Page 244 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Prague

242  SUR VIV AL GUIDE

Travelling by Metro

The underground railway, known as the metro, is the quickest
(for longer journeys) and most comfortable form of transport
in Prague. It is managed by the Prague Public Transport
Company, and its construction began in 1967. It has three
lines, A, B and C. The straightforward layout and clear signs
make finding your way around the system very easy. Trains
run between 5am and midnight.

The metro sign for
Finding Your Way Around Once you have purchased your the underground railway
the Metro
ticket and passed through the
Metro entrances are not always unmanned ticket barriers – you indicate the direction in which
easy to spot. Look for a sign must validate your ticket here – the trains are travelling. The
displaying the letter “M” within continue down the escalators edges of the platforms are
an upside-down triangle. The to the trains. At the bottom of marked with a white, broken
colour of the sign (green, yellow each escalator is a long central line that should not be crossed
or red) indicates which line the corridor with a platform on until the train stops. You may
station is on. The street entrance either side for trains travelling have to push a button to open
will normally lead you down a in either direction. Signs the train doors, which play a
flight of steps. suspended from the ceiling recorded warning message
when they are about to close.
During the journey, the name
of the next station is announced
in Czech.
Line A (green) is the most
useful for tourists, because it
covers all the main areas of the
city centre – Prague Castle, the
Little Quarter, the Old Town and
the New Town – as well as the
main shopping area around
Wenceslas Square.
Displayed above some seats
are disabled signs. These chairs
should be given up for the
elderly, the disabled and
The spacious interior of Nádraží Veleslavín metro station those with small children.

Automatic Ticket Check which price
Machines 1band is the right
one to meet your
You can buy transport requirements,
tickets at designated then press the If you are sure of
ticket sellers (see p238) appropriately 3your choice of
or at the yellow automatic labelled button. ticket, insert coins
ticket machines in the Once validated, a into this slot.
metro station. The ticket transfer ticket is Most machines
machines, and tickets valid for 30 or 90 give change.
themselves, may vary in minutes (Kč24 or
design and colour, but Kč32 respectively).
they are still applicable to
all forms of transport. The If you want more
machines offer a choice 2than one ticket
of tickets at varying prices – whether of the
– for adults and children – same price band Collect your ticket,
as well as a choice of or another – 4plus any change
languages (either Czech press the relevant that may be
or English). buttons; the total due to you, from
amount owed the large slot
will be displayed at the base of
on screen. the machine.

242-243_EW_Prague.indd 242 20/03/17 11:14 am