Difference between revisions of "Prague"

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{{Hitchhiking Zine nomination}}
 
{{Hitchhiking Zine nomination}}
 
{{Infobox Czech Location
 
{{Infobox Czech Location
|map       = <map lat='50.08' lng='14.46' zoom='11' view='3' height='350' width='420'/>
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|map = <map lat='50.0751' lng='14.4347' zoom='9' view='0' />
 
|country  = Czech Republic
 
|country  = Czech Republic
|state    =
 
 
|pop      = 1.218.644
 
|pop      = 1.218.644
|plate    = old: A?? ???? new: ?A? ????
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|plate    = ?A? ???? old: A?? ????
|motorways = [[D1]], [[D5]], [[D8]], [[D11]]
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|motorways = [[D1 (CZ)|D1]], [[D5 (CZ)|D5]], [[D8 (CZ)|D8]], [[D11 (CZ)|D11]]
 
}}
 
}}
'''Prague''' (''Praha'') is the capital of the [[Czech Republic]].
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'''Prague''' (''Praha'') is the capital of the [[Czech Republic]].<br/ >
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Writing a sign "PHA" clearly informs a driver that you are going to Prague, but a sign '''PRAHA''' works better.
  
 
== Hitching out ==
 
== Hitching out ==
  
A lot of Czech people don't speak English. Czech word for petrolstation is "Benzinka". This might come in handy. (MF)
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=== East towards [[Hradec Králové]], [[Pardubice]], [[Wrocław]] {{Dcz|11}}{{E|67}} ===
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==== Option 1: Motorway service station on D11 ====
  
=== North-East, towards [[Mlada Boleslav]], [[Liberec]], [[Goerlic]] ===
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: '''As of June 2018  there is a big construction on the highway, so the gas station is not operating, don't go there. It seems as if it will stay like this for a while...'''
You can hitch from a gas station on the E65.  Take the metro line B (yellow) to the last station, Cerny Most.  From there catch bus number 220 to the stop called Do Certous. When you get off the bus the gas station is behind the big orange bulding with "H1" on it.
 
  
=== North, North-West, towards [[Dresden]], [[Berlin]] ===
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:NOTE it may seem tempting to use the spot just outside Černy Most station, as it has a lot of traffic passing through and an excellent area to stop where people drop off and pick up from the station but this spot did not work well for me. I made a sign for PL as I was heading to wroclaw, I had no luck for more than 4hrs wait, in the end me and another hitchhiker who also came to the spot ended up taking the bus. The spot may work but much earlier in the morning and in small steps. I think it is advisable to make a Hradec Karlove sign then from there head to Poland. There is not much Polish traffic between Prague and Wroclaw. (Antonopa) (07/2016).
You can also get to an easily reachable petrol station on the motorway getting north walking.
 
You must go to Letňanská (e.g. bus 186 or 233 from Palmovka). Then going down from the bus, you can see the entrance of the motorway straight ahead. Put yourself so you have the motorway on your right, then cross the street (going north then), and then the parkings, and go behing the buildings, looking for a small bridge (“most” in czech), going above the motorway. From there you will see the petrol station. There are not so many people stopping there, but they all are (almost) going in the good direction. Just ask if they are going north (“sever”) or if they can just let you on the next petrol station (“příští pumpa”/“prschieschtee pumpa”), where there will be normally more cars.
 
  
==== Second option ====
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Take metro line B (yellow) to the end station ''Černý most''. From here, take bus 221, 303, 304, 344, 353, or 398 to the bus-stop ''Na Kovárně''. Walk east along Náchodská  ≈600m to the junction with Bořetická. Turn right on Bořetická and walk 1.2km to just over the motorway bridge. Take the path to the right here into the service station. There usually isn't very much traffic, but waiting times are likely to be short. If you get lost ask anyone for "Hummer Garden" (the place only for Hummers) which is just behind the station.
You need to get to the first big petrol station OMV with McDonalds on D8(E55). From “metro Letňany” take bus (166, 233, 140, 210) to the stop “Obchodní centrum Čakovice”. Then on the other side of the road take bus (202) and ride one stop to “Na Lukách” or you can walk there for 10 minutes. The bus stop “Na Lukách” is very close to D8(E55) motorway and the petrol station you need. From that petrol station you can hitch-hike to Dresden directly or to the last petrol station OMV before Lovosice. The hitch-hiking position there is also good.
 
  
'''Warning''': If you are passing through Dresden, take a look on [[Dresden]] hitchwiki page.
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==== Option 2: K+R (Parking Area) Černý Most ====
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Take metro line B (yellow) to the end station ''Černý most''. There is the K+R (Park & Ride) to the right (east) of the station which is popular with hitchhikers and possibly a better choice than option 1. It's necessary to use a sign because the road splits in many directions, e.g.  "HK" (Hradec Králové) or "PL" (if going to Náchod and Poland).
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The disadvantage of this option is that there are only cars traveling out of Prague and not those coming from Prague ring road. However, there is no non-freeway solution to get a lift for those cars.
  
