Czech Republic eSIM

Prague is where most visitors land, and its quirks catch people out: Czechia pays in koruna, not euros, a day ticket isn't valid on the Airport Express, and Vienna, Dresden and Bratislava are all a short trip over a border. If your SIM is from an EU country it already roams here like at home; for everyone else, a Czech Republic eSIM installed before you fly is the simplest way to be online when you land at Václav Havel Airport.

What a week of data costs in the Czech Republic

Prices for 7 days of data, checked on 2–3 November 2026. Daily passes charge for each day you use the phone abroad, per phone.

For a family of four on Verizon, that's $336 for one week. O2 UK and T-Mobile customers may need nothing extra for a short trip, though 256 kbps is slow for maps and photos. Vodafone's Tourist SIM is cheap for a week, if you don't mind finding a shop and swapping SIMs.

If your SIM is from the EU, it already roams like at home in Czechia, as long as you spend more time at home than abroad. UK plans aren't part of that system any more, which is why the UK rows above carry charges.

Landing at Prague (PRG) or Brno (BRQ)

Switch the kimsim line on as the plane taxis to the gate and turn on Data Roaming for that line only. Flights from the UK, the US, Canada and Australia use Terminal 1, the non-Schengen terminal; flights from inside Schengen use Terminal 2. Then go through passport control, collect your bags and walk out with a working map.

Entry rules. Since 12 October 2025, the EU's Entry/Exit System records non-EU visitors' fingerprints and a photo at the Schengen border, and it has been fully in place since 10 April 2026. Expect a longer queue the first time. ETIAS, the €20 travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, is not in operation yet; the official site says the EU will announce the start date several months ahead. So don't pay any website that offers you an ETIAS today. British visitors can stay up to 90 days in any 180 across Schengen. Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and expire at least 3 months after you leave. Without a Czech residence permit, your address has to be registered with the foreign police within 3 days, which your hotel can do for you.

Prague into the city. The public transport operator PID lists four ways in:

• Bus 59 to Nádraží Veleslavín for metro line A, about 35 minutes to the centre.
• Bus 100 to Zličín for metro line B, about 45 minutes.
• Airport Express (AE) from Terminal 1 to the main railway station (Hlavní nádraží), about 45 minutes. It has its own 200 Kč fare, and 24- and 72-hour tickets aren't valid on it.
• Night buses 907 and 910 from the Terminal 2 stop.

A 90-minute ticket covers buses 59 and 100 plus the metro: 46 Kč in the PID Lítačka app or 50 Kč on paper. Because of roadworks in front of Terminal 1, departures board at the Terminal 2 stop for now.

Taxis. The airport's official taxi service is Uber. You can book in the Uber app, at self-service kiosks or at staffed counters in both arrival halls, and you get a six-digit PIN to give the driver. The UK government warns about drivers offering rides in unmarked cars and overcharging.

Brno (BRQ) is about 12 km from the centre. Express bus 76 leaves from right outside the terminal for Brno's main railway station.

Networks and coverage

The Czech Republic has three mobile networks: O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone. O2 grew out of Český Telecom and Eurotel, belongs to PPF, and in 2015 handed its masts and cables to a separate company, CETIN. T-Mobile began as RadioMobil's Paegas network in 1996 and is owned by Deutsche Telekom; it launched 5G in 2020. Vodafone took over Oskar Mobil in 2005–2006. The Czech Republic plan uses O2 and Vodafone, not T-Mobile, and your phone shows their names, not kimsim.

In November 2024, O2 said its 5G covered 96% of the population, Vodafone was measured at 95% by the regulator ČTÚ, and T-Mobile, which shares a network with O2, at 93%. That's people, not land. Expect weaker signal in the Krkonoše and Šumava mountains, in deep river valleys and in thick-walled cellars and castles.

Borders. Czechia touches Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia. In border towns and on the trains to Dresden or Vienna, your phone can join a foreign network before you cross. If that happens, choose O2 or Vodafone by hand. The networks your plan uses are listed above.

