How Prague's ticket system actually works

Prague's integrated transport network, run under the name Pražská integrovaná doprava (PID), sells tickets based on how long you can travel for after validating them, not how many separate vehicles or stations you use. During that window, you can freely change between metro lines, trams and buses without buying a new ticket, as long as you don't exceed the time limit.

According to PID's own current fare page, the two short-validity tickets are:

  • A 30-minute ticket, priced at 39 CZK if bought as a paper ticket or 36 CZK through the PID Lítačka app.
  • A 90-minute ticket, priced at 50 CZK paper or 46 CZK through the app.

Longer options exist for visitors covering more ground in a day: a 24-hour ticket (150 CZK paper, 140 CZK app) and a 72-hour ticket (350 CZK paper, 340 CZK app), both covering unlimited travel across metro, tram, bus and some ferry and suburban rail connections for their stated period from the moment you validate them.

One separate note: PID's page states that tickets are not valid on the Petřín funicular, which requires its own dedicated ticket.

Buying a ticket

Tickets are sold through ticket machines at metro stations and some tram and bus stops, the PID Lítačka mobile app, and other approved retail points — not from tram or bus drivers on board in most cases. Buy before you travel rather than assuming you can sort it out once you're moving.

Validating your ticket

A ticket only becomes valid for its stated time window once you validate it — commonly described as stamping it — which starts the clock running. PID's guidance is straightforward: buy the ticket, then validate it the moment you first board a tram or bus, or the moment you enter a metro station through the validation machines near the entrance gates, and that single validation covers your onward transfers until the time runs out.

Luggage tickets

PID's fare rules include a separate charge for larger items of luggage: one bag exceeding the free size allowance costs 25 CZK on a standard journey, though this is included at no extra cost when travelling on a day ticket (24-hour or 72-hour). If you're travelling with a large suitcase or several bulky bags rather than a normal backpack or daypack, check current luggage-fare details on PID's own site before boarding, since size thresholds and any child- or pram-related exceptions are set by PID rather than by the vehicle you happen to board.

What happens during a ticket inspection

Plainclothes and uniformed ticket inspectors (revizoři) check tickets on trams, buses and in the metro on a regular basis, and they carry identification they must show you on request. According to the Prague Public Transit Company's own published surcharge schedule:

  • The standard surcharge for travelling without a valid ticket is 2,000 CZK.
  • If you pay the inspector directly on the spot at the time of the check, the surcharge is reduced to 1,200 CZK.
  • If you don't pay on the spot but settle within 15 calendar days — either at the Additional Fare Office or online, available from around midday the following day — the amount is 1,500 CZK.
  • No reduction applies if the ticket you present is forged, altered or otherwise tampered with, in which case the full 2,000 CZK applies.

If you're stopped without a valid ticket

  1. Show identification if asked and stay calm — inspectors are doing routine, lawful checks, and cooperating is the fastest way through it.
  2. Decide immediately whether to pay on the spot, since this is the cheapest resolution (1,200 CZK) if you have the means to pay there.
  3. If you can't pay on the spot, get clear written details of the surcharge notice and the payment deadline and process from the inspector.
  4. Pay within the 15-day window at the Additional Fare Office or online, where the amount stays at 1,500 CZK, to avoid it increasing further.
  5. Keep any confirmation of payment until the matter is fully resolved.

Before you board your first tram

Buy a 30- or 90-minute ticket, or a day ticket if you expect to move around a lot, from a station machine or the PID Lítačka app before your first ride, and validate it the moment you get on — that single habit avoids the entire fine structure described above.