Florenc is Prague’s main bus station for international and long distance buses. Prague’s central train station (Hlavní nádraží) is only about one kilometre from Florenc and has convenient connection by metro (just one stop), although if you want to walk for some reason, it is not that simple.
Florenc to Main Train Station by Metro
So you have just got off a bus at Florenc and need to catch a train at Hlavní nádraží? Nothing beats the metro here. It is only a one stop ride, which means that you spend about one minute in the metro carriage.
Because the journey is so short, you can buy the cheapest ticket, which currently costs CZK 24 and is good for 30 minutes. Keep in mind that the ticket must be validated in the small yellow boxes which you will pass when entering the metro station. The machines to buy the tickets are right next to those. You will need coins to use them. The 30 minute single ticket is the first button in the top left corner of the machine. If you don’t have coins or are scared/too confused to use the machines, there is also a counter with a live person.
Note that there are two metro lines at Florenc – yellow line B and red line C. To get to the main train station you need to take line C in direction to Háje (or Kačerov, which is an earlier terminus in the same direction for some trains). Again, the name of your stop, which is the one immediately after Florenc, is Hlavní nádraží. Once you arrive at that station, you can exit the platform either by stairs or an elevator – either will take you directly to the main hall of the train station.
The metro normally operates every day from about 5am to midnight. The intervals between trains on this section (the busiest in Prague) are less than 2 minutes in the morning and afternoon peak hours and slightly longer at less busy times. The longest are up to 10 minutes late in the evening.
Taking a Taxi from Florenc to Hlavní Nádraží
If you really want to take a taxi, it is also an option, but you risk getting stuck in a traffic jam, as the taxi will have to go through a short section of the main Prague north-south highway, which sometimes looks more like a giant car park during the peak hours. The metro beats the taxi on all fronts (cost, time, convenience) and by a wide margin.
Walking from Florenc to Hlavní Nádraží
The third available option is to walk. Although on a map it looks like a very short distance (which it is), I would not recommend it, unless you 1) have a lot of time (at least 30 minutes) 2) don’t have luggage (the wheels get close to useless on those cobblestone pavements) and 3) don’t mind possible getting lost. Also note that the route from the bus station to the train station is not among the nicest in Prague city centre.
You’ve been warned, but if you really have to:
Though the two stations are very close, the only straight connection between them is a highway bridge, where pedestrians can’t go. Under the highway bridge there is another train station, which you have to bypass: Masarykovo nádraží or Masaryk train station. Masaryk was the first Czech president (Czechoslovakian in fact) after Czechoslovakia gained independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the World War I in 1918.
From Florenc (after crossing under the highway bridge) you go down a quiet street Na Florenci and you can see Masaryk station on your left. After about 5 or 10 minutes you come to this train station’s entrance and a busier street with trams (Havlíčkova street).
You pass the station’s entrance and then you can turn left again and walk by the other side of Masaryk Station (the street’s name is Hybernská now). Then take the first turn to the right (Opletalova street) and you should already see a park about 150-200 metres ahead. The park’s name is Vrchlického Sady). The entrance to the main train station is located in the middle of this park – just follow the biggest flow of people.