==== Third option ====
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=== Northeast towards [[Mladá Boleslav]], [[Liberec]], [[Görlitz]] {{Dcz|10}}{{E|65}} ===
Use the third option, if you don't wan't to go with so many busses. Just take the red metro line (C) to the terminal station Letňany and then walk from there to the spot marked by Fatidik. It is 300m walking from there. Walk to the street Tupolevova and at the first crossing left into the Beranovych until the end, then right and straight until you see a small walking path leading you to the service station. There are not so many cars and you may wait a little long if you are two male hitchers.
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[[File:Stop_hk.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Dj-bobr at the beginning of D11 Highway.]]
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==== Option 1: Motorway service station on E65 ====
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Take metro line B (yellow) to the last station ''Černý Most''. From there catch bus number 220 to the stop ''Do Čertous''. When you get off the bus, the petrol station is behind the big orange building with "H1" on it.
  
=== West, towards [[Plzen]], [[Nürnberg]] ===
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==== Option 2: K+R (Parking) Černý Most ====
From metro Zlicin (line B, yellow), take bus nr 380 or 308 to Rudna. The village main road goes straight through it. Stop around the center of the village. You ll see the higway passing as a bridge on your right. It's about 5-10 min walking to the petrol station. Avoid going into Plzen or getting dropped off on the bypass. It's better to try to find a direct ride to [[Germany]] from the last petrol station before Plzen.
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Take metro line B (yellow) to the end station ''Černý most''. There is the K+R (Park & Ride) to the right (east) of the station. Lots of hitchhikers use this place. Use a sign "MB" (Mladá Boleslav) or "LB" (Liberec). It's necessary to use a sign because the road splits in many directions. Due to the construction of sections of the Prague Ring (R1), long-distance traffic is lower each day; however, this spot is still usable.
  
Another option is to take a tram to ''Motol'', that's where the motorway link starts. Not a perfect place, but cars are not too fast and there are quite a lot of Germans passing.
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=== Northwest towards [[Ústí nad Labem]], [[Teplice]], [[Dresden]], [[Berlin]] {{Dcz|8}}{{E|55}} ===
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'''Warning''': If you are passing through Dresden, take a look at the [[Dresden]] hitchwiki page. From either of the spots you can take rides to OMV petrol station before Lovosice or to the Agip petrol station after Ústí nad Labem. The hitchhiking positions there are also good.
  
'''Another option''':
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==== Option 1: D8 ====
From metro "Zlicin" (line B, yellow) go the the crossroad on traffic lights, theres a bridge before (under the bridge are railways), so walk on the traffic light and stand right on the triangle, you can catch cars from both ways, they are going slowly there, and theres also a place to stop. Wee been waiting for 10 minutes there. look on the picture for details: [http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/7165/topilsen.jpg nice spot]
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Take metro line C (red) to ''Holešovice''. From here, take bus 201 to ''Vychovatelna'' (3 stops). You will find a great spot with lots of traffic still going slow right at the bus station.  
  
=== East, towards [[Brno]], [[Bratislava]], [[Budapest]], [[Vienna]], [[Kraków]] ===
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:(''Tried'':) The author had not noted that there are three lanes on this road, and the two inside lanes take the cars to Dresden. The bus lane of course is great and the cars are not going too fast, but anyone going to Dresden on this road would need to cut across a few car lanes to come pick you up. Quite possible but there are better options than this.
From metro Opatov (line C, red) follow noise to the motorway. Walk along the road about 5 minutes, keep going over the crossroad and the bridge over the motorway (see second map). Now you might see other hitchhikers on the sliproad. Be careful and stay on the slip road, not on the motorway (sometimes police passes by). Average waiting time is less than one hour. From the bridge you can see the petrol station 'Újezd u Průhonic' – it's about 1.5&nbsp;km by motorway, but it isn't a good place.
 
  
[[File:ujezdupruhonicprague.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Hitchhikers at Újezd u Průhonic petrol station. Regular local hitchers were about, as well as hitchers doing the race.]]
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==== Option 2: OMV petrol station on D8====
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Take metro line C (red) to ''Letňany''. Take any bus heading north one stop, or walk 500 m north, to ''Výstaviště Letňany''. Keep walking northwest along Tupolevova for 500 m, crossing over Beranovych to the pedestrian crossing at the traffic lights. Cross Tupolevova here and keep heading southwest on the pathway leading onto Opocenska. Walk ≈250 m along Opocenska and you will see a small footpath to the right (before the pedestrian/cycle bridge over the highway) heading straight to the OMV petrol station (≈150 m walk).
  
==== Second option ====
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==== Option 3: Bigger OMV petrol station on D8 ====
Use the petrol station, it is a good place, easier to reach and you'll get rides quickly. From metro Opatov (line C, red) climb the steps to the motorway. Look on the bus stop timetables for the stop “K Sukovu” on route 324, 363 or 385 (you are going south, the buses should leave every 15 minutes, and you can use the same ticket that you got on the metro). Get to K Sukovu – you'll know you're there when you see the petrol station to your right. From K Sukovu walk in the direction the bus is going for about 500m. After you cross the motorway bridge, the petrolstation is on your right. This is a prefect spot! (MF)
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Take metro line C (red) to ''Letňany''. Take bus 195, 140, 158, 110, or 269 to the stop ''Obchodní centrum Čakovice''. Turn back in the direction the bus came from and walk ≈1km along Kostelecká (past the roundabout) until you reach the sliproad coming off the D8. This is just before the bridge over the D8. Turn left into the sliproad and after walking ≈100m, you will come to the petrol station (with a McDonalds behind it).
  
