Prague Guide

Prague Metro

The Prague metro is an underground public transport network in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the fastest means of transportation around the city and serves over one milion and half passengers a day.

Basic Metro information

The Prague metro comprises three lines, each one of them is represented by its own colour on the maps and signs: line A (green), line B (yellow) and line C (red). There are 57 stations in total (3 of them are crossing stations), connected by, more than 59 kilometers of mostly underground railways. The metro service operates between 5 am and midnight every day, with around 2-3 minutes between trains during rush hours. Over 540 million passengers use the Prague metro every year. 

The metro is run by the Prague Public Transit Company Inc. (Dopravní podnik Praha or DP Praha) who manage all means of public transport around the city (the metro, tramways, buses and the funicular to the Petřín hill). Since 1993 this system has been connected to commuter trains and buses and also to "park-and-ride" parking lots - together they form a public transportation network reaching further from the city, the Prague integrated transport (Pražská integrovaná doprava - PID). Whilst the large system is zonally priced, the metro is fully inside the central zone. 

It is not uncommon for the Prague Metro to have combined stations, i.e. that stations are physically located between two squares/junctions. (This is why the name of a station may easily turn up at two different places in the city, or there may occur unnamed stations on the map.) So it is not enough to get off at the right station, but one should watch out to choose the right way out to the surface – otherwise they may find themselves at a different place, 15-20 minutes' walking distance from the required destination.

Prague Metro layout and stations

The Prague metro system is laid-out as a triangle, with all three lines meeting in the center of the city at three transition stations. The depth of the stations (and the connecting lines) varies considerably. The deepest station is Náměstí Míru, located 52 meters under the ground. Parts of the tracks in the city centre were mostly bored using the tunnelling shield. Outer parts were dug by the cut-and-cover method and the stations are only a few meters under the surface. The B line partly runs inside a glassed-in tunnel above the ground. 

Most stations have a single platform in the centre of the station hall (tunnel) serving both directions. The sub-surface stations have a straight ceiling sometimes supported by columns. The deep-level stations are larger tunnels with the track tunnels on each side. The walls of many stations are decorated using colour aluminium panels, each station having its own colour.

Prague Metro Tickets

The Prague metro is an open ticket system. Passengers are obliged to buy and validate a ticket before entering the metro platform. There are plainclothes ticket inspectors who have the right to check the validity of the ticket at any time within the compulsory ticket area. 

The tickets are the same for all means of transport in Prague (excluding commuter trains for single tickets). The basic single ticket (the transfer variant) costs 32 and is valid 90min. Short term ticket costs 24CZK and is valid 30min

There are also transferable season tickets valid for 24 hours which costs 110CZK  or 3days ticket which costs 310CZK... Also, long-term (monthly, quarterly or yearly) tickets can be bought.