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 31 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:

17 November 2008.  Train times valid 14 Dec 2008 to 13 June 2009.

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.  Or use daytime trains with an overnight stop.  The choice is yours... 

On this page...

You'll find a step-by-step guide to planning, booking & making a UK to Prague train journey:

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

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

London to Prague (by daytime trains with overnight stop)  Train times, fares & how to book

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

Hotels & accommodation in Prague

On other pages:

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

Sponsored links:

Option 1:  London to Prague using the Cologne-Prague City Night Line sleeper...

Train times London ► Prague

• Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 14:34 and arriving in Brussels Midi at 17:50.

• 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 Holesovice station at 09:18 & Prague's more central Hlavni station at 09:29 next morning.  This train is the excellent City Night Line 'Kopernikus', see the photos & information below.  Map of Prague showing Holesovice station,  Map of Prague showing Hlavni station.

Train times Prague ► London

• Travel from Prague to Cologne by sleeper train, leaving Prague Hlavni station at 18:29 or Prague Holesovice station at 18:40 and arriving in Cologne at 06:14 next morning.  This train is the 'Kopernikus', with sleeping-car, couchettes & seats, see the photos & information below.

• On Mondays-Saturdays, 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 11:50 and arrives London at 13:08.

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.

How much does it cost?

London to Cologne  by Eurostar + Thalys:	London to Cologne by Eurostar+Thalys or Eurostar+ICE starts at £85 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 either www.eurostar.com or www.raileurope.co.uk and using the train times on this page as your guide, book a ticket from London to Cologne & back (Cologne is listed as Koln on the Eurostar website).  It's a good idea to try both of these websites, as sometimes one is cheaper than the other, for some strange reason.  Bookings for Eurostar+Thalys open 90 days (3 months) before departure, and the further ahead you book, the more likely you are to see the cheapest fares.  Tickets can be posted to any UK address or collected at St Pancras on departure.  One-way London-Cologne fares are usually more expensive than a cheap return, so for one-way trips buy a return ticket and throw away the return half.   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 using www.raileurope.co.uk and trying to split the journey into separate London-Brussels & Brussels-Cologne sections, looking for cheap fares for each leg.  First, ask for 'Brussels' to 'Cologne' and your dates of travel.  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.

• Advice on buying connecting train tickets from other UK towns & cities

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.

---

Option 2:  London to Prague using the Paris-Berlin City Night Line sleeper...

This is a good option, with a mid-afternoon 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.  It runs daily in summer but only 4 times a week in winter.  It runs via Brussels, not Paris, until 13 December 2008.

London ► Prague until 13 December 2008

• Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 17:45 (19:30 on Saturdays), arriving Brussels Midi at 21:10 (22:45 on Saturdays).

• Travel from Brussels to Berlin by the City Night Line sleeper train 'Perseus', leaving Brussels Midi at 23:41 and arriving at Berlin (Hauptbahnhof) at 08:13 next morning.  The 'Perseus' has sleepers, couchettes, seats and a bistro car, 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.

...from 14 December 2008

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 15:00, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:56.  It's a 10 minute walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.  By all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.

• Travel from Paris to Berlin by the City Night Line sleeper train 'Perseus', leaving Paris Gare de l'Est at 20:20 and arriving at Berlin (Hauptbahnhof) at 09:02 next morning.  This train runs on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays until 26 March 2009, then daily from 27 March to 2 November 2009, then on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays again.  The 'Perseus' has sleepers, couchettes, seats and a bistro car, see the photos & information below. Click for more pictures and information about this train.

• Travel from Berlin to Prague leaving Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 10:35 and arriving Prague (Holesovice station) at 15:30.  The is the EuroCity train 'Jan Jesenius' with modern air-conditioned coaches and a restaurant car selling drinks, snacks and affordable full meals - treat yourself to a sit-down lunch!  It's a scenic journey, too, all along the river gorge between Dresden and Prague.  Map of Prague showing Holesovice station.

Prague ► London until 13 December 2008

• 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 from Berlin to Brussels by City Night Line sleeper train 'Perseus', leaving Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 21:26 and arriving Brussels 06:11 next morning.  This train has ordinary seats (not recommended), couchettes (4-bunk or 6-bunk) and brand-new sleeping-cars (1, 2 or 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin or deluxe rooms with private shower & toilet, highly recommended), plus a bistro-restaurant car.  Breakfast is included in the fare for sleeper passengers.  Click for more pictures and information about this train.

• Travel from Brussels to London by Eurostar.  On Mondays to Saturdays, a Eurostar leaves Brussels at 06:59 arriving London St Pancras at 08:08.  On Sundays, a Eurostar leaves Brussels at 08:53 arriving London at 10:09.

...from 14 December 2008

• Travel from Prague to Berlin, leaving Prague (Holesovice station) at 12:40 and arriving in Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 17:20.  This is the EuroCity service 'Jan Jesenius' with modern air-conditioned coaches & restaurant car.  Treat yourself to lunch!

