World City Guide

Getting There By Air

Praha Ruzyne International Airport (PRG)
Tel: 22011 3304/14. Fax: 22011 5301.
Website: www.csl.cz/en

Ruzyne airport is situated approximately 20km (12.5 miles) northwest of Prague. Terminal Two, one of two modern terminals, is undergoing a major overhaul that is slated to be completed by the end of 2005. Praha Ruzyne International provides an ever-increasing amount of direct links with airports all over Europe and further afield, with 94 destinations covered by the end of 2004.

Major airlines: The Czech Republic’s national carrier, CSA (tel: 22480 6111; website: www.csa.cz), operates international and domestic flights from Ruzyne airport. CSA flies to major cities in Europe and the Middle East, as well as to New York, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto, Bangkok and Singapore. Domestic flights are to Ostrava. International airlines serving Prague include Air Canada, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, BMIBaby, British Airways, Delta, easyJet, KLM, Lufthansa, SAS, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Wizz Air.

Approximate flight times to Prague: From London is 1 hour 50 minutes; from New York is 11 hours; from Los Angeles is 18 hours; from Toronto is 10 hours 20 minutes and from Sydney is between 21-28 hours.

Airport facilities: Facilities include a post office, banks, bureaux de change, accommodation agencies, restaurant, shops and even a duty-free casino. Car hire is available from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Europcar and Hertz.

Business facilities: The airport VIP Service (tel: 22205 62525 or 22201 13491; fax: 22011 4372) hires out lounges and two meeting rooms (seating up to 12).They also offer a business lounge with telephone, fax and Internet access, for members and guests only, and a press room (seating 35) in the North Terminal. A Representative Lounge is available, equipped with fax, photocopying, a data-projector and free Internet. Fixed and mobile congress counters can be hired through the VIP Service. The Bohemia Lounge is situated on Pier B of the North Terminal, with Internet, fax and photocopying services. Lounges and two conference rooms (accommodating 14 and 25 delegates) are available for hire in the South Terminal.

Arrival and departure tax: None.

Transport to the city: Shuttle minibus services to the city centre (Nmst Republiky) are provided every half-hour 0530-2130, by Cedaz (tel: 22011 4296; fax: 22011 4286; website: www.aas.cz/cedaz), at a cost of Kč90, including one piece of luggage (journey time – 30 minutes). Bus 119 (see Public Transport in Getting Around) goes to metro Dejvick (Line A) and operates every 10 minutes 0430-2330. Tickets cost Kč12 and are available for purchase from the newspaper stand or the machine in front of the terminal. FIX s.r.o. taxis (tel: 22011 3892) are expensive and will charge Kč720-870 depending on city zones (approximately Kč770 to the centre), but they are and dependable and have air conditioned cars. Other taxis are often unlicensed and unscrupulous and visitors should avoid these. Prague’s better hotels can often arrange comfortable and reasonably priced pick-ups.