Václav Havel Airport Prague

Václav Havel Airport Prague is the biggest airport in Czech Republic located in Prague.

Understand
Václav Havel Airport is located on the western outskirts of Prague. It handles 92% of all foreign flights to and from the Czech Republic. The airport is rated positively by most passengers; only complaints about long waits for luggage are more common (as of October 2023).

The airport is accessible by bus, which leaves from/to several metro stations.

Map of the airport.

Terminals
The airport consists of two main terminals. The terminals are apart, and are connected by a corridor with shops and services.

It is planned that the split between Schengen and non-Schengen areas will be abolished and both terminals will serve flights to both areas.

Others are Terminal 3 (for private flights only) and Terminal 4 (for government and VIP flights).

Flights
The airport of Prague is served by these airlines, as of Oct 2023:


 * Czech Airlines (ČSA) is the national carrier operating to many European and international destinations. It generally does not offer long-haul (intercontinental) flights, but as it is partially owned by Korean Air, it offers a code-shared direct connection from Seoul Incheon.
 * Wizz Air is a low-cost airline with a base in Prague operating from European destinations including London Gatwick, London Luton, and Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
 * easyJet operates low-cost services from European destinations.
 * Jet2.com low-cost services from Manchester Airport, Newcastle, Leeds/Bradford & Edinburgh
 * SmartWings from Europe, Turkey and Israel
 * Swiss International flies from Zürich, Basel and Geneva.
 * Aer Lingus from the Irish city of Dublin.
 * Norwegian from Scandinavia.
 * Delta Air Lines from New York JFK.
 * KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has 5 direct flights per day from Amsterdam Schiphol.
 * British Airways has 4 direct flights from London Heathrow daily.
 * Brussels Airlines offers 3 flights a day from Brussels.
 * Lufthansa offers 6 flights a day from Frankfurt airport and 4 from Munich airport.
 * TAP offers daily direct flights from Lisbon and Oporto.
 * Iberia offers 3 flights daily from Madrid Barajas.
 * Eurowings offers daily flights from Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf.
 * LOT Polish Airlines offers flights from Warsaw.

Alternatively, you may find ultra-low-cost flights from the airports of Nuremberg, Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Wroclaw and to a lesser extent from Dresden, Leipzig, Brno or Ostrava, from there you can take an intercity bus or train to Prague.

Ground transportation



 * By bus – Public buses offer connections to several metro stations, from which you can travel to the city center in a total travel time of 45 minutes.


 * Tickets
 * Public transport tickets, which are valid on the buses, metro, and trams can be bought from kiosks called Metro • Tram • Bus in the arrivals halls (07:00–21:00, credit cards accepted) or faster at the yellow vending machine next to the bus stop outside both terminals (cards accepted).
 * A ticket valid for 90 minutes is required for travel to the city center (40 Kč). Other tickets are available in time increments of 30 minutes (30 Kč), 24-hr (120 Kč) or 3-days for 330 Kč (prices as of March 2024). Children under 15 and seniors (65 and older) travel for free but must provide proof of age (ID card or passport) at inspection; citizens aged 60 to 65 get half off. You can transfer between the buses, metro, and trams for no additional charge as long as your ticket has not expired.
 * Remember to validate your ticket as soon as you get on the bus (or before, if possible) by sticking it into a yellow machine with green glowing arrow, or you may be subject to a fine of 1,500 Kč (October 2023) if you are caught. The ticket has to be validate only at the beginning, it is not marked at the transfer. The ticket validation procedure is illustrated here.
 * If you plan to travel around Prague more often, you can download the PID Lítačka mobile app (in Czech and English) in advance, which allows you to search for connections and buy tickets.


 * Info on the schedules and routes can be obtained here or here. Buses that operate between the airport and the metro stations are as follows (airport bus stops are called "Terminál 1" or "Terminál 2"):
 * T-Bus (formerly bus # 119) to metro station Nádraží Veleslavín (17 min). Departures every 3-5 minutes, Sunday morning and every evening 10 minutes; 04:23–23:32. Main and generally fastest connection.
 * Bus to metro station Zličín (18 min). Departures every 15 minutes, Sunday morning and every evening 20 minutes; 05:40–23:16. Suitable if your destination is on the B metro line.
 * Bus going via Petřiny (24 min) and Anděl (48 min). Departures every 20-30 minutes, Sunday morning and every evening 40 minutes; 04:57–23:31. Slow bus usually suitable only for destinations along its route.
 * Night Bus going via Jiráskovo náměstí (38 min) and I. P. Pavlova (45 min). Departures from the airport every ½ hr; 23:50–03:54.
 * Night Bus going via Hradčanská (32 min), Náměstí republiky (Masarykovo nádraží) (39 min) and further via Hlavní nádraží, Karlovo náměstí and Anděl. Departures from the airport every hour; 01:09–04:03.
 * At kiosks called Metro • Tram • Bus in both arrivals halls you can also get much-needed Getting around Prague information leaflet with a map of the metro and trams (in English, Czech, Ukrainian and German).