[[User:tmoon|Tom]] shared this spot with about 20 other hitchhikers during a race in April 2007 (most started at the sliproad spot described above, but just got dumped at this petrol station). While his teammates fell asleep on the grass for 3 hours (!), he was able to chat with other hitchhikers and drivers, and get ride offers towards [[Brno]], [[Bratislava]], [[Budapest]], [[Vienna]] and [[Kraków]]. The average waiting time was 20–30 minutes, plus there were several truck drivers promising longer lifts after a few hours' rest.
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=== West towards [[Plzeň]], [[Klatovy]], [[Nürnberg]], [[München]] {{Dcz|5}}{{E|50}}===
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Most drivers go directly to Plzeň. However, getting a direct lift to Germany or even further is not unusual. All petrol stations on the {{Dcz|5}} are fine for hitchhiking although often with little traffic.
  
==== Third option ====
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==== Option 1: Rozvadovská spojka ====
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#Take metro line B (yellow) to ''Hůrka''. Turn left (west) out of the station and then turn north towards the Albert supermarket. Walk around the left side of Albert supermarket heading up and then over a small bridge until you reach a school. Walk around the school on the left side, heading north, until you reach Běhounkova. Walk ≈ 30m north along Běhounkova until you see the gap in the wall on the left - cut through the parking place and take the path through the gap and you will reach the large bus stop on Nárožní. Cross it and continue to the intersection with Bucharova. Turn left on Bucharova - you will see signs to "Plzeň". Go over the bridge and turn left down the entry slip road to Rozvadovská spojka. After the bend, there is a great place for hitchhiking: lights, straight, hard shoulder with lots of space to stop. Although it's not allowed to stay there, the police don't make any problems here.
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#Take metro line B (yellow) to ''Nové Butovice''. Then take bus 184 (direction Hradčanská) or bus 174 (direction Vypich) and get off at the second stop: "Šafránkova". (The stop is a request stop, so it means that you have to push the button in the bus to stop it). Cross over the road (Bucharova) and walk south 200m to the slip road, and continue to the hitching point on Rozvadovská spojka as described above.
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#Take metro line A (green) to end station ''Nemocnice Motol''. Turn right out of the station to the bus-stop. Then take bus 184 (direction Velká Ohrada) or bus 174 (direction Luka) and get off at the second stop: "Šafránkova". (The stop is a request stop, so it means that you have to push the button in the bus to stop it). Walk south ≈150m to the slip road, and continue to the hitching point on Rozvadovská spojka as descibed above.
  
If you're lazy walking long ways till you reach the hitchspot, you should try option three:
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(Edit by Moskewskaja, 21st may, 2016)<br/ >
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The bus stop "Šafránkova" is much much closer to the highway (than in the directions for 1). I use this option frequently to go home. And there I was also asked for the documents by police, and when I asked them if it is allowed to hitchhike there, they told me yes, so don´t worry! It is not really highway, you are still in the city.
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If you are travelling west, do not enter Beroun or Plzeň because it is hard to hitchhike out. So many hours I spent in Plzeň... On this highway you can meet all the cars going west. Just stay on the highway, stop at some petrol station. There is one Shell close to Rokycany, before Plzeň, maybe with little bit expensive petrol. Or you can go just to Rudná petrol station, which is close (15 km) to Prague, but it is quite big with many cars and trucks.
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You travellers to the West (Germany, France, England, Spain), your goal should be to arrive to Svatá Kateřina petrol station. It lies just before czech/german border and many czech drivers-especially trucks- they stop there to tank or buy something.
  
* Take Metro C till '''Chodov'''
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==== Option 2: Motorway service station Rudná ====
* leaving the metro entry turn right into road '''Roztylska''' until you reach the roundabout
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Take metro line B (yellow) to ''Zličín''. Then take bus 307, 308, 311, 380, or 602 to stop ''Rudná, škola''. (The ticket costs 18 Kč, ≈€0.66; 1 zone out of Prague). Walk 60m back in the direction the bus came from and turn left into Na Přídělu street. You should see the petrol station in the distance. Walk 350m to the end of the street. There will be a footpath towards the petrol station 150m away. You need the opposite direction so get to the other side of motorway by the tunnel under the motorway on the right.
* the 2nd exit of the roundabout is yours, then again turn the first right into road '''Kloknetova'''
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It's a fairly big service station with McD and enough cars.
* walk straight through the path in the bush, cross the street, enter the gas station and hitch a ride =)
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'''Note: As of May 2018, the petrol station on the side of D5 leading westwards is under construction and the corresponding exit therefore closed. Try catching a lift on the ramp near Horelice.'''
  
The gas-station is a smaller one right on the motorway, but even if you won't find a long-distance ride in the first 10 minutes you can ask drivers to bring you to the next gas-stations which is 10 minutes away by car.at this bigger gas station lots of people stop to refill and are going direction [[Brno]], [[Vienna]] and Ceske Budejovice [[Budweis]].
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==== Option 3: Motorway junction at Zličín ====
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Take metro line B (yellow) to the terminal station ''Zličín''. Go under the road Řevnická and turn immediately left. Continue south along Řevnická for 150m to the crossroads with traffic lights. You can stand right at the triangle down on Rozvadovská spojka (police can kick you out) or ask people at the nearby petrol station, KFC, or parking lots. None of these places are good (Options 1 and 2 are better).
  
