to the Czech Republic . . .

Train operator:

CD (Ceské Dráhy):  www.cdrail.cz. 

All-Europe train times.  Eurostar times & fares

Railpasses:

Beginner's guide to European railpasses    Buy rail passes online

Time:

GMT+1 (GMT+2 from last Sunday in March to last Saturday in October)

Currency:

£1 = approx 42 Koruna    Currency converter     Recommended guidebooks

Tourist information:

www.czechtourism.com   Prague bus, tram, metro info   Prague map

Hotels in Prague:

Prague hotels   Finding accommodation in Prague    Prague city tours

Visas:

UK citizens do not need a visa to visit the Czech Republic.

Page last updated:

21 April 2008.  Train times valid from 9 Dec 2007 to 14 June 2008.

Crossing the Charles Bridge, Prague

It's easy to travel from London to Prague by train, via either Cologne or Berlin.  Take an afternoon Eurostar to Brussels and a connecting train to Cologne, then the excellent 'Kopernikus' sleeper train to Prague.  Some sleepers on this train even have a private shower and toilet.  Or take an early-evening Eurostar from London to Brussels, the overnight sleeper to Berlin, then a scenic EuroCity journey from Berlin to Prague with lunch in the restaurant car.  The choice is yours... 

On this page:

London to Prague (via Cologne)  Train times, fares & how to book

London to Prague (via Berlin)  Train times, fares & how to book

Other destinations:  Brno, Ostrava, Karlovy Vary, Cesky Krumlov, Plzen

On other pages:

Buying UK train tickets to connect with Eurostar   Taking bikes   Dogs   Luggage   General information

Sponsored links:

Train times London ► Prague  (via Cologne):

• Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 14:34 and arriving in Brussels Midi at 17:33.

• Travel from Brussels to Cologne by high-speed Thalys train, leaving Brussels Midi at 19:25 and arriving in Cologne at 21:45.

• Travel from Cologne to Prague by sleeper train, leaving Cologne at 22:28 and arriving in Prague (Hlavni station) at 09:33 next morning.  This train is the excellent City Night Line 'Kopernikus', see the photos & information below.  On certain dates, this train may terminate at Prague's Holesovice station.  Map of Prague showing Hlavni station.  Map of Prague showing Holesovice station.

Introducing the Cologne-Prague City Night Line sleeper train...

The City Night Line sleeper train 'Kopernikus' has a brand-new air-conditioned Czech sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower & toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin, there is a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in standard rooms, all rooms have wingcard locks and power points for laptop computers & mobiles, a sleeper is the recommended option if your budget allows), modern air-conditioned German couchette cars (simple but comfortable berths in 4- or 6-berth compartments), and ordinary seats (not recommended).   Inclusive fares are charged covering travel and sleeping accommodation.  The sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast.  Click for pictures and information about this train.  The Kopernikus actually starts its journey in Amsterdam, so if you're coming from the north of England or Scotland, one option is to take an overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam or Newcastle to Amsterdam, spend a day in Amsterdam, then travel overnight to Prague from there.

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable & civilised option, standard with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.

4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.

6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...

Above:  The sleeper attendant helps passengers alight from the air-conditioned Czech sleeping-car of the 'Kopernikus', a travelling hotel.  The red & white vehicle on the left is a couchette car.

Train times Prague ► London  (via Cologne):

• Travel from Prague to Cologne by sleeper train, leaving Prague Hlavni at 18:50 and arriving in Cologne at 06:14 next morning.  This train is the 'Kopernikus', with sleeping-car, couchettes & seats, see the photos & information above.

• On Mondays-Fridays, a high-speed Thalys train leaves Cologne at 07:14, arriving Brussels Midi at 09:35.  On Sundays, a Thalys leaves Cologne at 07:40, arriving Brussels 10:01.

• A Eurostar leaves Brussels Midi at 11:59 and arrives London at 13:03.

Fares  (via Cologne):

London to Cologne  by Eurostar + Thalys:	London to Cologne by Eurostar+Thalys or Eurostar+ICE starts at just £79 return. Book in advance to get the cheapest fares, as the fare rises as cheaper seats are sold.  One-way fares usually cost more than a return, so for one-way trips buy a return and throw away the return half.
Cologne to Prague  on the Kopernikus:	In a seat	In a couchette		In the sleeping-car (standard room *)
	6-seat compartment	6-berth	4-berth	3-berth	2-berth	single
Savings fare one-way:	£21	£36	£44	£51	£59	£103
Savings fare return:	£42	£72	£88	£102	£118	£206
Normal fare one-way:	£88	£99	£107	£114	£130	£159
Normal fare return:	£176	£198	£214	£228	£260	£318
Child 0-13 with own berth:	£8	£15	£22	£29	£37	£76
Child 0-5:	Child 0-5 (inclusive) sharing berth travels free...

