Travel from Bratislava to Prague: Bus vs. Train vs. Flying

Bus is the best between Prague and Bratislava

Bus is probably the best kind of transport between Bratislava and Prague, the capitals of Slovakia and the Czech Republic, which used to form one country, Czechoslovakia, in the past.

Compared to flying, bus travel between Bratislava and Prague does not take much longer when you include transfers, waiting time, and procedures at the airport. Bus is also much cheaper than plane, as there are no low cost airlines operating between Bratislava and Prague. Another option is the train with offers roughly the same travel time as bus, but at considerably higher price.

Bus from Bratislava to Prague

Unlike with trains, there is tough competition between and among bus operators on the busy route between Bratislava and Prague. This of course benefits the traveller, who has many connections to choose from during the day and low prices. The competition has also forced bus companies to use modern air conditioned buses between Bratislava and Prague.

Bratislava to Prague prices and travel time: bus vs. train vs. flying

Bus journey from Bratislava to Prague usually takes between 4 and 4.5 hours, which is comparable to train. Price is significantly lower by bus, unless you are a frequent traveller and have special discounts on the train. One way bus ticket between Prague and Bratislava usually costs about EUR 15, though you can get as low as EUR 10 on rare occasions (for example very early booking). The biggest and cheapest operators are Student Agency and Eurolines.

Train from Bratislava to Prague

There is only very limited competition on railways in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Trains between Prague and Bratislava are operated by the national state-owned train companies of the two countries. Train comfort was improved dramatically and travel time reduced in the last two decades, but the railways are still falling behind in terms of the ability to offer competitive prices compared to buses.

Flying from Bratislava to Prague

Unfortunately, the air travel market between Bratislava and Prague is not attractive enough to bring regular low cost airlines. There are several traditional airlines flying between Bratislava and Prague, but their prices naturally can’t beat trains and buses. A flight from Bratislava to Prague takes about one hour, not including waiting time and procedures at the airport and travel between airports and city centres.

Topics: Getting to Prague, , , , , , ,