On the Viva con Agua Hitchhike Race in 2009 one team chose that spot and it worked our pretty good!
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=== Southeast towards [[Brno]], [[Ostrava]], [[Bratislava]], [[Vienna]], [[Kraków]] {{Dcz|1}}{{E|50}}{{E|59}}{{E|65}} <br />& South towards [[České Budějovice]], [[Linz]] {{Dcz|3}}{{E|55}} ===
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It's good to have a sign at this road and definitely for direction south. Every bigger petrol station on [[D1 (CZ)|D1]] is good for hitchhiking.
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==== Option 1: Motorway service station on E65 ====
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Take metro line C (red) to ''Chodov''. look for the big shopping centre  and enter, keeping to the ground floor, locate the exit consisting of stairs and elevators (not to mention a lift that leads below); this exit leads to the bus stops.
  
[[:wikitravel:Prague]]
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<i>(<b>Note:</b> "this shopping center has excellent wifi, charges with USB/charger ports for phones, toilets on the ground floor, a water fountain outside the toilet! Flippin heck I could live here!"</i>[[User:Chillion|Chillion]])
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Head on outside and turn right, follow the path and cross to the SONY building. Now keeping on the same road walk for 20mins and you'll reach the SHELL petrol station.<br />
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Alternatively, you can stay past the station exit at the end of the left lane, on the left side of the road.
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Easily reachable petrol station, not a lot of traffic though and is sometimes enforced by a employee in Shell uniform. Has cover for in bad-weather or snow conditions. In all honesty this station seems iffy.
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There isn't much traffic on both gas stations. Both are not advisable.
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You can try standing at the ramp to the motorway just outside Chodov Mall. First go inside, to floor 0. Walk to the easternmost part of the mall, there use the elevator to floor -2. In the parking house, walk east to the exit. There's the ramp. You might have to wait long for a ride. We gave up after an hour.
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==== Option 2:  Motorway Junction Opatov====
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Take metro line C (red) to "Opatov". Walk south ≈800m along Chilská past the crossroads and over the motorway bridge to the beginning of the entrance slip road. Instead of walking, you can take bus number 177 from metro "Opatov" to next (request) stop "U Dálnice" and then walk 100m east to the beginning of the slip road. Now you might see other hitchhikers on the slip-road.Be careful and stay on the slip road, not on the motorway (sometimes police passes by).<br />
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Very common spot but, in fact, not so good. Average waiting time is less than one hour. If you get stuck there, you can walk 2 km along the motorway to 'option 4' (see below). Again, if police come around, they'll tell you to walk on the field beside motorway.
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==== Option 3: 5.května at the beginning of expressway ====
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<strike>Take metro line C (red) to Kačerov. Find stairs going down, go over train tracks and then stairs down again. Then walk around the metro tracks and turn right before the motorway. You will see the OMV petrol station but don't walk that far; instead, just cross the grass strip and the 2 lanes of the slip road leading to the station from the main road 5.května to get to the main road itself. Stand on 5.května at the beginning of the motorway on the hard shoulder (there is sign). The police don't make any problems there and for cars, it means the end of the 50 kmph limit so they're still quite slow. The shoulder is wide, safe and lit.Especially good option at night when there is little traffic at spots 1 and 2. <br />
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There are not many cars at the OMV petrol station or they have different directions (often [[Pilsen]]).</strike><br>
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The beginning of the motorway has been shifted a few hundred meters back into the city center, thus it is now illegal to use this spot (received a fine in June 2016 for it). You can still use the petrol station, but indeed the amount of cars going in the direction of Brno is very small here.
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The sign showing the start of the expressway (and also 50km/h speed limit) is located 1.3km from the original location, on 5.května just before it passes over Vyskočilova, so legally it should be possible to hitch before it. At this spot there is a wide shoulder, lights, 50km/h speed limit. Take metro line C (red) to Budějovická. From exit on Budějovická street, turn left some metres and then turn right (northeast) on Vyskočilova. Walk northeast ≈350m until the exit slip road on the left just before the 5.května overpass. Cut across the grass embankment and walk up to 5.května itself and you will see the expressway sign. This spot looks good, but '''it needs to be tested.'''
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==== Option 4: Motorway service station Újezd u Průhonic (BEST WAY TO VIENNA) ====
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'''2019: this service station is temporarily closed due to roadworks until 19th October. No traffic at all.'''
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You can check up-to-date info at [https://restaurace.mcdonalds.cz/d1-ujezd the McDonald's web].
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- [[User:Duffajfka|Duffajfka]] found this out in August 2019. Walked some 2 km to the next petrol station AGP which is by far not as large, but an alternative for both drivers and hitchhikers. After 20 mins of asking got a straight ride to Brno.
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[[File:ujezdupruhonicprague.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Hitchhikers at Újezd u Průhonic petrol station. Regular local hitchhikers were around, as well as hitchhikers doing the race.]]
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Take metro line C (red) to ''Opatov''. Exit straight out of the station and take a lift following the winding red ramp up to street level/the road above. From the bus-stop next to the Replay shop, take the bus X122 to the final stop ''K Sukovu'' (buses leave every 15-30 minutes). As it is in the "P" zone, usual fares and SMS-tickets apply. Continue along the main street which will turn kind of right into Formanská and 20 m ahead it splits into left and right. Stay on the right hand/main road, cross the bridge over the highway and on the right there is a pathway going down to the McDonald's + gas station on the higway. The best jackpot a hitch hiker can hit. <br />
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This is the first motorway petrol station past Prague, the best hitchhiking spot but takes some time to get there. Also, you have to have a valid ticket for the bus trip!
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- [[User:Chillion|Chillion]] <i>"March 2018. This is one magnificent spot. Hitched a ride at on  Thursday 12:30pm standing by the gas station sign; waiting time 30mins. Traffic was awful, so got dropped off on a slip road just outside Brno where I hitched a ride into the city. Then followed the Brno hitchhiking page, option 2 (6pm, 30min wait with sign) into Vienna."</i>
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==== Option 5: Beginning of main road 5.kvetna ====
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Take metro line C (red) to ''Vyšehrad''. Head south using the sidewalk for about 300m. After the small bridge, continue left to the main road 5. kvetna. There are 3 lanes and one parking lane and usually some place to stop.<br/ >
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This spot quite near the city centre and cars are going slow, high traffic density, and nobody expects hitchhikers there but you can be lucky.
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==== Option 6 ====
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Take metro line C (red) to ''Roztyly'' and cross all the parking places to the motorway. Hard shoulder there is good and lit at night; however, it's not allowed to stay there and cars are already moving quite fast.
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=== South towards [[Příbram]], [[Písek]], [[České Budějovice]] {{Dcz|4}} ===
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Take metro line B (yellow) to ''Smíchovské nádraží''. Then take bus 129, 241, 243, 244, 314, or 318 to the stop ''Malá Chuchle''. (It's a request stop so press the button). There you can easily hitchhike. Usually very short waiting on Friday afternoons when many people go out from Prague.
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=== West towards [[Karlovy Vary]], [[Cheb]] {{Dcz|6}}{{E|48}} ===
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==== Option 1: Karlovarská street ====
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Take tram 22 to ''Bílá Hora''. Walk 50 m west along Karlovarská street to past the red/white railings and there is a quite good place to hitch-hike.
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==== Option 2: Motorway junction D6 Jeneč ====
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Take a train from ''Prague Masarykovo'' to ''Jeneč'' (15 km out of Prague and very close to Prague Airport). Walk down the embankment onto Průmyslová ulice from the station. Walk north along Průmyslová ulice ≈350 m under the railway tracks to the motorway junction from which it is pretty easy to get to [[Karlovy Vary]].
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==== Option 3: Motorway service station D6 ====
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Take metro line A (green) to ''Hradčanská''. Then take bus [http://www.tram-bus.cz/stredni-cechy/autobusy/linka-310610 310610] or [http://www.tram-bus.cz/stredni-cechy/autobusy/linka-310082 310082 (B82)] from bus-stop ''Praha-Hradčanská'' and get off at ''Velká Dobrá, u skoly''. Follow the direction of the bus and turn first left (Unhošťská street), than second right (Lesní street) and after 200 m you should see the highway and the petrol station on your right.<br/ >
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This option is good if you prefer petrol stations although it is quite far (30 km from Prague centre).
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=== Northwest towards [[Kladno]], [[Chomutov]], [[Chemnitz]] {{Dcz|7}} ===
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Take metro line A (green) to ''Dejvická''. Then take bus 119 from bus-stop ''Dejvická'' to ''Dědina''. You can hitchhike at the bus-stop. You can also try another bus stop on Evropská road, e.g. ''Divoká Šárka'', but probably further out is better.
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== Public transport ==
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Public transport network in Prague is really good, you can get in reasonable time almost anywhere at any time. Ticket costs: 30 minutes - 24 Kč (eur 1), 90 minutes - 32 Kč (~eur 1.30). If you plan to stay longer, you can buy a ticket for one day - 110 Kč (~eur 4.50) or three days - 310 Kč (~eur 12.60). You have to validate ticket when entering metro station, tram or bus. The fine for fare dodging is 800 Kč (~eur 32) if you pay it at that place or till15 days.
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Blackriding in the subway is not advised, as ticket inspectors are more common than in years past. They will ask you to show a passport, and if you refuse, they are very likely to take you to the police, who can demand immediate payment before they will let you go.
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At metro stations you can find maps of Prague with public transport, this can be useful, because the lines are changing (especially bus lines). You can easily find a connection online at [http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/pid/spojeni/?lng=E IDOS] - works for the entire CR or alternatively for Prague only: [http://spojeni.dpp.cz/ConnForm.aspx?cl=E5 DPP].
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[[:wikivoyage:Prague]]
 