Prague, Brno and day trips

• Prague: generally good coverage on the street and on trams; step outside if a cellar bar or castle hall drops your signal. Petty theft is a problem on the airport buses and the trams to Prague Castle, so keep your phone in a front pocket.
• Kutná Hora: about an hour by train from Prague, with a change onto a local train for the last 3 km into town. Tickets for the Sedlec Ossuary are for a set date and time, so book them on your phone before you go.
• Český Krumlov: about 3 hours by bus, with around ten a day, or about 4 hours by train, usually changing at České Budějovice. The town recommends booking a bus seat ahead.
• Brno and Moravia: Brno has its own airport (see above), so a Moravia trip doesn't have to start in Prague. Coverage can thin between villages and vineyards, so download offline maps.

Getting around

• Prague transport: buy tickets in the PID Lítačka app, which has a journey planner and live departures, or tap a contactless card on the terminal in any city bus, tram or metro vehicle. A 24-hour ticket is 140 Kč in the app and a 72-hour one 340 Kč.
• Trains and buses: long-distance buses to Český Krumlov are run by companies such as RegioJet and sell seats in advance online. Save tickets offline before you board, as signal comes and goes in the countryside.
• Driving: motorways need an electronic vignette. For a normal car it's 230 Kč for 1 day, 300 Kč for 10 days or 480 Kč for 30 days in 2026. Buy it on the official site only. Czechia has zero tolerance for alcohol at the wheel, with fines up to 50,000 Kč.

Apps worth having

• PID Lítačka for Prague tickets and journeys. It's in English, and you don't need to register to buy a single ticket.
• Rides: Uber is the official airport taxi, and Bolt runs rides across Prague. Set accounts up at home, because sign-up can send a code by text to your usual number.
• Maps: download offline areas for Český Krumlov, the mountains and any wine-country day.
• WhatsApp: guesthouses and tour guides often message you there. Keep your WhatsApp number working abroad.

SIM and phone rules

Neighbouring Austria and Slovakia make you show ID for a prepaid SIM, but as of July 2026 you could still buy a Czech SIM without being identified. Shops and kiosks may still ask for a passport. Vodafone won't take an online order from a non-Czech citizen, and only accepts Czech or EU payment cards for top-ups. Separately, you must carry your passport at all times in Czechia, though police will normally accept a scan.

A travel eSIM installed at home skips the shop and the SIM swap. It's data only, so your home number stays in the phone for calls and texts. How calls and texts work with a data eSIM

Common mistakes

• Using a day ticket on the Airport Express. The AE has its own fare; 24- and 72-hour tickets don't cover it. Take bus 59 or 100 with a 90-minute ticket instead.
• Getting on before an app ticket is active. An app ticket must be activated at least 60 seconds before you board, or before you enter the metro's paid area. The fine is 2,000 Kč, or 1,200 Kč on the spot.
• Leaving Data Roaming on for your home line. For non-EU SIMs, that's where daily charges start. Why roaming goes on for the kimsim line only
• Day trips over the border. Dresden, Vienna, Bratislava and Kraków are outside a Czech Republic plan. Look at Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland or Hungary, or the Europe plan. How regional plans work
• No way to call for help. 112 reaches ambulance, fire and police in Czechia. A data-only eSIM can't dial it, so keep your home line on for calls.

More on the Czech Republic

• eSIM for Europe: a guide for US, Canada and Australia
• How much data do I need for a week abroad?
• eSIM vs roaming: which is cheaper for your trip?

How we put this page together

We checked Vodafone CZ's prepaid page, PID's airport and ticket information, Prague Airport's taxi page, the Czech motorway vignette site, the tourist offices for Český Krumlov, Kutná Hora and Czechia, carriers' roaming price pages, and EU and UK government sites on 1–3 November 2026. AT&T's and T-Mobile's pages block automated checks, so we read those facts from the pages' search listings. We couldn't find an official Czech source on prepaid SIM ID rules, so that line rests on a July 2026 news report. We haven't measured speeds or coverage in the Czech Republic ourselves, so coverage notes are general guidance, not a map. kimsim sells the eSIMs on this page.