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Prague’s Old Town is compact enough to explore on foot, but its hills, cobbled lanes and the sheer distance between Prague Castle and the Vltava riverside mean a hop-on hop-off ticket earns its keep for anyone short on time. Three genuinely different services cover this ground, and picking the wrong one for your day is an easy way to waste money or miss what you actually wanted to see.
Two are modern open-top bus networks, Big Bus Prague and City Sightseeing Prague, running loop routes that connect the castle district, the Old Town and the main train station. The third is something rarer: a hop-on hop-off ticket for tram line 42, a genuine heritage tram service using vintage carriages, some dating back to the Austro-Hungarian era, that loops through the historic centre on the city’s actual tram tracks rather than a bus-only tourist circuit.
Each option suits a different kind of visit. Big Bus bundles its ticket with a castle tour and a river cruise, making it the strongest single purchase for someone wanting the full package in one go. City Sightseeing runs a second, independently operated bus network with its own route and an optional boat tour add-on, useful if Big Bus’s timings don’t suit your day. The tram 42 ticket is the cheapest of the three and the most atmospheric, better suited to someone who wants a shorter loop, a slower pace and a genuine slice of Prague’s transport history rather than a full city overview.
This guide breaks down what each ticket actually includes, how the routes differ in what they show you, and which one fits a rushed one-day visit versus a longer, unhurried stay. Prices below are quoted from GetYourGuide listings correct at the time of writing.
Prague Hop-On Hop-Off Options at a Glance
Before booking anything, it helps to see the three services side by side. All three operate as loop routes you can join at any stop, but they differ meaningfully in what’s bundled, how long a full circuit takes, and how far you’ll need to walk from your hotel to the nearest stop.
The table below covers the essentials: whether each ticket runs on rails or road, what comes bundled with the basic fare, and the starting price. Big Bus and City Sightseeing are both modern bus networks with recorded audio commentary, multiple routes and stops scattered across the main tourist zones. Tram 42 is a single circular route on genuine tram tracks, with an app-based audio guide rather than a screen or headphone jack at every seat.
The “from” prices reflect the cheapest ticket tier for each product, usually a 24-hour pass; longer validity and combined river or boat add-ons cost more. Exact CZK amounts fluctuate slightly with GetYourGuide’s own pricing and currency conversion, so treat the sterling, euro and dollar figures as a guide rather than a locked-in quote.
| Operator | Route type | What’s bundled | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bus Prague | Open-top bus, 2 linked routes | Castle tour + Vltava river cruise | 810 CZK (£28/€32/$38) |
| City Sightseeing Prague | Open-top bus, 2 routes | Optional boat tour add-on | 755 CZK (£26/€30/$35) |
| Historical Tram Line 42 | Vintage heritage tram, 1 circular route | Audio guide app + tower discount | 465 CZK (£16/€19/$22) |
Big Bus Prague: Hop-On Hop-Off, Castle Tour and River Cruise
Big Bus Prague is the flagship hop-on hop-off option for a reason: it’s the only one of the three that bundles a guided castle tour and a river cruise into the same ticket. The open-top buses run two linked routes, a Green line through the Old Town, Wenceslas Square and the riverside districts, and a Red line up to Prague Castle, Strahov and the residential hills above the river.
The Green line loops through the flatter half of the city, starting from Na Příkopě in the downtown shopping street before calling at Hotel Hilton on Pobřežní Street and the Nemocnice Na Františku stop by the embankment near Štefánik Bridge. From there it crosses to Staroměstské náměstí, Old Town Square itself, putting the astronomical clock and Charles Bridge within a short walk of the stop. The route continues to U Bruských kasáren near Letná Park before finishing at Malostranské náměstí, Lesser Town Square, and Jiráskovo náměstí by the Dancing House, so a single loop realistically covers the historic centre’s main squares and the riverside without ever climbing towards the castle.
The Red line takes the opposite, hillier route. It sets off from Hotel Hilton and U Bruských kasáren before climbing directly to Pražský hrad, Prague Castle’s own stop, then on to Dlabačov by the Petřín funicular station, useful if a ride up Petřín Tower is on the agenda. From there it drops back down past Švandovo divadlo near Kinsky Square and Jiráskovo náměstí by the Dancing House, before finishing at I.P. Pavlova and Karlov, close to Vyšehrad. Anyone boarding specifically for the castle should join at Hotel Hilton or U Bruských kasáren early in the day, since the Red line reaches Prague Castle within the first few stops rather than at the end of a long loop.
Between the two routes the network calls at around 13 stops, so you can join near the main station, Old Town Square or the castle gates depending on where your day starts. The castle add-on runs as a guided walking tour of the exteriors, departing daily in the early afternoon on the Red line, useful if you want a local guide’s context without booking a separate tour.
