Prague to Krakow - 15 Best Ways to Travel in 2026

Getting from Prague to Krakow by train takes at least seven hours, and that length is exactly why the overnight option is worth serious consideration. You board in the evening, sleep through the journey, and arrive in Krakow at the edge of the Old Town ready to start the day. It is one of those routes where the night train genuinely makes more sense than sitting through a full daytime service.

Three direct daytime trains depart Prague daily at 6:15 AM, 10:15 AM, and 7:54 PM, with the 7:54 PM departure serving as the overnight service, arriving in Krakow at 5:53 AM. Both the Czech Republic and Poland are in the Schengen Zone, so there is no passport control in the middle of the night. RegioJet also operates one daily overnight service, departing Prague at 8:27 PM and arriving in Krakow at 5:07 AM.

Train Stations in Prague and Krakow

In Prague, all trains depart from Prague Main Station (Praha hlavní nádraží), connected to the city center via Metro Line C (red) at the Hlavní nádraží stop.

In Krakow, trains arrive at Krakow Main Station (Kraków Główny), on the edge of the Old Town and about a fifteen minute walk from the Main Square. The station is well served by trams, with the most convenient stops being Dworzec Główny Tunel and Dworzec Główny Zachód.

Tickets and Booking

Train tickets start at €15 when bought well in advance and can reach €60 for last-minute purchases, so this is a route where booking early makes a real difference. Trainline is the simplest place to start for international travelers. It covers multiple operators in one search, displays fares in your preferred currency, and accepts cards from anywhere without extra steps. Rail Europe is a good alternative if you are combining this journey with other European train routes and want a single place to manage all your bookings.

One thing worth knowing before you book directly: Czech Railways (ČD) is more practical than Polish Railways (PKP Intercity) for buying online, since the Czech site allows you to purchase all connections without creating an account, while the Polish site restricts some tickets to station counters only. Again, Trainline sidesteps this entirely. If the night train appeals to you, upgrade to a couchette or sleeping car rather than a standard seat. The route has a reputation for pickpockets, and the extra cost is modest. Those spaces sell out well ahead of time in summer, so book as early as you can.

Insider Tip

This route has a known pickpocket problem in second class carriages, particularly on overnight services. Booking a couchette or sleeping car removes that concern entirely. Each compartment locks from the inside, has a dedicated attendant looking after the car throughout the night, and the attendant collects tickets at the start of the journey so you are not disturbed again until arrival. It is safer, more comfortable, and the price difference is small.

Book your Prague to Krakow train on Czech Railways | Book with RegioJet

The journey from Prague to Krakow takes around seven hours by train or bus. Both are perfectly functional ways to travel between the two cities, but they offer little opportunity to experience the East Bohemian and Moravian countryside along the route.

The Prague to Krakow Transfer Tour makes two stops in UNESCO-listed towns that most travelers on this route would never think to visit independently. You leave Prague in the morning and reach Krakow by early evening, with two genuinely extraordinary places in between.

What's Included

The open group tour sets off from Prague at 8:00 AM and runs for approximately 9 to 10 hours, dropping you in central Krakow at around 6:00 PM. You travel in a comfortable, air-conditioned minivan or car with a maximum of eight passengers.

Your guide travels with you the full day and brings real depth to both stops. They are there to answer questions throughout and help you get the most from each destination.

A lunch break is scheduled in Olomouc, where you can try Moravian cuisine at one of the restaurants in or around the Old Town squares. Lunch is not included in the tour price.

Hotel pickup and dropoff are available for private bookings. Open group tours depart from a central meeting point in Prague and include dropoff in central Krakow.

The price is €99 per person for the open group tour. Private bookings are available for couples, families, and groups who prefer a door-to-door experience. Check the Prague to Krakow Transfer Tour booking page to see the exact price for your group.

What Travelers are Saying

The bus is a practical alternative on this route, with around five or more direct daily departures and journey times starting from around seven hours. Some connections run overnight, which can be a useful option if you want to travel while you sleep. Flixbus is the main operator worth using on this route.