Savings fare = Special cheap 'Sparnight' fare, book in advance, limited availability, no refunds, no changes to travel plans.

Normal fare = fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.

* Fares for travel in a deluxe sleeper with shower are about 25% more than for a standard sleeper.

You can check fares for the Cologne-Prague train (and book online) at www.bahn.de/citynightline, English button upper right.

How to buy tickets online:

The cheapest and easiest way to book is online.  You need to use two separate websites, so try a dry run on both sites to check availability and fares before booking for real.  Remember that you can't book the Cologne-Prague train until 60 days before departure.

• Step 1, go to www.bahn.de/citynightline, the German Railways night train website.  Select 'English' top right.  Now book a sleeper or couchette ticket from Cologne (Köln Hbf) to Prague (Praha Hl) and back, looking for the cheap 'Savings' fares.  You pay online and print out your own ticket in .PDF format on your own PC printer.  Easy!

• Step 2, go to www.raileurope.co.uk and book a London-Cologne Eurostar+Thalys ticket, using the train times on this page as a guide.  On the Rail Europe home page, you simply enter 'London' and 'Cologne' and your dates of travel.  Select 'Cologne Hbf (DE)' if prompted.  Book early to see the cheaper fares.  One-way fares can be higher than returns, and if so, just buy a return and throw away the return portion after using the outward.  Make sure you allow plenty of time for the connection in Cologne, preferably between 1½ & 2 hours when connecting with a sleeper train.  It's obvious, but remember that your return departure date from Cologne will be the day after your departure date from Prague!

• Occasionally, if there are no affordable London-Cologne through fares shown, it can be worth splitting the journey into separate London-Brussels and Brussels-Cologne sections, looking for cheap fares for each leg at www.raileurope.co.uk.  Give this a try if you don't see any cheap fares for the throughout London-Cologne journey.  First, ask for 'Brussels' to 'Cologne' and your dates of travel.  'Koeln Hbf (DE)' is the destination you want, if the system asks you.  After booking the Thalys from Brussels to Cologne, click 'continue shopping' and book a Eurostar from London to Brussels and back to connect.  Make sure you allow for the 30 minute Eurostar check-in at Brussels on the return journey.

How to buy tickets by phone:

If you prefer to book by phone, call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66  (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, no booking fee) or www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, £20 booking fee but may have more time to help).  Click here for a list of agencies and other useful information on how to buy tickets to Europe.

---

Train times London ► Prague  (via Berlin):

This is a good year-round option, with an early-evening departure from London and an arrival in Prague after lunch next day, after a pleasant ride along a scenic river gorge between Berlin and Prague.

• Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 18:35 (18:31 on Saturdays & Sundays), arriving Brussels 21:33.

• Travel overnight from Brussels to Berlin, leaving Brussels at 23:41 aboard the 'City Night Line' sleeper train 'Perseus', arriving at Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 08:10 next morning.  This train has sleepers (1 2 or 3 bed rooms, deluxe with shower or standard with washbasin), couchettes (4 or 6 berth compartments), seats, and a bistro-bar, see the photos & information below.

• Travel from Berlin to Prague leaving Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 08:46 and arriving Prague (Holesovice station) at 13:33.  The is the EuroCity train 'Vindobona' with modern air-conditioned German coaches and a restaurant car selling drinks, snacks and affordable full meals - treat yourself to lunch in the restaurant..!  It's a scenic journey, too, all along a river gorge between Dresden and Prague.  Map of Prague showing Holesovice station.

On board the Brussels-Berlin City Night Line sleeper train...

The Brussels-Berlin overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent 'City Night Line' sleeper trains.  Called the 'Perseus', it has brand-new 'Comfortline' sleeping-cars (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower & toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin, shower at the end of the corridor, all rooms with power points for mobiles & laptop computers), modern air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in a 4- or 6-berth compartment), ordinary seats (not recommended, as a couchette is far better) and a bistro-restaurant car.   Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus sleeping accommodation.  The sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast in the restaurant car.  Click for more pictures and information about this train.

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable & civilised option, standard with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet..

4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families.  Much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.

6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...

Bistro-bar car:  The bistro car serves meals, snacks & drinks in the evening, breakfast in the morning. Click here for more pictures & information about this train...

Train times Prague ► London  (via Berlin):

• Travel from Prague to Berlin, leaving Prague (Holesovice station) at 14:36 and arriving in Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 19:13.  This is the EuroCity service 'Vindobona' with modern air-conditioned coaches and restaurant car.