[[trash:Prague]]
 
[[trash:Prague]]
  
 
{{Cities Czech Republic}}
 
{{Cities Czech Republic}}
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{{Highways CZ}}
  
 
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Revision as of 09:51, 7 August 2019

Prague
<map lat='50.0751' lng='14.4347' zoom='9' view='0' />
Information
Country:
Flag of Czech Republic
Czech Republic
Population: 1.218.644
Licence plate: ?A? ???? old: A?? ????
Major roads: D1, D5, D8, D11
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots

Prague (Praha) is the capital of the Czech Republic.
Writing a sign "PHA" clearly informs a driver that you are going to Prague, but a sign PRAHA works better.

Hitching out

East towards Hradec Králové, Pardubice, Wrocław 11E 67

Option 1: Motorway service station on D11

As of June 2018 there is a big construction on the highway, so the gas station is not operating, don't go there. It seems as if it will stay like this for a while...
NOTE it may seem tempting to use the spot just outside Černy Most station, as it has a lot of traffic passing through and an excellent area to stop where people drop off and pick up from the station but this spot did not work well for me. I made a sign for PL as I was heading to wroclaw, I had no luck for more than 4hrs wait, in the end me and another hitchhiker who also came to the spot ended up taking the bus. The spot may work but much earlier in the morning and in small steps. I think it is advisable to make a Hradec Karlove sign then from there head to Poland. There is not much Polish traffic between Prague and Wroclaw. (Antonopa) (07/2016).

