Public transportation in Prague?

They do have a hop on hop off bus tour thingy but like Florence Its a walking town the old part that you want to see.
There are no cars permitted in certain sections, e.g. the Charles Bridge. and you notice more detail on foot.

I spent 4 days in Prague and only took the metro once, to get to the National Gallery. Plenty to see in the compact old town and surrounding area, and I walked over the Charles bridge to the Castle, enjoyed the sights on the way there but that's quite a hill to get up.

Prague is a favorite of mine. Old Town and Charles Bridge sites are central and require walking. Prague Castle is reached by local Tram uphill. Vysehrad is reached by Tram. Metro to bus or train station for transfers. Thus, in a short stay local transportation 4-5 times. See Old Town at night. Negotiate the crowds. If you plan to see Jewish Quarters, check open times.

The transit pass costs about $13 US for three days, or the same as 13 short-trip tickets, and you may want to pay that price for hop-on flexibility. You'll probably use tram or Metro going to and from the train stations. I took a tram to see the Slav Epic when it was at the Veletrzni Palace, but it's not there this year.

Prague sightseeing options are a just bit more spread out than in Florence. For instance, the 2 km between Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce in Florence might be the furthest a tourist ventures in a short stay. In Prague, from the Dancing House to the Old New Synagogue is the same distance, but is also a straight shot on tram 17, if you need to save your feet for another destination.

Note that some Prague tram routes have changed (again). These should be reflected in Rick's latest Prague book, dated 2017 on the back.

I both walked a lot and used trams a lot (subway much less). However, I was there for parts of 10 days (two overnights away), so I just bought a 2 week pass. I could have used trams less if I had taken time to be more geographically organized in my sightseeing (grouping sights by neighborhood). I often went back and forth between sections of town, and walking that distance would be tiring. I also appreciated the ability to take trams for short distances since I had already paid for it (hop on and off as Laura says).

So, my vote is for the pass. It's also logistically easier; you just buy it once, validate it once, and keep it in your wallet, purse, etc. If an inspector comes around, you show it (and yes, I did see inspectors, as well as tourists caught without valid tickets). You don't otherwise have to think about it, spend time buying tickets, remembering to validate them, etc.

there are two main tourist areas in Prague The castle area and the Old town, and both are mainly pedestrianised as you already know , the 22 tram between the old town and castle is great and there is now a new 23 tram that serves much the same route but all the trams are "nostalgic" trams from the 60's.
Been a long time since I have been to Florence (about 30) and I would say the amount of walking is about the same. I would not bother buying 3 day passes but buy a handful of 24kc tickets and use them when needed , you just valisate them on whatever tram you use.

We'll be in the Letna district for 5 nights so I'd imagine we'll be using public transport more than if staying more centrally. What would be a good option for the two of us? An n-day pass each, or just get a handful of individual tickets?

a 110kc 24 hr pass is your best bet if using the trams more than 3 or 4 times a day. lasts for 24hrs from when you first stamp it.
https://livingprague.com/prague-transport/prague-public-transport/
again Living Prague shows you the options read the bit about validation. Keri did I send you a message about the area you are staying in ,I can't see messages I have sent .I will be in Prague at the end of the month from the 26th and will be in Letna Park beer garden quite a bit.

@ Keri: We were in Prague a couple of weeks ago. I would really recommend the 3-day public transportation pass. We stayed in the 7th and we took trams and occasionally the metro over and over and over. You'll get your money's worth for sure.

We went to one of the central Transport Information Centers and, to our surprise, the nice lady would not sell us a 3-day pass. She said if you're over 70 yrs old you do not pay -- so, no, no pass or ticket needed. Stunned. I tried a different tack: "But we're not Czech ... we're (pause) foreigners?" No matter, she replied, just show your passport if an inspector comes around.

So I guess there is such a thing as a "free ride" (?). That or she turns to her buddy after we leave the window and says, "We got another one! hehe"

Can this be true? I thought I'd read up on all the transport options and permutations. 'Free' isn't something I normally miss. (scratching head)

yep very true, I am 62 and now qualify for a PIT discount card that gets me a months travel for 250kc, not free but pretty cheap.

Uncle Gus, where did you go / what did you have to do to get the discount card? I wondered when I was there in May whether I was eligible but never got round to checking it out. I ended up buying two 3 day passes: still incredibly cheap in U.K. Terms!

you have to go to one of the transport offices and buy a PIT card costs 50kc I think and you need 2 passport style photos, you can then buy a discounted ticket ,the card lasts for 5 years and you can buy the tickets when you need them, not worth it for a one time visitor as it can take a bit of time but for a regular visitor like me worth the effort.

And for the 70+ there is NO additional card or ID needed (other than Passport) -- or so we were told. I'll report back if we're stopped and find out to the contrary.

This was confusing since a general google search got some hits from past years that talk about needing a special transit ID, similar to what unclegus describes for the 'senior' (under 70) discount. But the Czech transport site itself is fairly clear on this, once you glean that the column heading 'Senior' does not apply to those over 70+.

if you are over 70 you just need to show your ID card or passport..
actualy in over 20 years of visiting Prague I have never been asked to show my ticket on a tram or bus and I use them a lote but have been asked on the metro many times , 3 times in one day once.

BTW the inspectors are all plain clothed and have a disc like identification thing.They all tend to wear black clothes and DO NOT SMILE ever, they take no prisoners and you will never ever win an argument with them.

Uncle Gus - thanks for the info. Sadly, I don't get to go as often as you but I do go to visit friends there every year for ten days or so, so I might give it a go next time. Thanks again.

Dekjui, everyone for your help.
I bought five 3 days pass from the ticket kiosk lady at airport. Very easy! Paid with Apple Pay! (Seems like many museums and shops in Prague take Apple Pay).
It turned out to be overkill, since we stayed in Old Town Square and everything was 10 min walk, but as I find the process of trying to buy tickets for each ride intimidating and stressful, I don't regret having the passes for the 5-6 trips we took.

yes it is a good way of knowing you always have a ticket for the metro or trams if you need them. and the prices are low enough that you are not going to lose lots of money if you don't get full value out of them.

There's now a yellow machine on the wall of the luggage collection hall which sells tickets. Handy if you want to save a bit of time and buy them while waiting for luggage rather than go to the kiosk. It takes notes as well as coins, and gives change.

Alan

Alan that machine was not working last time I went through arrivals (Terminal 1), would take credit cards but no cash.Hopefully it has been fixed.