop. In case it drives to depot it has coloured background with black line number and different end station. In timetables they are marked by letter at the departure time with note like: A - Vůz jede ze zastávky Anděl do Vozovny Motol (Tram goes from station Anděl to Depot Motol). - For long term passes you may use instead of Lítačka either your mobile phone with PID Lítačka app or 3rd party cards (InKarta - Czech railways) or credit/debit cards. Lítačka is only medium to store long term passes. By the way app Lítačka can be used even for purchases of short term tickets in case you have internet connection on your phone. - There is 3rd party web page tram.mobilnitabla.cz/ which shows you life map of Prague tram network. Normally it is supposed to be used for railfans for tramspotting, however it has also mobile version showing nearest tram in your location and displays route on map, where does tram go, how much delayed it is and which type of vehicle is deployed (if it is low floor and has A/C). - Since 04/2019 every tram has debit/credit and other wireless payment methods (ApplePay, etc.) orange ticket machines. Simply tap on type of ticket you need, hold card/device for +- 2 seconds at machine and ticket will be printed and will be valid instantly after purchase unlike those bought from ticket machine in metro or in stores that must be stamped. Few of them are also metro and can be used to read data from your Lítačka which passes you own and when they expire. - Trams have priority on crosswalks without traffic lights! Pedestrians must wait until tram passes or they get green light on crosswalk. On some sections trams can go up to 60 km/h (~ 37,5 MPH) and braking distance can reach up to 90 meters (~ 300 ft) or length of 6 Tatra T3 trams. There were some deadly accident where tourists not paying attention or expecting priority on crosswalk got hit by tram. So please pay attention and avoid using headphones and your phone as phone zombie in proximity of tram tracks unless you are willing to win Darwin award :) - Some seats in public transport vehicles are marked with green "+" sign or blue color of seats. Those are priority seats for people with health issues, handicap and ZTP card holders. Please leave those seats if you see someone barely standing or with ZTP card showing to you, you are even obliged to do so... - In urban buses (100-299) you may purhcase ticket at the driver, however I suggest not doing so. At first tickets are sold with extra charge (40 CZK for 90 min ticket instead of 32 CZK), it also builds up delay and makes driver grumpy. What is heared through the grapevine this purchase method should be discontinued and replaced by the same orange ticket machine that are already in use in trams - In metro there are buttons on doors, that are used to open the doors, when it stops in the station. Sometimes the doors open even if you don't press the button. Logic is such: When metro brakes into station and LED diodes around the button are not lit. Then the door will open up. If LED diodes are shining green, you have to press the button to open the door. If LED diodes are bliking green, someone has already pressed the button and door will open up. Exception are 1st doors in first carriage and last doors in fifth (last) carriage, they will open up everytime so pressing button here is pointless ;)

Thank you so much for this video! Every person that visits Prague should watch it. And also thanks for mentioning the "unlisted" rules of the public transit (let the people walk out before you walk in, stay on the right side of the escalator if you don’t wanna walk). We also have "přívoz" and a "lanovka" (that takes you to the Petřín hill). The tickets (and lítačka) are also valid there. The "přívoz" is a small boat that takes you across Vltava. I don't think that people use these every day, but it's so nice to hop on a "přívoz" and see all the swans and ducks 😄. You can also use lítačka to travel by a train. Prague has a system of tariff zones, so it depends which zones did you pay for. If you only have paid for Prague (zone 0) you can travel by a train (for example) from Hlavní nádraží to Smíchovské nádraží or even to Radotín or Čakovice (the outskirts of the city). Personally, I like trains more than buses so this is very nice. And they are often faster than the bus 😄.

Hey, this was awesome, really comprehensible, I used to live in Prague but only now did I find the meaning of the numbers in the left side column of the tram schedules. They're minutes it takes to get to the next stop! Cheers for that

Super useful, clear concise and very professionally done. Thank you

just a small update! now you can buy a ticket in trams. the machine is ORANGE, you pay here with CARD and it's valid as soon as you GET IT. also, now there are machines in metro where you can buy tickets with a card also! im acknowledged this video was posted a year ago, so i just wanted to make a little update because few things changed

*AND* *1* *TROLEYBUS* *LINE* 🙂

Explained very well. It will help me very well on Friday when I arrive in Prague. Thanks. 😊👍🏻

i feel ready to take the metro now!! THANKS!

November 2022.. GREAT and helpful video, especially the tram number system (night and day, work day and weekend) VERY helpful to know, coming next month, my 1st Prague visit. THANK YOU Dream.

Hello . I am a tram driver in Prague, it would also be great to point out that in Prague trams have priority over pedestrians, even at crossings. Otherwise, great video, I hope it helps tourists.

Those single use ticket machines are now located at "big" tram stops too and a few newer trams also have them inside. A lot of of older ticket machines were replaced by a newer type that accepts cards with chips (ticket machines in trams only support contactless cards).

