Getting There

By Plane

The Major Airlines--About two dozen international airlines offer regularly scheduled service into Prague's Ruzyne Airport. The only U.S. carriers flying direct to Prague are Delta via Atlanta and Continental via its New York/Newark hub using a code-sharing arrangement with the Czech national carrier CSA Czech Airlines (tel. 800/223-2365; www.czech-airlines.com). CSA also flies to Prague from Toronto and Montreal. Germany's Lufthansa (tel. 800/645-3880; www.lufthansa-USA.com) has frequent connections to Prague with flights from New York and San Francisco via their Frankfurt hub.

Other major carriers serving the Czech Republic are Air France (tel. 800/237-2747; www.airfrance.com); Alitalia (tel. 800/223-5730; www.alitaliausa.com); Austrian Airlines (tel. 800/843-0002; www.aua.com/us/eng); and British Airways (tel. 800/AIRWAYS in the U.S., or 08708-509-850 in the U.K.; www.british-airways.com), as well as economy short-haul service from easyJet from London's Stansted, and Gatwick Airports, www.easyjet.com; KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (tel. 800/447-4747; www.klm.com); SAS (tel. 800/221-2350; www.scandinavian.net); and Swissair (tel. 877/359-7947; www.swiss.com).

Prague Airline Offices--To get flight information in Prague or to make reservations or changes, contact Air France, Václavské nám. 57, Praha 1 (tel. 221-662-662); Alitalia, Václavské nám. 11, Praha 1 (tel. 221-629-150); Austrian Airlines, the Ruzyne Airport, Praha 6 (tel. 220-116-272); British Airways, the Ruzyne Airport, Praha 6 (tel. 239-000-299); or CSA Czech Airlines, V Celnici 5, Praha 1, next to the Renaissance Hotel (tel. 239-007-007). For easyJet information and reservations go to www.easyjet.com; KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Ruzyne Airport, Praha 6 (tel. 233-090-933); Lufthansa, the Ruzyne Airport, Praha 6 (tel. 234-008-234); SAS, Ruzyne Airport, Praha 6 (tel. 220-116-031); and Swissair, Lazarská 8, Praha 2 (tel. 221-990-444).

A Taxi Bargain--At the airport, shrewd travelers might get an honest ride from one of the taxi drivers who linger in their Skodas (a type of Czech car) after dropping off departing passengers at the other end of the terminal. A ride should cost no more than 700Kc ($29) to Václavské námestí (Wenceslas Sq.).

By Car

You definitely shouldn't rent a car to explore Prague. But if you want to see the countryside, driving can be a fun way to travel. Czechs, who learned to drive in low-powered Skodas, still run up your tailpipe before passing, even though many now drive beefier BMWs and Opels. The combination of high-speed muscle cars, rickety East Bloc specials, and smoky cargo trucks crawling along can make driving on two-lane highways frustrating. But a car will make it easier to find a budget hotel or a comfortable spot to camp. The destinations outside Prague described in chapters 11, 12, and 13 include detailed driving directions.

Travelers approaching Prague from the west drive through Nürnberg, Germany, before entering the Czech Republic at the Waldhaus/Rozvadov border crossing on a new superhighway that connects to Prague via Plzen. Drivers from the northwest motor through Chemnitz (formerly Karl-Marx-Stadt), Germany, before entering the Czech Republic at the Reitzenhain/Pohranicí. From the south, Linz, Austria, is a gateway; and from the east, Zilina, Slovakia, is a gateway. Driving distances: from Vienna, 350km (217 miles); from Warsaw, 750km (465 miles); from Munich, 450km (279 miles); and from Berlin, 380km (236 miles).

By Train

Train fares in Europe are lower than those in the United States. Czech tickets are particularly inexpensive but prices are rising. Because European countries are compact, it often takes less time to travel city-to-city by train than by plane. Prague is about 5 hours by train from Munich, Berlin, and Vienna. Direct trains to Prague depart daily from Paris (via Frankfurt) and Berlin (via Dresden).

You should also check the schedule for the ultramodern, high-speed, passenger-only train that travels from London Waterloo International Station to Europe, the Eurostar, at www.eurostar.com or by calling tel. 01777-777-878.

Trains connect Prague and Vienna five times daily; the 5 1/2-hour trip costs $30 each way. Trains leave Prague to Warsaw two times daily; the 9-hour trip costs $35 each way.

You can also reach Prague from Munich or Frankfurt. The former runs three times daily, with the 7-hour trip costing $65 each way. The latter runs two times daily, with the 7 1/2-hour trip costing $71 each way.

For more information on traveling on Ceské dráhy (Czech Railways) on www.cd.cz, see chapter 11.