One important note: some buses travelling this corridor originate outside Poland and pass through Prague en route. Departure times for those services can be unpredictable. Stick to services that originate in Prague or the Czech Republic.

Bus Stations in Prague and Krakow

In Prague, all Flixbus services depart from Florenc Bus Station in the city center, connected to the rest of the city via Metro Line C (red) at the Florenc stop.

In Krakow, buses arrive at Kraków MDA Bus Station, directly next to Krakow Main Station in the central part of the city.

Tickets and Booking

Second class tickets start at €22 when booked in advance, rising to around €40 closer to departure. Book directly through the Flixbus website. It is in English and accepts major international payment cards. Summer and weekend departures sell out quickly, so book in advance.

Luggage

Your Flixbus ticket covers a personal bag plus one large item in the luggage hold. Check the details on their website before you pack, as size and weight limits apply.

Book your Prague to Krakow bus on Flixbus

Want to see more than just Prague and Krakow?

The daytime train covers the distance in seven hours with no meaningful stops and scenery that the existing page itself calls unremarkable. The Prague to Krakow Sightseeing Transfer Tour uses that same travel day to take you through two of the most rewarding towns in the Czech Republic that almost no international traveler ever visits. First stop is Litomyšl, a quietly beautiful town in East Bohemia built around a UNESCO-listed Renaissance château covered entirely in ornate sgraffito carvings, with monastery gardens, sweeping rooftop views, and one of the longest historic main squares in the country. Second stop is Olomouc, home to the largest Holy Trinity Column in Europe, a UNESCO-listed Baroque monument at the heart of the country's finest historic city after Prague. It departs in the morning, arrives in Krakow around 6:00 PM, and costs €99 per person. Two UNESCO sites, two towns most travelers never find, and a far better way to spend the day than a train seat.

An interesting option to travel from Prague to Krakow is a combination of bus and train, with a walk across the Czech-Polish border in the middle of the trip. Not many travelers know about this trick, but it’s definitely worth considering. Not only will you make a long travel day more bearable, but you will also visit one of the most fascinating yet underrated towns in Central Europe - Cieszyn - along the way.

Located directly at the border, Cieszyn was one town until 1920, when, in the aftermath of World War 1, it was divided between two countries and remained as such until this day. Fortunately, with both the Czech Republic and Poland being part of the Schengen Zone, you can easily walk across the Olza River (which marks the border) and move freely from Tesky Cesin (the Czech town) to Cieszyn (the Polish side). 

Train from Prague to Cesky Tesin
The first part of this combined journey is by train. There are a few direct connections from Prague to Cesky Tesin, operated by Ceske Drahy (the national carrier) and RegioJet; you can also change trains in Ostrava along the way. Depending on the connection, the travel time from Prague to Cesky Tesin takes around 4-5 hours. 

The first train departs from Prague at 6 in the morning; we recommend choosing the earlier connections to use your day to the fullest. Train tickets from Prague to Cesky Tesin cost around €20; you can buy them online at the Ceske Drahy / RegioJet websites (which is a more convenient option) or at the train station in Prague.

Visiting Cieszyn
Once you arrive in Cesky Tesin, you can go directly across the border to the Polish side to catch the bus to Krakow; it’s around half an hour’s walk. But you can also spend a few hours in this fascinating divided town and see what it offers. The central part of Cesky Tesin is pleasant, but most attractions remain on the Polish side of the border. 

There is a Romanesque rotunda from the 11th century (you can find it on the 20 Polish złoty bill), beautiful townhouses, one of the first museums in Poland, or the charming main square - and these are only a few of the attractions in Cieszyn. The town also has a great selection of cafes where you can sit down and relax after all the sightseeing and before continuing your trip to Krakow. 

Cieszyn to Krakow by bus
The bus station in Cieszyn is located a 10-minute walk from the main square. There are seven direct buses from Cieszyn to Krakow (plus two more on Fridays and Sundays); the last one departs at 18:20. 

