Travelling around Czechia
Czechia has several highways, some of which are unfortunately not always in very good shape. The D1 highway, which connects the biggest cities of Prague, Brno, and Ostrava, is a perfect example. The oldest segment of the highway between Prague and Brno is often made fun of for constantly undergoing repairs.
On road maps and signs, highways are always marked with the letter D. Besides highways, Czech roads fall into three categories. To use a highway, motorists must buy a digital vignette, which, for cars weighing less than 3,5 tonnes, costs 1500 crowns for a yearly pass. Monthly and ten-day vignettes come to 440 and 310 crowns, respectively. Drivers with disabilities and of electric vehicles are exempt from the fee. Lorries and cars weighing over 3,5 tonnes must also pay a toll on certain highways and first-category roads.
Over one hundred Czech cities and towns have some form of public transport, most frequently in the form of buses. Larger towns operate trolleys and trolleybuses, which can be found in the city of Ostrava, for instance. Prague is the only Czech city with a subway system. The Prague metro has three lines: A, B, and C, and a fourth line is currently being planned. Trolleys in larger towns operate even at night, which is not so common in other countries. Many foreigners praise the Prague transport system for being easy to understand while offering a vast network of connections.
České dráhy (Czech Railways) is the main railway operator offering passenger services. The rail network is quite vast, but some connections take very long. Private companies, such as RegioJet and Leo Express, also operate on the market, but they mainly offer connections between the biggest cities. Since 2018, students under the age of 26 and pensioners over 65 can buy train and bus tickets for a reduced price, which is 75 % cheaper than the standard fare. Flixbus and RegioJet are the two biggest long-distance bus operators. Citizens of other EU countries and Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Norway are free to drive in Czechia on licenses from their home countries.
