Two new historical tram routes have launched services in Prague for summer

Two new historical tram lines have started service and will run until Aug. 31 as part of the At Home in Prague project to encourage domestic staycations.

Tram routes 42 and 43 will operate as hop-on hop-off trams so people can use them to see the main sights and then get back on another historical tram when they feel like it. Tram 42 runs daily, while 43 runs on Wednesdays, weekends, and holidays. The traditional historical line 41 will be out of operation when these new routes run, as they would largely overlap.

Tickets valid for 24 hours are CZK 200 for adults, and CZK 100 for children, students, seniors, and disabled. A single trip for adults on the 43 tram, without hopping back on, is CZK 50. Tickets can be bought in advance or on the trams, which have a contactless terminal. Visitors participating in the At Home in Prague program can ride the tram for one point.

Annual or monthly transit passes including Lítačka are not valid for the historical routes. Conversely, the 24-hour ticket for the historical trams cannot be used on other modes of public transit.

Trams on the line range from the era of the Austro-Hungarian Empire through the First Republic and up to the 1960s, with a T2 and the oldest example of a T3 still in operation. While the T3 is still in service, most have been upgraded over the years. The one on the historical route is in the original condition.

Janek Rubeš, who posts videos as the Honest Guide, took one of the first rides and posted a video showing highlights of the route while riding on a 106-year-old tram.

The routes of both trams will pass Prague Castle and the Belvedere summer palace (Královský letohrádek). Initially, Tram 42 will go down to Malá Strana, past the National Theater, across Wenceslas Square, Náměstí Republiky and Dlouhá třída, then looping back past the base of Letná and the Law Faculty on Pařížská Street before heading back into Malá Strana and the Castle.

From July 15, once some track work is finishes, the 42 route will be extended to Karlovo náměstí and Palackého náměstí, and include a stretch along the waterfront, called Náplavka, which has become a very popular spot to stop for refreshments or events.

Tram 43 loops around the trendy Holešovice district with a stops at both Letná and Stromovka parks as well as a dip into Malá Strana before heading back to the Castle.

The trams aimed at tourists are also part of Prague's effort to reduce traffic downtown.

“We will be able to hop on and off the tram throughout the day and enjoy a sightseeing tour of the most beautiful places in Prague. On the way, they will also learn interesting information not only about Prague's sights,” Scheinherr said.

This year, marks 130 years since the first electric tram operated in Prague, on July 18, 1891, as well as 130 years since the start of the cable car on Petřín. the first electric tram route was short, from the beer garden at from Letenské zámeček to Stromovka. Before the trams were electrified, they were pulled by horses.

Information about the At Home in Prague program and a list of all the sights, places and cultural events involved in the project, as well as participating hotels, is available on the program website and in our previous story.

Complete route and ticket information for the historical trams is on the websites of At Home in Prague, as well as Prague City Hall and Prague Public Transit Company.