The travel time from Cieszyn to Krakow is 2,5 hours; the tickets for this connection cost around €7. The company operating this route is called Lajkonik; you can buy the tickets and check the schedule here. In Krakow, you will arrive at the MDA bus station, next to the main train station.

Unfortunately, at the moment, there are no direct flights from Prague to Krakow. Until recently, the low-cost airline Ryanair offered those, but they are suspended for the winter season. Hopefully, they will be back soon, as this was the fastest way of getting from Prague to Krakow. The flight itself was only around 1 hour, so with getting to and from the airport and the security check, it was possible to make it in approximately four hours between the centers of both cities. Ryanair’s Prague to Krakow airfare was also very affordable; finding tickets for around €30 was not a problem (however, those excluded fees for priority boarding, checked bag, etc.)

Without direct Prague to Krakow flights, you can still get smoothly from one city to another by plane. This journey, however, would require a change in the capital of Poland. LOT Polish Airlines operates a few daily flights from Prague to Warsaw and from Warsaw to Krakow so that you can plan a journey with a flight time of 3-4 hours. You can even choose a longer layover in Warsaw to see some highlights of the Polish capital. 

The price for a one-way ticket from Prague to Krakow via Warsaw starts at €120; you can purchase it directly at LOT Polish Airlines website. Since the whole journey will be on one ticket, in case of delays, you will be rebooked for the next available flight.

You can also choose to fly from Prague to Krakow using low-cost airlines, with a layover in one of the European airports. Three major companies - Ryanair, Wizzair, and EasyJet, serve both Prague and Krakow airports, so you can find a combination of flights that could work for you, with prices starting at around €50. Remember, though, that if you miss your connecting flight, you will have to buy a new ticket for your onward journey to Krakow. 

Airports in Prague and Krakow
You can use public transport to get to Prague airport; there are direct buses from the main train station (you can buy the ticket onboard), or you can get by metro (green line A) to Nadrazi Veleslavin. There, you need to change for the local bus to the airport (a regular ticket applies here). 

In Krakow, the easiest way to get from the airport to the city is by train - they depart twice per hour, and the travel time to the main train station is only 17 minutes. The ticket for this connection costs €4; you can buy it online or from the ticket machine at the airport.

If you prefer driving from Prague to Krakow and enjoying the freedom of the road trip, you should count on at least six hours to get from one city to another. However, the fastest way from Prague to Krakow includes paid roads, so you must remember to purchase the Czech vignette allowing you to use motorways during your trip (in Poland, you pay the toll when leaving the highway). 

Where to stop between Prague and Krakow
While the fastest way takes around six hours, you can make this trip a fun Prague to Krakow road trip and visit some interesting places along the way. Some of our recommendations of where to stop between Prague and Krakow are Kutna Hora (also a UNESCO place, known for its historical center and the bone chapel), Olomouc (a stunning city with the UNESCO-listed Holy Trinity Column), Cieszyn (a charming town divided by the Polish-Czech border), Bielsko-Biała (a beautiful city known as “little Vienna”), or the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Prague to Krakow by rental car
If you want to travel from Prague to Krakow by car but don’t have a vehicle to move around, you can use a rental car. Remember, however, about the high fee for returning the vehicle to another location; usually, you need to pay a few hundred Euros extra for this privilege. When looking for a Prague to Krakow car rental, be sure to include airports in your search, as that’s usually where you can find the best offers, availability, and selection.

If you hope to enjoy a comfortable trip by car from Prague to Krakow but don’t want to drive yourself, a private transfer between the cities might be a good solution for you. You can plan all the journey details according to your needs, including the pick-up time and location of the start and finish of the trip. You would travel with an English-speaking driver; the journey should take around six hours. 

The price for the Prague to Krakow private transfer starts at about €500 for a direct trip, but for an extra fee, you can include some sightseeing stops along the way. The most popular and interesting places you can visit between Prague and Krakow are Kutna Hora, Olomouc, Zbrasov Castle, Stramberk, and Auschwitz-Birkenau.

