Getting in and visas for the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic has joined the Schengen agreement, which means that you can enter on a European Union Schengen visa and there are no longer any ID/passport controls on the EU borders. Citizens of the EU, Canada, USA, Australia, and New Zealand do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Specific details for all countries can be found at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Check czechembassy.org for more current information.

By air

Ruzyně Airport – located about 10 km west of the centre of Prague, (Praha in Czech), is a hub of Czech national carrier – Czech Airlines (ČSA), a SkyTeam member. Other international airports are in Brno (with flights to London, Moscow, Barcelona and Prague), Ostrava (flights to Vienna and Prague), Pardubice, Karlovy Vary (flights to Moscow and Uherské Hradiště). There are dozens of low-cost airlines going to/from Prague. Ryanair flies to Brno. Other nearby airports are Nuremberg (200 km) and Munich (320 km) in Germany, Vienna having a bus shuttle to Brno city (260 km to Prague, 110 km to Brno) in Austria, Wroclaw (200 km) in Poland (might be a good idea if you want to go to the Giant Mountains) and Bratislava – hub for SkyEurope Airlines but without shuttle (280 km to Prague, only 120 km to Brno) in Slovakia.

By bus

International bus service runs from many cities in Europe with direct connections from Germany, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria etc. Good service offers Eurolines and Student Agency.

By train

International train service runs from most points in Europe with direct connections from Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and Romania. If you are in Bavaria, Saxony or Thuringia, the cheapest way to get to the Czech Republic is to take a "Bayernticket", "Sachsen-Ticket" or "Thuringen-Ticket" (up to 5 people per ticket, which costs 25 EUR; only regional trains) to the border and then buy a Czech group ticket there.