Take metro line B (yellow) to the end station Černý most. From here, take bus 221, 303, 304, 344, 353, or 398 to the bus-stop Na Kovárně. Walk east along Náchodská ≈600m to the junction with Bořetická. Turn right on Bořetická and walk 1.2km to just over the motorway bridge. Take the path to the right here into the service station. There usually isn't very much traffic, but waiting times are likely to be short. If you get lost ask anyone for "Hummer Garden" (the place only for Hummers) which is just behind the station.

Option 2: K+R (Parking Area) Černý Most

Take metro line B (yellow) to the end station Černý most. There is the K+R (Park & Ride) to the right (east) of the station which is popular with hitchhikers and possibly a better choice than option 1. It's necessary to use a sign because the road splits in many directions, e.g. "HK" (Hradec Králové) or "PL" (if going to Náchod and Poland). The disadvantage of this option is that there are only cars traveling out of Prague and not those coming from Prague ring road. However, there is no non-freeway solution to get a lift for those cars.

Northeast towards Mladá Boleslav, Liberec, Görlitz 10E 65

File:Stop hk.jpg
Dj-bobr at the beginning of D11 Highway.

Option 1: Motorway service station on E65

Take metro line B (yellow) to the last station Černý Most. From there catch bus number 220 to the stop Do Čertous. When you get off the bus, the petrol station is behind the big orange building with "H1" on it.

Option 2: K+R (Parking) Černý Most

Take metro line B (yellow) to the end station Černý most. There is the K+R (Park & Ride) to the right (east) of the station. Lots of hitchhikers use this place. Use a sign "MB" (Mladá Boleslav) or "LB" (Liberec). It's necessary to use a sign because the road splits in many directions. Due to the construction of sections of the Prague Ring (R1), long-distance traffic is lower each day; however, this spot is still usable.

Northwest towards Ústí nad Labem, Teplice, Dresden, Berlin 8E 55

Warning: If you are passing through Dresden, take a look at the Dresden hitchwiki page. From either of the spots you can take rides to OMV petrol station before Lovosice or to the Agip petrol station after Ústí nad Labem. The hitchhiking positions there are also good.

Option 1: D8

Take metro line C (red) to Holešovice. From here, take bus 201 to Vychovatelna (3 stops). You will find a great spot with lots of traffic still going slow right at the bus station.

(Tried:) The author had not noted that there are three lanes on this road, and the two inside lanes take the cars to Dresden. The bus lane of course is great and the cars are not going too fast, but anyone going to Dresden on this road would need to cut across a few car lanes to come pick you up. Quite possible but there are better options than this.

Option 2: OMV petrol station on D8

Take metro line C (red) to Letňany. Take any bus heading north one stop, or walk 500 m north, to Výstaviště Letňany. Keep walking northwest along Tupolevova for 500 m, crossing over Beranovych to the pedestrian crossing at the traffic lights. Cross Tupolevova here and keep heading southwest on the pathway leading onto Opocenska. Walk ≈250 m along Opocenska and you will see a small footpath to the right (before the pedestrian/cycle bridge over the highway) heading straight to the OMV petrol station (≈150 m walk).

Option 3: Bigger OMV petrol station on D8

Take metro line C (red) to Letňany. Take bus 195, 140, 158, 110, or 269 to the stop Obchodní centrum Čakovice. Turn back in the direction the bus came from and walk ≈1km along Kostelecká (past the roundabout) until you reach the sliproad coming off the D8. This is just before the bridge over the D8. Turn left into the sliproad and after walking ≈100m, you will come to the petrol station (with a McDonalds behind it).

West towards Plzeň, Klatovy, Nürnberg, München 5E 50

Most drivers go directly to Plzeň. However, getting a direct lift to Germany or even further is not unusual. All petrol stations on the 5 are fine for hitchhiking although often with little traffic.

Option 1: Rozvadovská spojka

  1. Take metro line B (yellow) to Hůrka. Turn left (west) out of the station and then turn north towards the Albert supermarket. Walk around the left side of Albert supermarket heading up and then over a small bridge until you reach a school. Walk around the school on the left side, heading north, until you reach Běhounkova. Walk ≈ 30m north along Běhounkova until you see the gap in the wall on the left - cut through the parking place and take the path through the gap and you will reach the large bus stop on Nárožní. Cross it and continue to the intersection with Bucharova. Turn left on Bucharova - you will see signs to "Plzeň". Go over the bridge and turn left down the entry slip road to Rozvadovská spojka. After the bend, there is a great place for hitchhiking: lights, straight, hard shoulder with lots of space to stop. Although it's not allowed to stay there, the police don't make any problems here.
  2. Take metro line B (yellow) to Nové Butovice. Then take bus 184 (direction Hradčanská) or bus 174 (direction Vypich) and get off at the second stop: "Šafránkova". (The stop is a request stop, so it means that you have to push the button in the bus to stop it). Cross over the road (Bucharova) and walk south 200m to the slip road, and continue to the hitching point on Rozvadovská spojka as described above.
  3. Take metro line A (green) to end station Nemocnice Motol. Turn right out of the station to the bus-stop. Then take bus 184 (direction Velká Ohrada) or bus 174 (direction Luka) and get off at the second stop: "Šafránkova". (The stop is a request stop, so it means that you have to push the button in the bus to stop it). Walk south ≈150m to the slip road, and continue to the hitching point on Rozvadovská spojka as descibed above.

