Czechia is a small landlocked country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the southeast and Poland to the northeast. The country is a part of the Schengen area. Studying in Czechia puts you in the middle of Europe and you have a great chance to discover all European countries and places you might otherwise not have had the opportunity to visit!
By plane
Václav Havel Airport in Prague is the most important international airport in Czechia and the biggest airport among the new EU member states. It is located 10 kilometres west of the city centre and you can choose from about 50 regular airlines connecting Prague directly to about 130 destinations around the world. Information about airlines, schedules and passenger services is available at its website. Prague Airport operates two terminals. Terminal 1 is designated for departures to countries outside of the Schengen Area while Terminal 2 handles departures to the Schengen Area member states.
Czech Airlines (CSA) is the flagship air transport services provider of Czechia. From the Prague Airport it offers connections to the majority of main European destinations and to transit points in North America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
Public transport from the airport is described here. If you travel to a city other than Prague, you can use intercity coach services directly from the airport.
There are other airports in Brno and Ostrava. Students that are coming to study in Brno can also use the airports in Vienna (Austria) or Bratislava (Slovakia).
By train or bus
If you travel to Czechia from Europe, you can take a bus or train.
Student Agency or Flixbus coaches offer services from a range of European countries including the UK, Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Sweden, Norway and Italy.
Prague has an international train station with services running from Poland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Prices of international tickets for selected destinations from Prague can be found at the Czech Railways website.
Within Czechia you can easily travel both by bus and train, as the country has one of the densest rail networks in Europe and an elaborate system of public bus transportation. Connections by bus and train are reliable. You can look up local as well as international train and bus connections here.
By car
Coming by car? There are six motorways in Czechia, the oldest and most important being the D1 motorway connecting Prague and Brno. A map of the motorway network in Czechia and information about relevant fees can be found here.
The documents required are: driving licence (European or international), ID card (EU) or passport, and vehicle documents (small certificate of roadworthiness, third party insurance and a green card). The maximum permissible speed for cars in towns and villages is 50 km/h, 90 km/h on roads and 130 km/h on highways.
Public transport
Large cities have an efficient system of public transport using tram, bus or trolleybus. Prague also has a subway. You can purchase tickets for individual journeys, but if you are staying for longer, consider buying more advantageous day tickets, two-day tickets or week tickets or even a long-term travel pass. In some cities, you can buy tickets via the mobile application, text messages, from ticket machines at stops or directly from the driver. You can also generally buy them in public transport shops and in shops selling tobacco and newspapers. For timetables see www.idos.cz.
Tariff quotas
Customs checks at state borders ended on the date Czechia joined the EU. Checks have remained only at the outer borders of the EU. This is why you will only come across checks at international airports. Exemption of goods brought into the EU from customs duty, VAT and consumer tax relates to goods imported occasionally for personal use. Information about amounts which you can bring into Czechia and which goods are exempt from customs duty, VAT and consumer tax can be found here.