The river cruise covers a stretch of the Vltava with the castle and Charles Bridge in view, a good way to rest your legs midway through a long day of hopping on and off. Recorded audio commentary in more than twenty languages runs on every bus, and departures run roughly every 15 to 35 minutes depending on the route and time of day.
A 24-hour ticket is the standard entry point, with a 48-hour upgrade for anyone splitting their sightseeing across two days. For a visitor who wants one purchase that covers the castle, the river and the streets in between, this is the pick.
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Compare ratesBig Bus vs City Sightseeing vs Tram 42: Route and Duration Compared
With each ticket covered individually, here’s how the three stack up side by side. The table below pulls together the stops and route type each option covers, how long a full loop takes, and who each ticket suits best, useful if you’re still weighing up the castle-heavy Big Bus route, City Sightseeing’s Jewish Quarter detour, or the slower pace of tram 42.
| Product | Route/Stops Covered | Duration | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bus Prague | Green line (Old Town, Wenceslas Square, riverside) and Red line (Castle, Strahov, hills above the river), around 13 stops between both, plus a castle walking tour and Vltava river cruise add-on | Full loop roughly 90 minutes to two hours; 24-hour ticket standard, 48-hour upgrade available | A one-day visit wanting the castle, river and Old Town covered in one bundled ticket |
| City Sightseeing Prague | Two routes, around 13 stops, taking in Prague Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Strahov Monastery, Old Town Square, Malá Strana, Kampa Island and the Old Jewish Cemetery | Full loop roughly 90 minutes to two hours; 24-hour and 48-hour ticket tiers | Visitors who want the Jewish Quarter and Kampa Island on the loop, or need different timings to Big Bus |
| Historical Tram Line 42 | Single circular route starting and looping through Dlabačov, around two dozen stops including Charles Bridge, the National Theatre and Wenceslas Square | Trams depart roughly every 30 minutes with a short break at Dlabačov between circuits; 24-hour unlimited access | Rushed day trips, tight budgets and anyone who wants atmosphere over a full guided overview |
City Sightseeing Prague: HOHO Bus Tour and Optional Boat Tour
City Sightseeing Prague is the city’s second open-top bus network, run independently of Big Bus with its own stops and timings, which makes it a genuine alternative rather than a duplicate. Its buses cover roughly 13 stops across two routes, taking in Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral, Strahov Monastery, Old Town Square with its astronomical clock, the Malá Strana district, Kampa Island and the Old Jewish Cemetery.
It’s a route with a slightly stronger lean towards the Jewish Quarter and the quieter riverside pockets around Kampa than Big Bus’s more castle-and-station-focused loop. The basic ticket is a straightforward bus-only pass, but a boat tour on the Vltava can be added as a genuine optional extra rather than something baked into every ticket.
The Blue Line begins at Náměstí Republiky, Republic Square, and calls at Wenceslas Square and Jiráskovo náměstí by the Dancing House before climbing to Malostranské náměstí and two separate Prague Castle stops, Prague Castle Up and Prague Castle Down, bracketing a visit to Strahov Monastery in between. It then drops down along the river bank and finishes at Old Town Square, giving it the most castle-focused sequence of either City Sightseeing route.
The Red Line instead starts from the main train station, Hlavní nádraží, calling at U Bruských kasáren, Old Castle Stairs, before reaching Prague Castle’s entrance by St Vitus’s Cathedral and continuing on to Strahov Monastery and Strahov Stadium by Petřín Garden. From there it swings past Švanda Theatre and the Dancing House before finishing at I.P. Pavlova Square, making it a useful pickup point for anyone starting from the station rather than a central square.
That flexibility suits anyone who’d rather decide on the day whether they fancy the water or not. Tickets run in 24-hour and 48-hour tiers, with buses generally circulating through the morning and into mid-afternoon, and free Wi-Fi and recorded multilingual commentary are standard across the fleet.
Tickets can be bought online in advance or in person at the City Sightseeing kiosk near Náměstí Republiky, close to the Municipal House, which also doubles as a boarding point. For anyone who finds Big Bus’s departure times don’t line up with their day, or who specifically wants the Jewish Quarter and Kampa Island on the loop itself, this is the stronger match.
Both bus networks cover similar ground with a different accent, but neither puts you on the city’s actual tram infrastructure. That’s where the third option sets itself apart. Rather than another loop of open-top buses, this hop-on hop-off ticket swaps the double-decker for a genuine piece of Prague’s transport history, restored carriages running on real tram tracks through the historic centre. It’s worth reading before deciding between a bus pass and something with a very different character.
