Heading to Prague on Sunday? Letná protest drives sellouts and higher fares

Travelers heading to Prague this Sunday face sold-out buses, heavily booked trains and higher fares as people converge on Letná for a demonstration supporting public-media independence.

Several volunteer-organized coaches are already full, while commercial operators have added capacity ahead of the Nov. 15 rally. Seats remain available on some routes, but options vary considerably by departure time and carrier.

The protest is not the only factor: FlixBus said the extended holiday weekend was also contributing to demand.

RegioJet has strengthened both train and bus services, with some Ostrava trains running with up to 11 carriages.

Its morning services from Ostrava still had substantial availability Thursday, in several cases exceeding 100 seats. However, fares were noticeably higher than for the following Sunday.

The cheapest ticket on the 5:49 a.m. departure cost CZK 459, compared with CZK 219 a week later. Another service was priced at CZK 659, an increase of CZK 260.

From Brno, RegioJet added buses and reported availability on both rail and road services, with outbound fares starting at CZK 379. Return journeys also retained seats.

Czech Railways’ Můj vlak app showed several morning trains from Brno and Ostrava nearly sold out, sometimes with seats remaining only in higher classes.

The operator said it would assess demand and add capacity where bookings and technical conditions allowed.

Leo Express reported only a handful of seats left on morning services between Moravia and Prague and said it did not plan to increase capacity.

FlixBus said some services from Plzeň and Karlovy Vary were full, while departures from Liberec, České Budějovice and Brno were approaching capacity. It was discussing possible additional departures with partners.

Arriva, by contrast, reported no increased demand for Sunday journeys to Prague.

Local volunteers and Million Moments groups are organizing dozens of additional coaches. Return tickets generally cost CZK 250–500, depending on departure point.

The national organization lists reported services on its interactive transport map, but does not organize or finance them.

A coach from České Budějovice is full, as are services from Nové Město na Moravě and Žďár nad Sázavou. Organizers added a second coach on the Pelhřimov–Humpolec route after the first filled.

Three coaches from the Olomouc Region are also full. Some seats remained on services from Moravian-Silesia, where two coaches were approximately 80 percent booked.

The rally begins at 2 p.m. on Letná plain. It opposes plans to replace Czech Television and Czech Radio fees with state-budget funding, which critics say would threaten independence. The government rejects that claim.