Prague's public transport ferries return for the spring 2023 season

After a winter break, Prague's public transport ferries have resumed carrying passengers between banks of the Vltava river for the spring season. The ferries that have now resumed service even include one that was thought to have taken its final voyage last fall.

Prague's public transport ferries are strategically placed at locations that may only be few hundred meters apart, but where there is no quick public transport alternative. They can be ridden with a standard public transport pass or ticket, and save travel time in addition to providing a scenic view of Prague's waterways.

Prague's P1 ferry between Sedlec in Prague 6 and Zámky in Prague 8 and the P2 ferry between V Podbabě (Prague 6) and Podhoří (Prague 7) run all-year-round, but an additional four ferries join them during the warmer months. Ferries P3, P5, P6, and P7 are now back in service.

The P7 ferry between Holešovická tržnice in Prague 7 and Rohanský ostrov in Prague 8, nicknamed "HolKa" as it provides quick access between the city's Holešovice and Karlín neighborhoods, was thought to have taken its final voyage last October. It will be replaced by a new pedestrian footbridge between the districts.

The new footbridge was originally expected to be completed for the spring 2023 season, but construction has been delayed with a new opening date tentatively set for July.

The P7 ferry will now resume operation until the new bridge is completed later this summer; unlike previous years, it won't stop at the Štvanice island due to construction in the area.

After the bridge has opened, the P7 ferry will be recommissioned to another location as the new P4 ferry, and bring passengers between Dostihová in Prague 5 and Belárie in Prague 4.

There are no changes in the other ferry lines this year, each of which take passengers between neighborhoods in Prague 5 and Prague 4. The P3 will take passengers between Lihovar and Dvorce, while the P5 travels between Císařská luka and Výtoň, and the P6 travels between Lahovičky and Nádraží Modřany.

In 2022, Prague's ferries transported more than 619,000 passengers, with the P2 seeing the highest amount of traffic at around 600 passengers per day. The P5 and P7 ferries were the next most popular.

"Thanks to the Vltava River, we can travel in Prague by public transport even by water, with a regular ticket or travel pass," says Prague Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdeněk Hřib in a press release.

"Where the two banks of the Vltava are not connected by bridges, or where they are still being built, as in the case of the Štvanice footbridge, ferries are very popular. This will certainly be the case this season as well."

More information and a full schedule for each of the ferries can be found at the website of Prague Integrated Transport.