(Edit by Moskewskaja, 21st may, 2016)
The bus stop "Šafránkova" is much much closer to the highway (than in the directions for 1). I use this option frequently to go home. And there I was also asked for the documents by police, and when I asked them if it is allowed to hitchhike there, they told me yes, so don´t worry! It is not really highway, you are still in the city. If you are travelling west, do not enter Beroun or Plzeň because it is hard to hitchhike out. So many hours I spent in Plzeň... On this highway you can meet all the cars going west. Just stay on the highway, stop at some petrol station. There is one Shell close to Rokycany, before Plzeň, maybe with little bit expensive petrol. Or you can go just to Rudná petrol station, which is close (15 km) to Prague, but it is quite big with many cars and trucks. You travellers to the West (Germany, France, England, Spain), your goal should be to arrive to Svatá Kateřina petrol station. It lies just before czech/german border and many czech drivers-especially trucks- they stop there to tank or buy something.

Option 2: Motorway service station Rudná

Take metro line B (yellow) to Zličín. Then take bus 307, 308, 311, 380, or 602 to stop Rudná, škola. (The ticket costs 18 Kč, ≈€0.66; 1 zone out of Prague). Walk 60m back in the direction the bus came from and turn left into Na Přídělu street. You should see the petrol station in the distance. Walk 350m to the end of the street. There will be a footpath towards the petrol station 150m away. You need the opposite direction so get to the other side of motorway by the tunnel under the motorway on the right. It's a fairly big service station with McD and enough cars. Note: As of May 2018, the petrol station on the side of D5 leading westwards is under construction and the corresponding exit therefore closed. Try catching a lift on the ramp near Horelice.

Option 3: Motorway junction at Zličín

Take metro line B (yellow) to the terminal station Zličín. Go under the road Řevnická and turn immediately left. Continue south along Řevnická for 150m to the crossroads with traffic lights. You can stand right at the triangle down on Rozvadovská spojka (police can kick you out) or ask people at the nearby petrol station, KFC, or parking lots. None of these places are good (Options 1 and 2 are better).

Southeast towards Brno, Ostrava, Bratislava, Vienna, Kraków 1E 50E 59E 65
& South towards České Budějovice, Linz 3E 55

It's good to have a sign at this road and definitely for direction south. Every bigger petrol station on D1 is good for hitchhiking.

Option 1: Motorway service station on E65

Take metro line C (red) to Chodov. look for the big shopping centre and enter, keeping to the ground floor, locate the exit consisting of stairs and elevators (not to mention a lift that leads below); this exit leads to the bus stops.

(Note: "this shopping center has excellent wifi, charges with USB/charger ports for phones, toilets on the ground floor, a water fountain outside the toilet! Flippin heck I could live here!"Chillion)

Head on outside and turn right, follow the path and cross to the SONY building. Now keeping on the same road walk for 20mins and you'll reach the SHELL petrol station.
Alternatively, you can stay past the station exit at the end of the left lane, on the left side of the road. Easily reachable petrol station, not a lot of traffic though and is sometimes enforced by a employee in Shell uniform. Has cover for in bad-weather or snow conditions. In all honesty this station seems iffy. There isn't much traffic on both gas stations. Both are not advisable. You can try standing at the ramp to the motorway just outside Chodov Mall. First go inside, to floor 0. Walk to the easternmost part of the mall, there use the elevator to floor -2. In the parking house, walk east to the exit. There's the ramp. You might have to wait long for a ride. We gave up after an hour.

Option 2: Motorway Junction Opatov

Take metro line C (red) to "Opatov". Walk south ≈800m along Chilská past the crossroads and over the motorway bridge to the beginning of the entrance slip road. Instead of walking, you can take bus number 177 from metro "Opatov" to next (request) stop "U Dálnice" and then walk 100m east to the beginning of the slip road. Now you might see other hitchhikers on the slip-road.Be careful and stay on the slip road, not on the motorway (sometimes police passes by).
Very common spot but, in fact, not so good. Average waiting time is less than one hour. If you get stuck there, you can walk 2 km along the motorway to 'option 4' (see below). Again, if police come around, they'll tell you to walk on the field beside motorway.

Option 3: 5.května at the beginning of expressway

Take metro line C (red) to Kačerov. Find stairs going down, go over train tracks and then stairs down again. Then walk around the metro tracks and turn right before the motorway. You will see the OMV petrol station but don't walk that far; instead, just cross the grass strip and the 2 lanes of the slip road leading to the station from the main road 5.května to get to the main road itself. Stand on 5.května at the beginning of the motorway on the hard shoulder (there is sign). The police don't make any problems there and for cars, it means the end of the 50 kmph limit so they're still quite slow. The shoulder is wide, safe and lit.Especially good option at night when there is little traffic at spots 1 and 2.
There are not many cars at the OMV petrol station or they have different directions (often Pilsen).

The beginning of the motorway has been shifted a few hundred meters back into the city center, thus it is now illegal to use this spot (received a fine in June 2016 for it). You can still use the petrol station, but indeed the amount of cars going in the direction of Brno is very small here.

