Transport in CR

Transport in CB

Public transport

The public transport (“Městská Hromadná Doprava” = MHD) company of České Budějovice is called Dopravní podnik města České Budějovice (DPMCB). All the important information including ticket prices and timetables is available on www.dpmcb.cz/en/. The tickets are cheap (basic 60 min ticket for 16 CZK) and there are no city zones. If you know the bus stops names, required connection can be quickly found on IDOS. Find the bus stops names at en.mapy.cz.

Taxi & Car

Although the main bus lines are served at night, the frequency is much lower (once an hour or longer). In case you need the ride ASAP, contact to a taxi service comes in handy. Call TaxiKroupa, Vi3, Ladies Taxi or get the Liftago app.
If you need a car for some longer period of time and do not have one of your own, try GoDrive carsharing.
In case you are a holder of a valid driving licence issued abroad or you want to obtain a driving licence from scratch, see below.

Bicycle

Also bike riding has been gaining popularity here because CB is basically one big flat place with everyday traffic jams on the main city streets. If you do not have your own bike, use Rekola bikesharing (the pink bikes with a cart).

Do you want to buy a car/bike or need a repair? Get some tips in section Shops & Services.

Transport within Czechia

By train

Referring to railway and bus network the Czech Republic indeed deserves its nickname “heart of Europe”, for it has one of the densest public transport networks in the world. The transport connections are frequent and relatively cheap, high-quality and comfortable. For a train connection visit pages of the national carrier České dráhy and private company RegioJet.

By bus

If you decide to travel by bus, use the services of RegioJet (yes, this “yellow” company has buses as well as trains, see the same link as mentioned above) or FlixBus.
To find out the best combination of trains, buses and city public transports, or simply the best direct connection for your journey, check IDOS.

Discount with ISIC

ISIC is the only globally recognized proof of student status for high schools, colleges and universities and selected one-year post-secondary fields of study. If you hold a valid ISIC card, you may use many benefits and discounts on various services, including transportation. Visit www.isic.cz/en/discounts/discounts-in-transportation/.

Driving Licence

If you hold a valid driving licence issued by the member state of the EU/EEA or Switzerland, you may drive in the Czech Republic for the period of validity of your licence. For more info including checking the type of your driving licence, visit Driving licence on europa.eu.

In case you hold a driving licence issued by any non-EU country, you need to find out whether your country signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (1968) – see the list of contracting countries e.g. on treaties.un.org. In this point, two possible scenarios are ahead:

If your country is on the list, you may drive in CR but only for the period of your licence validity. If you have a residence permit for more than 1 year in the Czech Republic, you must replace your driving licence with a Czech one eventually, doing so within 3 months from the day the residence permit was issued. For more, please visit Driving licence validity in Czech Republic on europa.eu.
In case your driving licence does not meet the requirements of the Convention mentioned above, you need to attend the driving school in the Czech Republic. Then, in case you pass the exams, you can apply for the driving licence card.

Here are some tips on driving schools in CB teaching in English:
Petr Sim International Driving School
Autoškola Vacek
DPMCB Driving School

Registration of a Vehicle

Do you already own a car and want to bring it with you in the Czech Republic? You need to take several steps and again – it depends on the country the vehicle is imported from (EEA+ or non-EEA+). Get more information on:

europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/registration/registration-abroad/index_en.htm
www.mdcr.cz/Dokumenty/Silnicni-doprava/Registrace-vozidel/Jak-registrovat?lang=cs-CZ (Ministry of Transport, in Czech)
www.yespojisteni.cz/prihlaseni-auta-z-dovozu/ (in Czech, written from a Czech point of view)
www.registr-vozidel.cz/caste-dotazy/vehicle-registration-foreigners (also offers paid services like consulting or arrangement on your behalf)

Authority: Magistrát města České Budějovice, Oddělení evidence vozidel (www.c-budejovice.cz/oddeleni-evidence-vozidel)

Do you have any useful tip, recommendation or experience, which you'd like to share to help others? Or any comment on information on this page? Let us know.