Czech Republic Guide
Getting around
By train
The country's train system is run, for the most part, by Czech Railways or ČD (České dráhy; 
840 112 113, 
www.cd.cz ). Trains marked "Os" (osobní or zastavkový) are local trains that stop at just about every station, while those marked "R" (rychlík or spěšný) are faster, stopping only at major towns. Fast trains are further divided, in descending order of speed, into "SC" (SuperCity) – for which you must pay a supplement – "EC" (EuroCity), "IC" (InterCity) and "Ex" (express).
Fares are calculated according to distance (and speed of train), with a one-way (jednoduchá) ticket on a fast train from Prague to Brno, a journey of 255km, costing around 300Kč (£10/$15); return fares (zpateční) are slightly less than double and two or more people travelling together get a discount (sleva pro skupiny). Note that up to two children aged 5 and under travel for free, any extra kids and those aged from 6 to 15 travel half-price; those aged 15 to 25 can buy a summer-only Junior Pass (valid from June 21– Sept 20) for just 100Kč, entitling them to discounted fares. Once you've worked out when your train leaves, the best thing to do when buying a ticket (jízdenka or lístek) is to write down all the relevant information (date/time/destination) on a piece of paper and hand it to the ticket clerk.
For all international services (and any other trains marked with an "R" on the timetable), you can buy a seat reservation (místenka), but it's only really worth it if you're travelling at the weekend or want to be sure of a seat. Several stations now offer bike rental (April– Oct) for between 100 and 200Kč a day. At some locations, you can also return the bike to a different station; check the Czech railways website for further details.