An interesting alternative to popular modes of transportation is car-sharing. It can also work for your trip from Prague to Krakow, so carpooling is worth considering, especially for last-minute trips when other options are unavailable. The most popular website to look for rides is BlaBlaCar. You can browse through available offers, and once you find the one that could work for you, contact the driver to arrange details. 

When planning the Prague to Krakow carpool trip, don’t look for rides well in advance as most of the offers are posted usually a few days before the departure. Be sure to read all the details before deciding, as sometimes the pick-up or drop-off location is away from the center, and you need to consider the extra hassle of getting to or from the designated point.

Prague to Krakow car-sharing trip usually costs around €20-30, but the driver sets the final price, hence the differences. 

If you are a fan of adventure and would like to enjoy unpredictable travel adventures during your trip, you must be warned - hitchhiking from Prague to Krakow might be difficult. With the distance of over 500 km between the cities, finding a direct ride might be a challenge (but it’s not impossible). Another issue is the road itself - you will need to use the network of roads and cross (or avoid) larger metropolitan areas, such as near Ostrava or Katowice.

Considering those obstacles, if you still want to try Prague to Krakow hitchhiking, the best way is to start first towards Brno and then head north to Poland. The best starting hitchhiking spot for this journey is the motorway service station on the E65 highway. To get there, you can take the red metro line C to Chodov station. Once you arrive there, it’s around a 30-minute walk to the Shell petrol station, where you can try to find the ride for your journey towards Krakow.

If you enjoy cycling and would like to get from Prague to Krakow on two wheels, you are in for an epic adventure. You will need around two weeks to cover the distance of about 650 km, part of it through the hilly area (hence you need a decent condition). 

Still, despite the effort, there is no better way to get to know Central Europe properly. The Prague to Krakow journey will take you through numerous charming towns, historical places, and even a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You can stop at well-known attractions and discover destinations only a few know about. It surely will be an unforgettable trip!

If you don’t want to deal with the practical side of such a journey, you can join the Prague to Krakow bike tour and have all the boring details taken care of for you. There are a few options with similar itineraries, so no matter what you choose, we bet you will have a wonderful time exploring Central Europe.

A slightly crazier idea (some might even call it insane) is walking from Prague to Krakow. The shortest distance between those two cities is around 450 km, so prepare to spend about a month on your journey. 

There are so many places you can stop along the way, though, so it surely won’t be a boring adventure. You can see some picturesque corners of Central Europe and learn more about its history, culture, and habits - you will truly get to know this region!

Fans of independent and thrilling adventures can travel from Prague to Krakow by motorcycle. While you can get quickly from one city to another using motorways, you can also go on the backroads through the picturesque landscape and charming towns. Getting from Prague to Krakow may take you longer, but it will surely be a more pleasant trip. And you never know what kind of gems and exciting situations you might get yourself into when traveling off the path.

If the price is not an issue, the fastest way of getting from Prague to Krakow is by private jet. The overall travel time between the centers of both cities should be around 3-4 hours, and you will no doubt travel in luxury and style. If you decide on this option, you can expect to pay at least €7.500 for chartering the plane from Prague to Krakow.

Another not very popular but still doable way of traveling from Prague to Krakow is on horseback. It will not be the most comfortable journey, and it’s recommended only for warm months, but it would undoubtedly be a one-of-a-kind trip. 

You would need at least a week to get from Prague to Krakow on horseback, but it’s better to plan for a few more days to visit interesting places and enjoy this part of Central Europe to the fullest.

Those who travel by RV can go for a fantastic road trip from Prague to Krakow by motorhome. While you can spend only around six hours traveling between the cities, it’s worth planning a longer journey to stop in numerous amazing places along the way (we’ve already discussed many of them in this article). 

Remember, though, that camping in the wild is prohibited in the Czech Republic; in Poland, you can do it only in designated spots. Fortunately, there are numerous campsites along the way where you can spend the night without getting into trouble.