The sign showing the start of the expressway (and also 50km/h speed limit) is located 1.3km from the original location, on 5.května just before it passes over Vyskočilova, so legally it should be possible to hitch before it. At this spot there is a wide shoulder, lights, 50km/h speed limit. Take metro line C (red) to Budějovická. From exit on Budějovická street, turn left some metres and then turn right (northeast) on Vyskočilova. Walk northeast ≈350m until the exit slip road on the left just before the 5.května overpass. Cut across the grass embankment and walk up to 5.května itself and you will see the expressway sign. This spot looks good, but it needs to be tested.

Option 4: Motorway service station Újezd u Průhonic (BEST WAY TO VIENNA)

2019: this service station is temporarily closed due to roadworks until 19th October. No traffic at all. You can check up-to-date info at the McDonald's web.

- Duffajfka found this out in August 2019. Walked some 2 km to the next petrol station AGP which is by far not as large, but an alternative for both drivers and hitchhikers. After 20 mins of asking got a straight ride to Brno.

Hitchhikers at Újezd u Průhonic petrol station. Regular local hitchhikers were around, as well as hitchhikers doing the race.

Take metro line C (red) to Opatov. Exit straight out of the station and take a lift following the winding red ramp up to street level/the road above. From the bus-stop next to the Replay shop, take the bus X122 to the final stop K Sukovu (buses leave every 15-30 minutes). As it is in the "P" zone, usual fares and SMS-tickets apply. Continue along the main street which will turn kind of right into Formanská and 20 m ahead it splits into left and right. Stay on the right hand/main road, cross the bridge over the highway and on the right there is a pathway going down to the McDonald's + gas station on the higway. The best jackpot a hitch hiker can hit.
This is the first motorway petrol station past Prague, the best hitchhiking spot but takes some time to get there. Also, you have to have a valid ticket for the bus trip!

- Chillion "March 2018. This is one magnificent spot. Hitched a ride at on Thursday 12:30pm standing by the gas station sign; waiting time 30mins. Traffic was awful, so got dropped off on a slip road just outside Brno where I hitched a ride into the city. Then followed the Brno hitchhiking page, option 2 (6pm, 30min wait with sign) into Vienna."

Option 5: Beginning of main road 5.kvetna

Take metro line C (red) to Vyšehrad. Head south using the sidewalk for about 300m. After the small bridge, continue left to the main road 5. kvetna. There are 3 lanes and one parking lane and usually some place to stop.
This spot quite near the city centre and cars are going slow, high traffic density, and nobody expects hitchhikers there but you can be lucky.

Option 6

Take metro line C (red) to Roztyly and cross all the parking places to the motorway. Hard shoulder there is good and lit at night; however, it's not allowed to stay there and cars are already moving quite fast.

South towards Příbram, Písek, České Budějovice 4

Take metro line B (yellow) to Smíchovské nádraží. Then take bus 129, 241, 243, 244, 314, or 318 to the stop Malá Chuchle. (It's a request stop so press the button). There you can easily hitchhike. Usually very short waiting on Friday afternoons when many people go out from Prague.

West towards Karlovy Vary, Cheb 6E 48

Option 1: Karlovarská street

Take tram 22 to Bílá Hora. Walk 50 m west along Karlovarská street to past the red/white railings and there is a quite good place to hitch-hike.

Option 2: Motorway junction D6 Jeneč

Take a train from Prague Masarykovo to Jeneč (15 km out of Prague and very close to Prague Airport). Walk down the embankment onto Průmyslová ulice from the station. Walk north along Průmyslová ulice ≈350 m under the railway tracks to the motorway junction from which it is pretty easy to get to Karlovy Vary.

Option 3: Motorway service station D6

Take metro line A (green) to Hradčanská. Then take bus 310610 or 310082 (B82) from bus-stop Praha-Hradčanská and get off at Velká Dobrá, u skoly. Follow the direction of the bus and turn first left (Unhošťská street), than second right (Lesní street) and after 200 m you should see the highway and the petrol station on your right.
This option is good if you prefer petrol stations although it is quite far (30 km from Prague centre).

Northwest towards Kladno, Chomutov, Chemnitz 7

Take metro line A (green) to Dejvická. Then take bus 119 from bus-stop Dejvická to Dědina. You can hitchhike at the bus-stop. You can also try another bus stop on Evropská road, e.g. Divoká Šárka, but probably further out is better.

Public transport

Public transport network in Prague is really good, you can get in reasonable time almost anywhere at any time. Ticket costs: 30 minutes - 24 Kč (eur 1), 90 minutes - 32 Kč (~eur 1.30). If you plan to stay longer, you can buy a ticket for one day - 110 Kč (~eur 4.50) or three days - 310 Kč (~eur 12.60). You have to validate ticket when entering metro station, tram or bus. The fine for fare dodging is 800 Kč (~eur 32) if you pay it at that place or till15 days.

Blackriding in the subway is not advised, as ticket inspectors are more common than in years past. They will ask you to show a passport, and if you refuse, they are very likely to take you to the police, who can demand immediate payment before they will let you go.

At metro stations you can find maps of Prague with public transport, this can be useful, because the lines are changing (especially bus lines). You can easily find a connection online at IDOS - works for the entire CR or alternatively for Prague only: DPP.

wikivoyage:Prague trash:Prague

Highways in the Czech Republic

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