• Travel overnight from Berlin to Brussels by City Night Line sleeper train 'Perseus', leaving Berlin (Hauptbahnhof) at 21:26 and arriving Brussels at 06:15 next morning.  Seats, couchettes (4-bunk and 6-bunk) and sleepers (1, 2 and 3-bed with and without private shower & toilet) are available, plus a bistro-restaurant car.  The sleeper fare includes breakfast.  See the photos & information above.

• Travel from Brussels to London by Eurostar.  On Mondays to Saturdays, a Eurostar leaves Brussels at 06:59 arriving London St Pancras at 07:55.  On Sundays, a Eurostar leaves Brussels at 07:59 arriving London at 08:56.

Fares  (via Berlin):

1. London to Brussels  by Eurostar:	Return fares start at £59 2nd class,  £149 1st class.  One-way fares start at £44 2nd class.  Advice on one-way Eurostar fares.  Child, youth & senior fares
2. Brussels to Berlin by  sleeper train (per person)	In a seat	In a couchette		In the sleeping-car (standard room)
		6-bunk	4-bunk	3-bed	2-bed	1-bed
Savings fare, one way:	29 euro (£21)	39 euro (£28)	49 euro (£35)	-	-	-
Savings fare, return:	58 euro (£42)	78 euro (£56)	98 euro (£70)	-	-	-
Normal fare, one-way:	101 euro (£72)	113 euro (£81)	117 euro (£84)	128 euro (£91)	144 euro (£103)	237 euro (£169)
Normal fare, return:	202 euro (£144)	226 euro (£162)	234 euro (£168)	256 euro (£182)	288 euro (£206)	474 euro (£338)
Child 0-14 with own berth:	51 euro (£36)	57 euro (£41)	59 euro (£42)	64 euro (£46)	72 euro (£51)	-
Child 0-5:	Child 0-5 (inclusive) sharing berth travels free...
3. Berlin to Prague by EuroCity train	Savings fares from £21 each way.  Normal fare £41 one-way, £82 return 2nd class  Normal fare £65 one-way, £130 return 1st class

Savings fare = Special cheap 'Sparnight' fare, book in advance, limited availability, no refunds, no changes to travel plans.

Normal fare = fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.

Couchettes are sold individually in shared 4 or 6 berth compartments, but as from 9 December 2007, only whole sleeper compartments on this route can be booked, it will no longer be possible for solo passengers to book one sleeper berth in a 2 or 3 bed compartment and share with other passengers.  Call DB's UK office for prices for sleepers with private shower.

How to buy tickets online...

The cheapest and easiest way to book this journey is online, although you have to use three separate websites.  Do a 'dry run' first on all three sites to check prices and availability before booking for real.

• Step 1, go to www.bahn.de/citynightline, which is the German Railways official sleeper train website.  Select 'English' top right, then click through to the online booking system.

• Book from Brussels Midi to Berlin Hbf and back by the overnight sleeper train.  Availability of both cheap 'Savings' fares and fully-flexible normal fares will be shown, for each type of seat, couchette & sleeper.  You pay by credit card and print out your own tickets in .pdf format.  Easy!  Note that the prices shown on www.bahn.de/citynightline are in euros, and are the total cost for all passengers selected, not per person.  Brussels Midi appears as Bruxelles Midi.

• Step 2, go to www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar tickets between London and Brussels, using the Eurostar times above as a guide.  By all means book an earlier Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop off in Brussels for a while.  Return fares start at £59, for one-way fares on Eurostar see this advice.  Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK address, or picked up at the station if you're travelling at short notice or booking from overseas.

• Step 3, now go to the German Railways main website http://bahn.hafas.de, and use the journey planner to bring up the connecting Berlin-Prague trains shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket.  It will show if any cheap special fares are available.  Tickets can be sent to any address, or in some cases printed out yourself.

How to buy tickets by phone...

If you'd prefer to book all these trains by phone, simply call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, no booking fee, £3 credit card fee), or a booking agency such as European Rail on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, £25 booking fee applies).

You can easily reach anywhere in the Czech Republic by train, travelling from London to Prague as shown above, then using domestic Czech trains onwards from Prague.  http://bahn.hafas.de will give you train times within the Czech Republic, and  www.cd.cz will also give you fares.  On all these routes, trains run regularly, at least every hour or two.  Don't worry about buying a ticket in advance, just book as far as Prague then buy an onwards ticket at the station when you get to Prague, this is easy.  There are two main stations in Prague, Praha Hlavni (= central) near the city centre and Praha Holosovice which is a little further out.  Some trains leave from Prague Hlavni, others from Prague Holosovice, some serve both, so check which your train leaves from.  The sleeper trains from Frankfurt and Cologne to Prague both stop at Prague Holosovice ten minutes or so before arriving at Prague Hlavni, so get off at the one that's best for your onward connection.

