By travel, many of us mean long flights to the ocean, long-term cruises on the seas or large rivers, climbing the highest points in the world or hiking in uncharted forests with a large company. At the word "travel" we imagine hundreds and thousands of kilometers of the traveled path for new sensations. But it is not always the case. The distance between Prague and Karlovy Vary is only 130 kilometers. You can bet the speed of overcoming this distance, or you can add travel time along with fun. How to get from Prague to Karlovy Vary? What are the options for overcoming such a short distance? Take a look and choose the option that suits you completely.
Bus
The route Prague - Karlovy Vary is one of the most popular among tourists. Most of the departures take place from the main bus station in Prague - Florence. An additional convenience is the presence of the Florence metro station next to the bus station. Since the destination is one of the most popular, flights on it are carried out regularly, every half hour or hour. Despite the small gap between the departures of the routes, you need to take care of buying a ticket in advance. It is better to buy a ticket in a pair "round-trip", this will save you from unforeseen situations, and you will feel confident and with peace of mind enjoy the beauty of the nature of Karlovy Vary. Do not fall for provocations and do not follow the advice that a ticket can be bought from the driver right before the flight for a cheaper price. You risk at least not getting a ticket at all due to its absence (or not getting enough, for example, there are three of you traveling, and the driver has only two tickets), at the most, to get under ticket control, which is fraught in a foreign country with its own laws and regulations …
The whole journey will take 2 hours and 15 minutes, the cost of a one-way ticket will be about 170 CZK, the first flight departs at 6:30, the last one at 21:30. A little tip: buy a ticket in advance (online is better) and keep in mind that on Sunday there is a very large flow of people in the direction of Prague. There is a peculiarity of people getting on the bus. You have privileges and you will be seated in the first place if you purchased a ticket directly at the ticket office of the station, if this was done in some other way, you will be seated after the first category of people. It does not make sense to choose the place of landing scrupulously, it will be comfortable on any side and in any part of the bus, the buses are equipped with a high-quality air conditioning system, and you can always use it. Buses are equipped with toilets and wi-fi. Free drinks and newspapers are also available on the bus. The journey will be short-lived and enjoyable.
Train
Traveling from Prague to Karlovy Vary by train, you can appreciate the excellence of Czech railways. Prague railway station, located in the very center of the city, will amaze with its architecture, beautiful arched aprons. The station building is over 100 years old and now it bears the name in honor of the Czech public figure Tomáš Masaryk. The distance from Prague to Karlovy Vary by rail is about 236 km. The distance that will have to be covered by train is longer than the bus route. This is due to the fact that the train makes a small detour in the north of the country. Travel time is 3 hours 30 minutes. A ticket will cost an average of 320-330 kroons, but if you take care of buying a ticket in advance, you can save exactly half the cost.
In total, 8 trains leave from the Prague main station, and they arrive at the main railway station in Karlovy Vary. And then the question may arise: does someone, in order to travel from Prague to Karlovy Vary, choose the way "longer and more expensive"? Yes! Because traveling by train has at least two advantages: comfortable coaches and simply stunning views from the window. It is impossible to take your eyes off the indescribable beauty of Czech nature, and three hours will fly by unnoticed.
Taxi
Taxis are a good option for traveling from Prague to Karlovy Vary if you are more than two people (for example, traveling with four) and have sufficient budget for this method of transportation. The cost of a round trip will be 150-160 euros. It will not be long, the path of 127 km can be covered in 1 hour and 30-40 minutes. The advantage of the trip is the ability to stop along the way and enjoy the scenery to your heart's content. Do not assume that taxi drivers in the Czech Republic are honest people and do not want to make money. It is safer and more profitable to order a taxi via the Internet. On the taxi call website, you will see the approximate final cost of the trip and you can be sure that in case of traffic jams, the surcharge will not be more than 50-100 CZK. If on the taxi portal the price for a trip seems suspiciously low, then do not be lazy, call the dispatcher and specify the details of the order, indicating his number.
Automobile
Traveling by car is the most convenient. You yourself plan the time, think over the route, calculate where the stops will be. Renting a car to get from Prague to Karlovy Vary is a great idea! You will also appreciate the advantages of renting a car if you are traveling with children, who are usually creepy fidgets and cannot stay in an enclosed space for a long time. At any time you can get out of the car, warm up, look around and just breathe fresh air. On average, the journey takes about 2 hours one way, the route goes along the E48 highway. The track is quite normal and does not imply any problems, so it is enough just to follow the instructions of the navigator.
The average cost of renting a car is 30-40 euros per day. This is the maximum price for the minimum rental period, so it makes sense to take a car for three days and make a mini-trip with a good rest in Karlovy Vary. Gasoline will cost 20-30 euros. The rental conditions in all companies are approximately the same: the presence of an international driving license and two years of driving experience, as well as a passport and age over 21 years.
There are advantages to renting a car from a large company. For example, a convenient website of the company, which operates in Russian, and a number of advantages of the service:
- Nice car park.
- Insurance throughout Europe (subject to the purchase of the full package).
- No deposit (subject to full insurance and car rental with a navigator).
- Possibility to take a child seat.
- No toll on roads and parking lots (with a special sticker).
- When renting for more than two days - the availability of operator support (including Russian-speaking) and unlimited mileage.
Airplane
Karlovy Vary has its own airport, which is located near the city. Flights from Prague to Karlovy Vary are regular and operated by Czech Airlines. Ticket prices are impressive - from 29,000 to 108,000 rubles when you are in the sky for only half an hour. Such expenses do not justify themselves at all, because you need to take into account that you still need to get to the airport in Prague and Karlovy Vary, on your own or by transfer, and no one guarantees temporary delays during which you will have to be bored in the airport building. But since there are flights, then there are people who fly them. The choice is always yours.
Bike
The most extreme and longest way to get from Prague to Karlovy Vary is to ride a bike. It can also be attributed to the most expensive. The minimum cost of renting a bike per day is 500 CZK. If you plan the route in such a way as to visit the main settlements and sights, the path will turn out to be longer than by road. This way of traveling is acceptable for people who love bike tours and often participate in them. You can rent a bike at the station, and return it there, and to any station, not necessarily the one at which it was taken. When you rent a bike, check that it is in good working order to avoid surprises along the way. The Czech Republic is a mountainous country rather than a flat country, sometimes the height drops can be up to 500 m.
It is planned to overcome 40-50 km per day. It will not be difficult for a trained person. The entire duration of such an adventure will be 8-9 days. It is better to return back by train, because the Czech expanses on the way back will no longer be so interesting and more exhausting due to the peculiarities of the relief. On the way to Karlovy Vary, you will see ancient castles in different cities, you can enjoy delicious Czech beer and appreciate the peculiarities of local cuisine more clearly, because you will be very hungry due to high energy losses. Book pensions and hostels in advance, but in this way you will be clearly tied to travel time, distance and speed, so a little advice: be sure to take a tent on the road, as there are often no places in pensions along the way and you have to spend the night wherever you have to. Consider the peculiarities of solar activity in the Czech Republic. The sun rises at 6:00 in the morning and sets at 20:30, and it is pitch black. You will need to take care of the overnight stay in advance. This trip will not be easy, but it will add health to travelers and leave vivid impressions and pleasant memories.