Train Passes -- Note: The Czech Republic is not covered by the Eurailpass though the European East Pass and the Austrian Czech Railpass are accepted. The Republic does have two country-specific pass options.

Czech Flexpass -- This pass entitles you to any 3 days of unlimited train travel in a 15-day period. It costs $74 for first class and $52 for second class.

Prague Excursion Pass -- This pass provides one round-trip excursion on the Czech National Railways from any Czech border to Prague (note that you don't have to return to the same border town on the way out from Prague). It is valid for 7 days, and stops in other places in the Czech Republic are allowed on the way to and from Prague but your entire journey must be completed within 1 calendar day. The pass costs $60 for first class or $45 for second class. Travelers 12 to 25 years old can get a Prague Excursion Youth Pass, which costs only $50 for first class and $40 for second class.

All of the passes above must be purchased in North America before you leave on your trip. You can buy them on the phone or online from Rail Europe (tel. 877/257-2887 in the U.S., 800/361-RAIL in Canada; www.raileurope.com).

If you're visiting more countries in Eastern Europe, you might want to get the European East Pass, which combines travel in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. It costs $225 (first class) or $158 (second class), and you can use it for 5 days of unlimited train travel in a 1-month period.

Many rail passes are available in the United Kingdom for travel in Britain and Europe. However, one of the most widely used of these passes, the InterRail card, isn't valid for travel in the Czech Republic.

By Bus

Throughout Europe, bus transportation is usually less expensive than rail travel and covers a more extensive area. European buses generally outshine their U.S. counterparts. In the Czech Republic, buses cost significantly less than trains and often offer more direct routes. Europabus, c/o DER Tours/German Rail, 11933 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025 (tel. 800/782-2424 or 310/479-4140), provides information on regular coach service. Busabout London Traveller's Centre, 258 Vauxhall Bridge Rd., London, SW 1V 1BS (tel. 0207-950-1661; www.busabout.com) is a British operator specializing in economical bus tours of Europe. Bookings can be made online.

If you're coming from London, Eurolines (tel. 08705-143-219; www.eurolines.co.uk), runs regular bus service from London to Prague at about £102 round-trip. Coaches are equipped with toilets and reclining seats, and trips take about 30 hours. By law, drivers are required to stop at regular intervals for rest and refreshment.

Kingscourt Express, Havelská 8, Praha 1 (tel. 224-234-583; www.kce.cz), operates the most popular scheduled bus service between London and Prague, which stops in Prague just across from the Florenc station. The nearly 21-hour trip runs six times weekly, and the round-trip costs 3,100Kc ($129).

A daily bus connection between Prague and Vienna with CSAD (Krizíkova 4-6, Praha 8; tel. 222-624-440; www.jizdnirady.cz) leaves from the Florenc Bus Station. The trip takes 4 1/4 hours and costs 504Kc ($21). There's bus service between Prague and Warsaw twice a week for 720Kc ($30) each way as well as between Prague and Berlin (960Kc/$40 each way).

You should make reservations as far in advance as possible. See chapters 11, 12, and 13 for more information on traveling by bus from Prague to other destinations in the Czech Republic.

By Ferry, Seacat or Channel Tunnel for U.K. Travelers

If you're traveling from England and don't want to fly, there are several options for getting to continental Europe. If you want to drive, P&O Ferries (tel. 08705-980-333; www.poferries.com) is one of the U.K.'s largest drive-on ferryboat operators, carrying cars, passengers, and freight. The company offers daily crossings of the English Channel from Dover to Calais, France, and from Folkestone to Zeebrugge, Belgium. Brittany Ferries (tel. 08703-665-333; www.brittanyferries.co.uk), P&O's largest competitor, offers regular ferry service from Portsmouth to St-Malo and Caen in France.

Another way to cross the channel is by SeaCat (a form of high-speed motorized catamaran), which cuts your journey time from the United Kingdom to the Continent. A SeaCat trip can be a fun adventure, especially for first-timers and children, as the vessel technically "flies" above the surface of the water. A SeaCat crossing from Folkestone to Boulogne, France, is more timesaving for passengers than the Dover-to-Calais route used by conventional ferryboats. For reservations and information, call HoverSpeed at tel. 08702-408-070; www.hoverspeed.co.uk.

You can also go via the Channel Tunnel. The drive-on/drive-off "Chunnel" train runs between Folkestone and Calais, France. Travel time under the water between England and France is just 40 minutes. For more information go to www.eurotunnel.com. Train passengers can use the tunnel on direct routes to Paris from London's Waterloo Station. For up-to-the-minute information, check BritRail at www.britrail.co.uk.