 * By Airport Express – This bus is suitable only for transport to the train station and the surrounding area. These buses leave the airport from a public bus stop called "Terminál 1" (see above) every ½ hr; 05:30–21:00. Tickets are available from the driver (100 Kč – contactless accepted) or at Public transport information kiosks in arrival halls and are not transferable. The final stop will be Prague's main train station Hlavní nádraží, which is commonly abbreviated in Czech as "Praha hl.n.".
 * By taxi – The most comfortable method to reach the city centre with Uber Airport Taxi. They have an exclusive contract with Prague Airport and taxis – black or white limousines – are waiting in front of the arrival halls of both terminals. Rides can be booked via the Uber mobile app, purchased at the black Uber self-service kiosks (at baggage claim or in both arrival halls) or at the Taxi counter (cards are accepted everywhere).
 * For travel to the airport, you can call one of their competitors listed in Get around Taxi section.


 * By shuttle – Various companies run shuttle services to the hotel and back. They can be found at the airport arrival halls.
 * By rental car – If you are planning on exploring the Czech Republic beyond the city of Prague, you may want to consider renting a car at the airport. Numerous rental companies have their desks at the airport (on the ground floor of Parking C) and allow pickup and return directly there.

Get around
All the public areas of Václav Havel Airport are relatively close to each other – if you get off the bus at the wrong stop or head in the wrong direction, you can get to the right place within minutes.

Wait
Václav Havel Airport Prague has a number of airline lounges scattered throughout both terminals. They offer all-inclusive snacks and drinks, TV, Wi-Fi and newspapers, a play area for children and showers.


 * Children‘s corner
 * Smaller children's play areas are located in the transit area of each terminal: near Gates A6, B8, B17, C11 and C16.
 * Smaller children's play areas are located in the transit area of each terminal: near Gates A6, B8, B17, C11 and C16.


 * Rooms for parents and children are located in both terminals and are furnished with changing tables, a play area and a microwave oven.





Budget
Fast food chains: have the same prices as outside the airport. Supermarket:
 * Burger King (In Terminal 1 between the arrival and departure halls, in Terminal 2 in the departure hall to the right of the check-in desks)
 * KFC (in the connecting corridor between terminals)
 * Billa (in the arrivals hall of Terminal 2 by the connecting corridor) (06:00–21:00, credit cards accepted). Here you can buy food at normal supermarket prices.

Splurge
Restaurants at the airport are generally 50% more expensive than the corresponding ones in the city.
 * Prilsner Urquell Original Restaurant (in Terminal 2 in the departure hall to the right of the check-in desks)

Buy
Prague Airport has about 10 shops (excluding restaurants and snacks) in the duty-free zone in Terminal 1 and about 20 more in Terminal 2 just after ticket control counters. You can buy toys, clothes, Czech specialities, newspapers etc.

The shops are concentrated in Terminal 1 mainly in the middle of the transit area and in Terminal 2 behind the security checkpoint (between Gates D1 to D6).

Getting money at the airport
If not completely necessary, do not exchange money at the airport. There is only one exchange company, Interchange, which runs all the exchange kiosks at the whole airport. Their rates are extremely bad. You are actually paying them at least 20% commission (as of Oct 2023) through the bad rates, even though they state there is no commission.

Check-in advances the current exchange rates "mid" on the website of the Czech National Bank.

ATM withdrawal is almost always a better option. Use ATMs of Czech banks, of which there are several in both terminals (it is not advisable to use Euronet ATMs, as they charge a surcharge and only dispense 1,000 Kč notes, which are too large).
 * ATMs

You can also pay for your transportation tickets and almost all other purchases at the airport by card (including Google Pay and Apple Pay).


 * Paying with a card in some restaurants has its own dangers – some vendors provide dynamic money conversion "service", which shows you the price in your home currency, but adds conversion fees. In all cases, make sure to choose to pay in local currency (CZK).

Connect

 * The airport provides a free internet connection. The connection is not limited in time, you only need to provide your email.
 * The airport has 5G coverage from T-Mobile, Vodafone and O2.

Cope

 * Showers are also available in the lounges.
 * Showers are also available in the lounges.
 * Showers are also available in the lounges.
 * Showers are also available in the lounges.

Sleep
There are two hotels right at the airport: Courtyard by Marriott Prague Airport and Holiday Inn Prague Airport. Other hotels and apartments are along the route of buses 100 and 119 (6 to 16 minutes). Short-stay accommodation is also available directly at the airport.

Nearby

 * Prague – the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, a place of many monuments.
 * Central Bohemia – region around Prague.
 * Prague-West District – immediate west of Prague.