Hop-On Hop-Off Historical Tram Ticket for Line 42
Tram line 42 is not a bus route dressed up as heritage, it’s a genuine vintage tram service that Prague City Tourism runs seasonally in partnership with the city’s transport authority, using restored carriages from the Austro-Hungarian era through to the 1950s and 1970s. The hop-on hop-off ticket sold on GetYourGuide gives unlimited access to this single circular route for 24 hours.
The route starts and loops back through Dlabačov, near Prague Castle, calling at roughly two dozen stops along the way, including Charles Bridge, the National Theatre and Wenceslas Square. Trams depart roughly every 30 minutes between morning and early evening, with a short scheduled break at Dlabačov between circuits, so it’s worth timing your first boarding rather than assuming a tram will roll past every few minutes.
Leaving Dlabačov, the tram climbs past Pohořelec, home to the Astronomers’ Monument and Petřín Tower’s mirror maze, before reaching Prague Castle itself and the Royal Garden at Královský letohrádek, Queen Anne’s Summer Palace. It then drops down to Malostranská, passing the Waldstein Riding School, and on to Právnická fakulta by the Law Faculty and the edge of the Jewish Quarter, before crossing the river at Svatopluk Čech Bridge, with Prague’s giant Metronome visible in Letná Park above.
On the New Town side of the loop, the tram calls at Náměstí Republiky by the Powder Gate and Municipal House, past Masarykovo nádraží station and Jindřišská věž, the standalone bell tower, before reaching Václavské náměstí, Wenceslas Square, and continuing through Vodičkova towards Národní třída and the National Theatre at Národní divadlo. The final stretch runs via Újezd at the foot of Petřín Hill and Tyršův dům near the Lennon Wall and Kampa Island, before looping back past Malostranské náměstí towards Dlabačov to complete the circuit.
The ticket includes a route map and an audio guide app available in several languages, plus a genuinely useful bonus: half-price entry to one Prague City Tourism-run tower and access to a vintage bus route through Strahov and the Prague 6 district.
This is the option for anyone who wants the feel of old Prague rather than a full commentary-driven city tour: rattling along genuine tram tracks in a decades-old carriage is an experience in itself, distinct in character from sitting on an open-top double-decker. It’s also comfortably the cheapest of the three tickets.
Comparing the Routes: Castle Side, River Side or Historic Tram
The right choice often comes down to which side of Prague you most want to see from your seat. Big Bus’s Red line leans hardest into the castle side of the city, climbing up through Strahov and Dlabačov before dropping back towards the river, so it’s the strongest pick if Prague Castle and the hilltop views over the red rooftops are your priority.
Its Green line and the river cruise add-on cover the flatter, riverside half of the city instead: Old Town Square, the National Theatre area and a stretch of the Vltava itself. City Sightseeing’s route sits somewhere in between, with a genuine detour into the Jewish Quarter and Kampa Island that neither Big Bus nor tram 42 covers as directly.
That makes City Sightseeing worth considering if those two areas matter more to you than an extra castle pass. Tram 42 is the odd one out precisely because it isn’t chasing the same stops at all: it runs on the city’s actual heritage tram tracks rather than roads built for buses, so the views and the ride itself feel older and slower.
Its loop through Dlabačov, Charles Bridge and Wenceslas Square is really about the journey as much as the destinations. If you want a bus tour with a castle and a boat baked in, Big Bus wins; if you want the Jewish Quarter on your loop, City Sightseeing wins; if you want atmosphere over efficiency, tram 42 wins.
Which Hop-On Hop-Off Suits Your Prague Visit
Someone with a genuinely tight one-day visit, wanting the castle, the river and the Old Town all covered without booking three separate things, is best served by the Big Bus castle-and-cruise bundle. It’s one ticket, one purchase, and both add-ons are already scheduled into the day rather than needing separate bookings elsewhere.
For a truly rushed extreme day trip, someone arriving on an early train and leaving that same evening with only a few hours spare, tram 42 is often the more realistic option. Its single circular route is shorter and more predictable than juggling two bus lines, and because it departs every 30 minutes from a well-known stop near Náměstí Republiky, it’s easier to plan tightly around a fixed departure time.
Anyone prioritising photos and views over ticking off stops should lean towards Big Bus’s Red line for the elevated castle-side views, or the river cruise add-on for the classic Charles Bridge and castle skyline shot from the water. City Sightseeing’s Kampa Island stop is also a strong photo pick that the other two routes miss entirely.
For the cheapest possible loop, tram 42 wins outright: it’s roughly £10 to £12 cheaper than either bus ticket, and still covers a genuine cross-section of the historic centre. Anyone on a tight budget who mainly wants transport between sights, rather than a fully guided overview, gets the best value here.
