Getting From Paris to Prague: All You Need to Know

Getting From Paris to Prague: All You Need to Know

From the French capital to the Czech: a destination combo that is gaining much popularity amongst travelers to Europe.

Paris and Prague have a lot in common. They are both cities where romance can’t help but thrive. Their facades offer intricate representations of Gothic and Baroque architecture, and both Paris and Prague exist as products of their historic cores dating back to centuries BC.

Prague – by Dimitry Anikin – Unsplash

The Journey

The distance between Paris and Prague is vast. There are over 1000km, and an entire country, separating their national boarders from one another.

France and Czechia are separated by Germany. You will travel a significant amount of the French countryside before crossing the entire width of Germany, and only then entering into another stretch of Czech countryside before reaching the capital.

Thankfully it’s a relatively straight route from one to the other, and there are a number of suitable transportation options on offer for travelers to choose from. Time constraints, budget and number of passengers will all come into consideration when doing so.

If you were to venture slightly north from Paris and make the journey from there, you’d find The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg lying between France and Germany, and then only the beginning of Czechia.

Paris vs. Prague

The romanticized side of Europe, the castles, canals, bridges etc, materializes in the physical world in the form of the Czech capital.

Prague is the epitome of dream-like wonder; a city that somehow found a way to have Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance and Art Nouveau architecture coexist so effortlessly that “Prague” is almost a style of building in itself.

Prague – by Rodrigo Ardilha – Unsplash

This intriguing place was officially decided a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has resulted in more and more visitors making the pilgrimage across Europe each year.

They say that anyone who has visited Paris, and loved it, will usually always love Prague. The two seem to go hand in hand when it comes to general appeal, so adding Prague as a stop on your Parisian getaway is definitely something to be seriously considered.

Getting There

As mentioned, the distance between these two cities is considered to be quite the journey by European standards. Since there is so much land to be covered, travelers are encouraged to carefully consider each form of transportation and the timings involved.

By Plane

I’ll start with the most efficient transportation option on offer. Flying from Paris to Prague is a quick and easy way to move between the two cites; both of them have their own national airports that are relatively close to each city center.

Leaving from Charles de Gaulle Airport, a direct flight to Prague will take only 1 hour and 40 minutes. With transit times added, you’re looking at just under 5 hours to travel in total.

Depending on where you book your ticket, you could end up saving big, or splurging even bigger. There are tickets between Paris and Prague for as little as €40 some days, and then for as much as €250 on others.

Prague – by Raul Cacho Oses – Unsplash

Usually carriers between these cities don’t including checked luggage in fare prices, so this would need to be added in addition.

I recommend the flying option for anyone with little time to waste, or anyone traveling with children who might become antsy during extensive ground transportation.

By Train

Unfortunately at this time in Europe there is no direct, nor high-speed, train between Paris and Prague. It’s rare for train travel in Europe to take as long as a bus would, but this is definitely the case with these two destinations.

The train journey will take just over 12 hours total to complete. It services Germany along the way, so there are stops in Frankfurt and Dresden, before the boarder into Czechia is crossed.

The journey takes half of your day and most of your bank account: a typical one way ticket usually starts at around €200.

Prague – by Dmitry Goykolov – Unsplash

On the positive end of things, you’ll see sides of the French, German and Czech countrysides that not many others will ever get to see. Consider taking the night train if you want time to pass a lot faster!

By Bus

While the train takes just over 12 hours in duration, the bus journey between Paris and Prague comes in at just under 14 hours.

It’s a relatively direct journey straight across the landscapes, with no major detours for city stops en route.

The bus is also incredibly cheap. Tickets have been known to start for as little as €20, and never really get more expensive than €65. All of the busses from Paris to Prague will depart Bercy, in Paris, in the late afternoon and arrive in Prague in time for breakfast the following morning. 

Prague – by Vlad Kiselov – Unsplash

For students and backpackers, it doesn’t get much better than this to go across the European continent.

By Car

Driving the distance between Paris and Prague is an experience in itself; one that will take just over 9 hours to complete should you not stop at all.

With stops included, this journey looks more like a 12 hour stint. A lot of people opting to rent cars will usually divide the journey into two and make a stop for a night somewhere in Germany. Frankfurt and Nuremberg are the most convenient towns that don’t set road-travel offtrack too significantly.

Prague – by Alisa Anton –Unsplash

If you are traveling with more than just one other person, road travel can save you a lot of money in the long run. Splitting the cost of car rental and gas between four people, for example, will total a lot less than train or flight tickets for each individual traveler.