Even on a hard day your videos make me happy. There is something inherently positive about them. It is not like you avoid sharp corners and yet there is still always some positive take away. Like even here :) about how to buy tickets 🎫 :)) ps. Watching this video 2 years after it was made and comparing it to how it is now one can really see that your Czech pronunciation is improving

Awesome video - thanks

Awesome explanation.

Very nicely done.

Perfect! I gave you like!

even I learnt something new thanks, I didnt know or ive never realized traffic numbers are split by day/night service and it couldnt go over 290

Look for Honest Guide' airport bus video as a companion for this video if you are going to visit Prague. I get the 26 tram at Veleslavin after the 119 airport bus then change at Sparta for a tram into Prague 7. Beats a taxi for value every time. Usually the maximum wait for the connecting tram is 10 minutes and you get a good view of the cathedral at Sparta.

Amazing video

Since the end of 2019, you can also pay tickets by pay card or smartphone/watches wirelessly.

that metro arrow, its M for metro and arrow down (in case you dont know, where metro is)

Thank u ever so much for this informative video. I have booked a trip to Prague and thanks to this video, getting around has become easy. Just a quick question - even if I take a 72 hour travel ticket, do I still validate it only once?

C'est très intéressant.😊

proc se na tohle divam? ja ZIJU v praze a vim jak to tu funguje :-D what am i doing with my life?! :-D also WOW - did you do all the animations yourself?! they look super professional - great job!

Honest guide😐

recently there are credit cards terminals in all trams, so you can buy ticket with contactless card on board

just one simple point, you can also use train stations to move within prague, the ticket works even in them. IOts also better to use idos to find right transport, its app covers whole republic every type of transport inside or outside the city.

Best!

++ update: you can buy both short and long term tickets through Lítačka App. The ticket machines now accept credit cards. And you can buy the ticket in the tram too (with card). And Google Maps etc. will soon also show how late is the bus/tram, or if it is going on time. Hopefully, the stops of the public transport will have digitalized tables soon, so you'll directly see when is your bus/tram leaving.

That's Mafia 1 song at the background, right?

The public transport in Prague as well as in every bigger Central European city or town is good and efficient, including my homecity of Warsaw. We have here a smaller but newer and faster developing metro network. For the Poles the word "jizdenka" seems to be very funny but it reminds us the Polish word "jazda" which means "a ride". In Polish it's "bilet", a loanword from French "billet".

I would only correct: Tickets can also be bought from the bus driver, but they are more expensive (surcharge) and except card Lítačka you can also buy a coupon from DPP for a month, quarter or year, it is cheaper than tickets and with coupon you can also go around Prague with related train carriers.

Is prague has any transport card?

The graphic is awesome and professional. :-o What did you actually use to create it?

We use mainly IDOS. Show you complete connect)))

Without watching previously your video that explained the car culture in the US I'd be thinking Omg, what sort of person needs such detailed explation, lol.

Hi, where can I find the use of Litacka

What about the trains from a city to another ? Is it the samr system ?

I have a question: where i can buy the public trasportation pass for 5 months? Thanks

hello, I would ask you a question. If I buy a 90-minute ticket and I validate it on a bus. than when I transferred metro. Do I need to use the validation machine again? or first validation is enough during 90 min?

Does one have to pay extra when riding the system with luggage?

You can use ticket also for Funicular and Ferries. Je tu ešte lanovka a prívozy na rovnaký lístok. Best app is idos

The app called cg transit is also very good.

hi guys, thanks for the information, I would like to ask about the 3 day ticket, can I use it on the metro or the bus or both? how much does it cost? and how many times can I use it? is it with a limit or without? And what bus can i take from aeroport to metro?

Kdyby to bylo v cestine tak by to pomohlo i nam co jedou na vylet do Prahy,jinak super

What to do if the Time run out while I’m on the road or inside the metro?

I paid €13. For 72hrs not 1 person checked the ticket bus and trams r clean and fast

Nowadays, there are ticket machines on trams, that accept wireless credit cards; but tickets from these machines are already validated.

Now I really realized, how smart prague’s transport is.😇 What a pity they don’t have metro in Brno, only “šalina” , god knows what it is? 😂😂😂

Not exactly right informations regarding the "metro, tram and buses" part. The city transportation includes trains, ferries, and cableway on Petřín hill too.

Just to broaden your language and cultural horizons. Lítačka is somewhat sad choice for a public transport pass card. Its a name that would typically be used outside of Prague, not sure in what regions. The word that is typical in Prague is "tramvajenka" /obviously derived from the word tram/. You can still actually buy the old fashioned paper yearly/monthly passes, which is what I prefer. As Prague born and bred I refuse to use Lítačka :D

Funny that Americans use word "transit" for what the British call "public transport". "Transit" in Czech means a route on a motore way /highway/ that doesnt lead through a city but around it.

A co lanovka :-D

KIDS ARE FREE UNTIL 15 YEARS AND THERE ARE TICKET MACHINES ON SOME TRAM STOPS NOT JUST IN THE METRO!!!

Fun fact: The transport speed Is a satanic Turtle. Its chaos, And it can be Slow in a crowded Area. Doesnt count for metros..

idos