• Ostrava: Prague-Ostrava trains take about 3 hours 20 minutes, the fare is about 500 Kc (£12).  The best services are the tilting pendolino 'SuperCity' trains, which are air-conditioned with bar car.

• Plzen: Prague-Plzen trains take about 1 hour 40 minutes, fare about 130 Kc (£3).

• Brno: Prague-Brno trains take about 2 hours 30 minutes, fare about 400 Kc (£9).

• Cesky Krumlov:  Prague-Cesky Krumlov takes about 4 hours 30 minutes by train with one change of train at Ceske Budejovice.  The fare is about 225Kc (£6).  Alternatively, you can travel from London to Linz in Austria (see the London to Austria page) then travel by local trains from Linz to Cesky Krumlov (2 changes of train are normally necessary, one at the frontier and the other at Ceske Budejovice.  Use http://bahn.hafas.de to find train times from Linz to Cesky Krumlov.

• Karlovy Vary: Prague-Karlovy Vary trains take about 3 hours 15 minutes, the  fare is about 275Kc (£7).

	0845 402 2069
	0845 402 2068

If you want a holiday to Prague by train, but would prefer to travel with fellow travellers, a tour manager and all the legwork done for you, there are two companies (in fact, both part of the same group) who run escorted tours from the UK to Prague by train, with regular departures, no airport hassles and no whole days spent in cramped coach seats on motorways.  Seat61 gets some commission to support the site if you book your holiday through these links or phone numbers.

Treyn Holidays, www.treynholidays.co.uk, 0845 402 2069...

Treyn Holidays offers a 10-day tour to Vienna, Prague and Berlin from £795 per person, with 3* hotels and overland travel by Eurostar, sleeper train and EuroCity trains.  Check details at www.treynholidays.co.uk, then book online or call 0845 402 2069.

Great Rail Journeys, www.greatrail.co.uk, 0845 402 2068...

GRJ offers a 13-day tour to Vienna, Budapest & Prague from £1,750 or a 12-day tour to Berlin, Dresden & Prague from £1,550, with 1st class train travel and 5* or 4* hotels.  Great Rail Journeys also offer holidays by train to other European countries.  Check the tour details online, then call 0845 402 2068 to book or use their online booking form.

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe, plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873 and costing £13.50, it's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery, or buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change).  Or buy the independent traveller's edition from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter 2007/8 edition (December 2007 to June 2008) or Summer 2008 edition (June to December 2008). 

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery).  See an extract from the map.

Paying for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's probably only a tiny fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip.  You will see so much more, and know so much more about what you're looking at, if you have a decent guidebook.  The Lonely Planets and Rough Guides are about the best out there for independent travellers.  Both have everything you need - lots of background historical and cultural information, lots of practical information.  You won't regret buying one!  My own book, an essential handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61", is due to be published in June 2008, and Amazon will let you pre-order now.

Click the images to buy at Amazon.co.uk

Or buy Lonely Planet guides from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

Find a hotel in Prague or anywhere else in Europe...

It's easy to book hotels online to go with your train tickets.  Start by trying www.laterooms.com, just use the search form below.  Laterooms negotiates discounts for rooms booked within 3 months of travel, which makes it ideal for train travellers booking tickets within the normal 90 days advance booking period.  The discounted prices will be shown in orange.  Click on the dates to sort results by price.

Town or city...	-- Choose a country -- UK England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland -------------------------------------- Andorra Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark England Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Montenegro Morocco Netherlands Northern Ireland Norway Poland Portugal Republic of Ireland Romania Russia San Marino Scotland Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Syria Tunisia Turkey Ukraine Vatican City Wales ...or choose a country
	-- No. of nights -- 1 night 2 nights 3 nights 4 nights 5 nights 6 nights 7 nights
-- Room Sleeps -- 1 person 2 people 2 + 1 child 2 + 2 children 2 + 3 children 3 people 4 people 5 people 6 people 7 people

Other hotel sites worth a look...

If you don't find what you're looking for at Laterooms.com, try these sites:

• www.venere.com has a more personal approach than Laterooms.  On Venere, the price you see is the price you pay, no hidden extras, and you simply pay the hotel when you get there.  After you've booked, you can change or cancel your reservation in line with the hotel's own change and cancellation policy.

• www.tripadvisor.com is a huge resource, a good place to browse for independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels.

• www.hotelscombined.com is a useful free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites to find just about the widest range of hotels with the cheapest rates on the net.

Budget backpacker hostels...