Before Reading: Prague is a walking city. You can get around very quickly on foot. Many people avoid using transportation here useless it is required to get to the destination.
“I had to sprint to make the tram”
“I missed the tram this morning”
“I missed the metro by a hair”
Walking around Prague, the most common phrases you hear international students from the United States saying all revolve around public transportation. Whether they are from New York and use to the hustle and bustle of transit or from small town Texas where there is not a train in sight, each student has adapting to do when it comes to the transportation in Prague. There are three main forms of public transportation that are prevalent in Prague. You have the trams, buses, and the metro (subway).
To start, there are the trams. These are essentially smaller trains, or cable cars, that run through the city. The tram has been in Prague since 1891. This is the first form of transportation that the students in ECES are taught how to use. You walk to the tram stop around the block from the dorm and get on, well as long as you have your public transit pass. On a tram you get to see the sites of the city while also getting from location A to location B. The Czech Republic has a specific tram culture. If an older person gets on the tram, you get up and give them your seat in which case you are to stand. Be careful standing though, a moving tram is like being on a boat rocking back and forth. They are also usually very quiet. No one talks on phones or plays loud music. People rarely even talk to others on trams. This space gives people time to read, look at the news, or even just think. Something to remember while walking around the streets is TRAMS ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. (Trams are my preferred way of travel)
Next, there are buses. Busses began transportation in Prague in 1908. Busses take you to places that a tram cannot reach. They will also go around the city like trams do. The importance of busses as a student at Charles University is the ability to leave the city. They have a very efficient train system as well, but it is cheaper to take the bus. The ECES program brought us to a beer garden right outside the city border our first weekend here. While the train was fun getting there, it was not able to get us close to the destination, therefore we took the bus home. Busses with the student discount cost barely a dollar. So, while you stop more times along the way, it is a budget friendly way to travel.
Lastly, the metro. The metro was proposed to begin construction in Prague in 1898. The metro is a hit or miss with the students in the program I have realized. Some students love it because it is fast and efficient. Others despise the idea of being underground and not seeing the sights of Prague. The metro here is nothing like New York. The escalators that take you to the metro are long and daunting. When you get down, it is not dirty and filled with rats. Everything is well taken care of. When you have to get quickly across the city, I recommend the metro. The transfers are quicker and easier.
Transportation Tip #1: Download Google Maps (Apple Maps will do also). They will give you directions on which transportation option can get you to your final destination. They also provide transfer options in case the option you need is not near you.
Transportation Tip #2: Always keep your transportation pass on you. This allows to to travel free throughout all of Prague. If you do not have it, and you do not buy a ticket, you will be charged with a hefty fine.
Jenna in the Czech Republic 