How To Get From Prague To Ostrava (Quickest & Cheapest)

The Czech Republic’s capital city of Prague is located roughly 370km from the country’s third-largest city of Ostrava. While there are no direct flights between these two locations, there are still several transport options available.

The best way to travel between Prague and Ostrava is by train. The journey usually takes around 3.5 hours and typically costs between €7.00 and €40 depending on the date, time and class of travel.

However, if you’re looking for an alternative, then the popular bus company FlixBus offers routes between these two cities multiple times a day for as little as €11.99 one-way. Meanwhile, if you are looking for additional flexibility in your journey then hiring a car may be worthwhile.

⏱️ Time: 3.5 hours
💵 Cost: €7.00 – €40.00
🎫 Buy Your Train Tickets

The train is the quickest, easiest and often the cheapest way to travel between Prague and Ostrava. There are roughly 8 services a day departing between 8:00am and 8:00pm with a total journey time of roughly 3.5 hours.

There are currently three different companies in the Czech Republic offering trains between Prague and Ostrava. They are;

• Czech Railways
• LEO Express
• RegioJet

There is little difference between these companies in terms of price or travel duration. Instead, the main differences come down to the departure time and comfort / onboard amenities.

I personally travelled by train from Prague to Ostrava for the Colours of Ostrava Festival with a first-class ticket on Czech Railways. This saw me share a cabin with five other people throughout the journey and get a free bottle of water.

There was a trolley onboard that came around roughly every hour with food and drinks that could be purchased. However, there was no table and just two plug sockets which meant that I had to work with my laptop on my knees.

This wasn’t an issue for me, after all the journey was just 3.5 hours. However, the difference between the first-class journey I had imagined vs the first-class journey I experienced was very different so I figured it’s worth noting to try and temper others expectations in advance.

All trains from Prague to Ostrava depart from Prague Main Station (Praha hlavní nádraží) and tickets can be purchased online in advance or in person at the station using either the ticket desk or one of the ticket machines (which can be translated into multiple different languages at the touch of a button).

Trains from Prague to Ostrava typically stop at two train stations in Ostrava; Ostrava-Svinov and Ostrava hl. n. (Ostrava hlavní nádraží / Ostrava Main Station). In most cases you’ll want the second stop; Ostrava hl. n. as this is the closes train station to the city centre. However, I would recommend checking the distance to your accommodation / where you’re staying in Ostrava in advance just to be sure.

⏱️ Time: 5 hours
💵 Cost: €11.99
💻 Buy Bus Tickets: Omio

The popular coach company FlixBus offers several direct and indirect services between Prague and Ostrava. A direct route takes roughly 5 hours and typically costs between €11.99 and €24.99 one-way.

During the summer months, there are typically 13 direct services between Prague and Ostrava operating 24 hours a day with departure times as early as 00:15 and as late as 22:55. While all coaches arriving in Ostrava go to the Ostrava-ÚAN (the central bus station), coaches departing Prague leave from multiple different locations;

• Prague (Na Knížecí)
• Prague (Main Railway Station)
• Prague (Central Bus Station Florenc)
• Prague Roztyly

Some of these stations are miles from the centre of Prague and could take upwards of an hour to get to on public transport. As such I highly recommend double checking the departure location prior to purchasing your ticket.

I travelled from Vienna to Prague using FlixBus in 2018, and have used the FlixBus service multiple times in both Europe and the US since. As you might expect, it’s not the fanciest service. In fact, I often refer to it as the Ryanair of coach travel. However, the buses typically have plugs and WiFi, and get you from point A to point B on a budget.

⏱️ Time: 4.5 hours
💵 Cost: N/A
💻 Book Hire Car: Discover Cars

If you’re looking for some flexibility while exploring the Czech Republic then it may be worth considering renting a car. The journey from Prague to Ostrava in a car is roughly 4.5 hours and covers a distance of between 344km and 370km depending on the route you take.

Depending on your interests you can head pretty much directly west via the D11 or you can head south through the city of Brno via the D1.

Being the capital city, Prague benefits from a number of car rental companies including; Avis, Europcar, and Hertz. These companies have offices both in the city and at the airport, although I’ve found you’ll often get cheaper prices at the airport given that they typically have more cars available.

Speaking of the cost, it will increase drastically if you’re not able or willing to return the car to the pick-up location and instead only want one-way car hire. As such, if you’re travelling into the Czech Republic via Prague but leaving the country via Ostrava then I’d highly encourage you to travel by train or coach instead.

Of course, the cost of the car hire itself isn’t the only thing you’ll need to consider. Instead, you’ll also need to think about any insurance costs, parking and gas. These extras can once again push the total cost of hiring a car up significantly and make the idea of travelling by train or coach much more appealing.

When it comes to getting a hire car in the Czech Republic you can either order your car online in advance or go directly to the car hire office. Personally, I always recommend getting a car hire online in advance as it gives you the opportunity to compare different cars and different companies to ensure you’re getting the best price / value for money.

While hiring a car is likely to work out significantly more expensive when compared to public transport, it does allow for the flexibility to go on day trips from Ostrava to other nearby towns and cities with ease.