The Czech Republic has one main international airport for most visitors, with a secondary airport for Brno. Both are well-connected to the city centres and to the wider country.

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Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG)

Prague Václav Havel Airport is the Czech Republic’s main international hub, located 17 kilometres northwest of the city centre. The airport has two terminals: Terminal 1 for Schengen flights and Terminal 2 for non-Schengen international flights. The terminals are connected by a free shuttle bus.

Airport to city centre: The public transport connection is exceptionally good value. Bus 119 runs from the airport to Nádraží Veleslavín metro station (terminal A, line A) in approximately 20 minutes, then metro to the city centre takes another 10 to 15 minutes. Total journey time: 35 to 45 minutes. Cost: CZK 40 (the standard Prague transport ticket, valid for 90 minutes). This is the recommended transport for all visitors comfortable with navigating public transport. The DPP (Prague Public Transport) app has live bus times.

Alternatively, Bus 100 runs to Zličín metro station (terminal B, line B). Both routes are reliable and efficient; Bus 119 is generally more useful for destinations in the city centre.

Uber and Bolt from the airport to the city centre cost approximately CZK 400 to 600 and take 20 to 35 minutes depending on traffic. Significantly more expensive than public transport but practical for those with heavy luggage.

Official taxi service: AAA Radiotaxi and Tick Tack are the reputable services at the airport. Avoid approaches from unofficial taxi drivers in the arrivals hall; they routinely overcharge by factors of 3 to 5 compared to the metered rate.

Brno-Tuřany Airport (BRQ)

Brno’s international airport handles primarily European routes (Vienna, Amsterdam, London, a few others). For visitors specifically destined for Brno or the South Moravian wine region, BRQ is more convenient than Prague. For visitors visiting both Prague and Brno, arriving at Prague and departing from Brno (or vice versa) is logistically clean: the cities are connected by direct fast trains in 2.5 hours.

Main Airlines and Routes

Smartwings: The Czech Republic’s flag carrier since Czech Airlines (ČSA) wound down independent operations in October 2024 and was absorbed into Smartwings. Smartwings now operates the country’s main scheduled international network from Prague, including a mix of European routes and seasonal long-haul leisure destinations; the historic ČSA brand no longer operates its own flights or holds SkyTeam membership.

easyJet: Major presence at Prague with numerous European routes.

Ryanair: Operates from Prague to many European destinations. Also serves Brno from some European cities.

Wizz Air: Eastern European budget carrier with routes from Prague to many destinations across Europe and the Middle East.

British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM: All serve Prague from their main hubs. Useful for routing via a hub when direct routes are unavailable.

Long-haul routes to Prague: United Airlines (Newark), Delta (Atlanta via hub connections), Emirates (Dubai), Etihad (Abu Dhabi), Qatar Airways (Doha), Korean Air (Seoul). Long-haul direct routes to Prague are limited compared to larger European hubs; most long-haul visitors route via Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London Heathrow, or Vienna.

Finding Good Prices

For European visitors: Prague is extremely well-served by low-cost carriers from most European cities. easyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz Air collectively offer competitive fares from most UK and European airports. Compare prices 6 to 8 weeks in advance for the best rates; last-minute fares are significantly higher.

For North American visitors: Direct flights from the US are limited. Routing via London, Frankfurt, or Amsterdam typically provides the most frequency and competitive pricing. Flying into Vienna rather than Prague and taking the RegioJet bus (4 to 5 hours) or Flixbus (4 hours) is sometimes significantly cheaper and produces an interesting arrival approach.

Google Flights flexible dates: For visitors with date flexibility, the Google Flights calendar view showing price variation across a month is the most efficient way to find the cheapest windows. Czech Republic flights do not vary as dramatically by day of week as beach destinations, but weekend departures are typically more expensive than Tuesday and Wednesday.

Booking Timing and Flexibility

For European departures, prices are generally most stable 6 to 10 weeks before travel; booking earlier rarely saves much on the low-cost carriers, since their pricing is driven more by remaining seat inventory than by a fixed advance-purchase curve. For long-haul departures via a European hub, 3 to 5 months out tends to catch the better fare releases. Setting a Google Flights price alert on the specific route as soon as travel dates are fixed is more reliable than trying to guess the right booking window from general advice.