• Travel from Berlin to Paris by City Night Line sleeper train 'Perseus', leaving Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 19:58 and arriving Paris Gare de l'Est at 09:30 next morning.  This train runs on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays until 25 March 2009, then daily from 26 March to 1 November 2009, then on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays again.  The 'Perseus' has ordinary seats (not recommended), couchettes (4-bunk or 6-bunk) and modern sleeping-cars (1, 2 or 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin or deluxe rooms with private shower & toilet, highly recommended), plus a bistro-restaurant car, see the photos & information below.  Breakfast is included in the fare for sleeper passengers.  Click for more pictures and information about this train.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:38.

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

The Paris-Berlin overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent 'City Night Line' sleeper trains.  Called the 'Perseus', it has modern '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...

How much does it cost?

1. London to Paris  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. Paris 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.

How to buy tickets online, using www.raileurope.co.uk...

This is probably the easiest way to book.  Booking this way involves two websites, so do a 'dry run' first on both sites to check prices and availability before booking for real.

• Step 1, go to www.raileurope.co.uk and book the sleeper from Paris to Berlin.  Tickets can be sent to any UK address or can be collected at the station.  Only UK credit cards are accepted.  It's best to book the Paris-Berlin sleeper train first and double-check arrival and departure times before booking the Eurostar connection, in case times vary from the ones shown above.

• Step 2, after booking the Paris-Berlin train, add it to your basket & click 'continue shopping'.  Now book the Eurostar from London to Paris and back, using the recommended Eurostar times above as a guide.  By all means book an earlier Eurostar outward or a later Eurostar on the way back if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd like to stop off in Paris.

• Step 3, now go to the German Railways website http://bahn.hafas.de, and use the journey planner to bring up the 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.  In fact, www.raileurope.co.uk can also book the Berlin-Prague train, but only at full-fare prices with no special deals available, that's why it's better to use http://bahn.hafas.de for this bit.

How to buy tickets online, using www.bahn.de/citynightline & www.eurostar.com...

Sometimes www.raileurope.co.uk has the cheapest fares for the Paris-Berlin sleeper, sometimes www.bahn.de/citynightline is cheaper, so it's worth checking both sites.  If you book the Paris-Berlin sleeper using www.bahn.de/citynightline you'll need to book the Eurostar separately at www.eurostar.com, so do a 'dry run' first on both sites to check prices and availability before booking for real.

• Step 1, go to www.bahn.de/citynightline, the German Railways official sleeper train website.  Select 'English' top right, then click through to the online booking system.  Book from Paris to Berlin and back on the direct overnight sleeper train.  Availability of cheap 'savings' fares and fully-flexible 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.  Always book the sleeper first and check its actual arrival & departure before booking the Eurostar connection, as times occasionally vary.

• Step 2, still on www.bahn.de, 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.

• Step 3, go to www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar tickets between London and Paris, 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 Paris for a while.  For one-way journeys 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.

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).

---

Option 3:  London to Prague by daytime trains...

If you prefer daytime travel, no problem, you can use daytime trains.  Eastbound, it's too far to go in a day so you'll need to stop overnight in somewhere like Cologne or Berlin.  Westbound, it's possible to travel from Prague to London in a (fairly long!) day, although making an overnight stop might be easier.

• First, see the Germany page for train times between London & Cologne or between London & Berlin.  London to Cologne takes as little as 5 hours 45 minutes, centre to centre.  London-Berlin takes a day.  Take any service you like.

• Now use the German Railways website http://bahn.hafas.de (English button top right) to find train times between Cologne or Berlin & Prague.  Some Cologne-Prague services involve just one change of train in Berlin, others involve more changes, for example in Frankfurt & Dresden.  Cologne-Prague is an 8 or 9 hour journey on superb German ICE (InterCityExpress) & EuroCity trains with bistro or even a proper restaurant car, feel free to take your own food an even a bottle of wine.  Berlin-Prague is very scenic, too, as the train snakes down the beautiful river gorge between Dresden & Prague. Take a good book, put your feet up an enjoy the ride.  Eastbound, London-Prague can't easily be done in a day so you'll need to spend the night in Cologne or Berlin and travel onwards next day.  Westbound, you can either travel from Prague to Cologne at a civilised hour, again spend the night in Cologne, then travel Cologne to London next day, or you can leave Prague bright and early (well, early...) at around 06.30, change in Berlin, and pick up the last Cologne-Brussels-London service of the day arriving London late the same evening.

Fares & how to buy tickets...

• London-Cologne starts at £85 return.  Book this part of the journey online at www.eurostar.com.

• Cologne to Prague starts at just 39 euros each way (around £33 one-way, £66 return) if you book online at http://bahn.hafas.de.  Going via Berlin will cost more, as Cologne-Berlin & Berlin-Prague both also start at 39 euros each way.

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