Where to Find Tickets and Stops
All three tickets can be booked online in advance through GetYourGuide, the simplest route since it avoids queuing at a kiosk on the day and locks in your price before boarding. Vouchers are typically shown as a QR code on your phone or a printed copy, scanned by staff on board or at a ticket point.
Big Bus and City Sightseeing both have visible stops scattered across the main tourist zones: Old Town Square, near the main train station (Hlavní nádraží), close to Prague Castle’s Dlabačov side, and along the riverside near the National Theatre. Look for the branded stop signage, usually a small pole or sticker near existing public transport stops, rather than a dedicated shelter.
City Sightseeing also runs a walk-up kiosk near Náměstí Republiky, right by the Municipal House, useful if you’d rather buy or exchange a voucher in person. Staff there can also advise on the next departure if you haven’t booked ahead.
Tram 42’s main boarding and information point is also around Náměstí Republiky, though because it runs on the regular tram network’s own tracks, you can join at any of its roughly two dozen marked stops around the historic centre, including Malostranská and outside the National Theatre. Staff on board check your ticket rather than a separate turnstile, so there’s no need to find a special platform, just wait at the correct stop and flag down a tram signed for line 42.
Rupert’s Handy Travel Tips
Hopping on and off around Prague is easy enough, but a few local habits will save you time and a fair bit of frustration.
- Time your first boarding: buses and trams both run on a set frequency, not a constant stream, so check the nearest departure time rather than assuming one will pass in five minutes.
- Sit upstairs on the right: on Big Bus’s Red line, the right-hand side gets the best views as the bus climbs towards Strahov and the castle.
- Show your voucher as you board tram 42: there’s no ticket machine on the vintage carriages themselves, so staff check it by eye when you step on.
- Layer up in the colder months: open-top buses and vintage trams both mean exposed seating for at least part of the ride, and Prague’s Old Town channels a proper wind chill from October through March.
- Don’t chain all three tickets in one day: pick one bus network and, if you fancy the tram too, save it for a slower second day rather than cramming every option into one visit.
- Keep the audio guide charged: both bus networks and the tram rely on an app or onboard headphone jack, so a charged phone or set of earbuds gets far more out of the commentary.
Want to meet the reindeer behind our travel tips? Find out more in our page Who is Rupert?.
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Book a transferFrequently Asked Questions About Prague Hop-On Hop-Off Tours
How many hop-on hop-off options does Prague actually have?
Prague has three genuinely different hop-on hop-off tickets: two open-top bus networks, Big Bus Prague and City Sightseeing Prague, plus a heritage tram ticket for line 42. All three run as loop routes you can join and rejoin at any stop.
Is tram line 42 a real public tram or just a tourist gimmick?
It’s a genuine heritage tram service using restored vintage carriages, some dating back to the Austro-Hungarian era, run seasonally by Prague’s own transport and tourism authorities. It runs on the city’s actual tram tracks rather than a bus-only circuit built for visitors.
Which hop-on hop-off ticket includes a river cruise?
Big Bus Prague’s Hop-on Hop-off, Castle Tour and River Cruise ticket is the one that bundles a Vltava river cruise into the base price. City Sightseeing offers a boat tour too, but only as a separate optional add-on rather than something included automatically.
How long does a full loop take on each route?
Big Bus and City Sightseeing both run multi-stop loops that take roughly 90 minutes to two hours to complete without hopping off, depending on traffic and time of day. Tram 42’s circular route runs on a fixed schedule, with trams departing every 30 minutes and a short break at Dlabačov between circuits.
Do I need to book hop-on hop-off tickets in advance?
Booking ahead through GetYourGuide isn’t essential but it does lock in your price and skip any kiosk queue on the day. In quieter months you can often buy on the day at a stop or kiosk, though summer weekends are busier and advance booking is the safer bet.
Can I use a hop-on hop-off ticket instead of Prague’s regular public transport?
Not really. These tickets cover a limited loop of tourist stops rather than the city’s full tram and metro network, so they work best alongside, not instead of, a standard public transport ticket for anything off the main sightseeing route.
Further Reading
If the river cruise bundled into the Big Bus ticket has caught your interest, our dedicated guide to Prague River Cruises covers the standalone options in more depth, including sunset and dinner cruises that go well beyond the short stretch included in a hop-on hop-off pass.
Tram 42 is a heritage service rather than a way to get around day to day, so if you need the regular network, our Prague Public Transport guide explains how the ordinary tram and metro system works, including tickets that cover journeys a hop-on hop-off pass doesn’t.
Anyone weighing up a city pass alongside a bus ticket should also check our Prague City Pass guide, since some passes already include discounted attraction entry that overlaps with what Big Bus’s castle add-on covers.
For the wider list of what to see once you’re off the bus, our Things to Do in Prague hub rounds up the sights each route passes, from the castle complex to the Old Town’s main squares.
