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Home :: FAQ :: FAQ - Train Electronic Tickets

FAQ – Train Electronic Tickets

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

A) Before the purchase

1. What type of tickets should I buy?

You can choose from these three options:

  • 1) Ticket and reservation

    This is the default and recommended option for most of our customers. Passengers with this ticket type receive a seat or a cabin reservation and tickets for the specific route, day and train. Customers cannot use these train tickets to board another train – even on the same route, and cannot get off and on the train along the way.

  • 2) Ticket only (without seat reservation)

    Passengers, who choose this option, travel only with tickets issued for a specific route, day and train. They do not have any assigned seats, couchettes or beds and have to find their own seats on the train. On busy routes or during the summer season if there are no free seats, you may spend your trip standing in the corridor.

    This is the only option available on some of the regional routes where no seat reservations exist (Krakow-Oswiecim, Bratislava-Vienna, Prague-Karlstejn, Česky Krumlov – České Budejovice…).

  • 3) Rail Pass seat/cabin reservation (without ticket)

    This ticket type is only for Interrail or Eurail Pass holders. They receive from us only a seat or a cabin reservation.

    For travelling on a train passengers have to always have tickets or Interrail or Eurail Passes. Do not forget to ensure that you have a valid Rail Pass, for the whole trip. Otherwise, you will be charged for tickets (plus a fine) on the train. Having only the reservation is not sufficient. Czech-Transport doesn’t accept any claims for these charges.

    Find out more about rail passes and reservations for Interrail and Eurail pass holders.

2. What is the difference between e-tickets and paper tickets?

Availability:

  • Group paper tickets for International trains (more than 6 passengers), overnight tickets from Budapest to Krakow/Warsaw and v.v. Valid for train from Wien to Kiev and v.v.
  • E-tickets, on the other hand, are the most common way how to travel on day & ovenight trains in Western Europe.

Flexibility:

  • E-tickets are issued only for a specific passenger and train. Usually, they can neither be cancelled or re-booked.
  • All paper tickets in our offer can be cancelled, a cancellation fee is 20–60% of the ticket price, the tickets must be present in our Prague office at least 3 days before the travel date for cancellation purposes. Paper tickets are also anonymous, so anybody can travel with them.

Prices, discounts:

  • E-tickets are almost always cheaper than paper tickets.
  • Paper tickets have a group discount rate if there are 6+ pax travelling.

Delivery:

  • E-tickets are sent as a .pdf file to a customer's e-mail. Generally, they have to show the ticket on an electronic device. In some cases, tickets have to printed out by the customer.
  • Paper tickets are valid only as originals and must be physically delivered to the customer (DHL/FedEx/Prague courier shipping) or personally collected in our Prague office or in one of the DHL Service Points in abroad. Paper tickets cannot be re-issued if they are misplaced.

3. My route is not offered by Czech Transport.

If the route not listed in our standard offer. Please get in touch with us via e-mail with your inquiry.

4. When can I buy an e-ticket?

The online booking opens 14–120 days before the departure, depending on the route/country. It closes usually 12hrs before the departure, but you can still call us at +420 776877890 to check urgent ticket availability.

5. I have problems with the payment.

If you are experiencing problems with your credit card, please, Bank transfer as an alternative payment option and/or e-mail us information about your travel plan so we can send you payment instructions online.

6. Can I buy an e-ticket for a night train?

YES Train electronic tickets are usually available for overnight trains, up to 3–5 passengers. If will be more than 5 passengers we recommend to check the paper tickets and group discount See more information about night trains.

7. Can I buy a 1st class e-ticket?

YES. If you wish to buy a 1st class e-ticket, please do so asap, because the availability is usually very limited.

8. Can I make a reservation and pay for the ticket later (at a train station)?

NO. Right after making the reservation, you need to go to the shopping cart and pay for the tickets. Otherwise, the reservation is not valid.

9. How can I pay for my tickets?

B) After the purchase

10. Can I pass my train e-ticket to another person?

NO. The train e-tickets are issued for a specific person and are non-transferable. Conductors will check the data on the tickets and on your travel documents (passports, IDs). If the data does not match, you will have to buy a new ticket!

11. I have not received my confirmation e-mail.

If you don't receive a confirmation e-mail within 1 hour after the purchase, please check your SPAM (JUNK) folder first, especially owners of Hotmail, MSN or Live account.

If you still can't find it and you are sure your account has been charged, please get in touch with us via e-mail asap.

12. I have not received my e-tickets.

You have received the confirmation e-mail, but not the tickets. E-tickets are sent to your both e-mails within 1–12 hours (last-minute orders within 0–2 hours) after the payment is made. If you do not receive your e-ticket within this period, please check firstly your spam/junk folder. If you do not find tickets in spam, please send us a message together with an alternative e-mail where we can address your e-tickets.

You can download the ticket by yourself. In the email order confirmation, there is a link for an on-line summary of your order. After we process the order (Status of the order is Completed) a download link appears right next to the Status:Comple­ted sign.

13. Why the tickets get sold out/get more expensive?

Have you booked an e-ticket, received a confirmation and soon after that an e-mail saying that tickets are not available? Unfortunately our system may not be permanently connected to the systems of the National Railways or International Railways. Because of this it rarely happens, that the originally booked tickets are no more available or are already in higher fare.

We try to satisfy our customers as much as we can. Although the default solution is „cancellation of order+full refund“, we try to offer alternatives to you (another tickets/alternative connections), when applicable.

14. Can I change my e-ticket?

NO. It is not possible to change your e-ticket once it is processed. We recommend filling all information very carefully when making the order.

Some e-tickets can instead be canceled with cancellation fee (see the next Question) and then you can buy another e-ticket. YES. If the order has not been processed yet (=status PENDING), it can be changed by email or phone call. Then we try to accommodate your new request (subject to availability).

15. Can I cancel my e-ticket?

USUALLY NOT. Cancellations and refunds of train e-tickets are handled individually according to terms and conditions of the respective carrier and the ticket type. Most of the e-tickets are non-refundable though. The passenger must request a cancellation via the app and use the „Cancel Ticket“ button. .{color:red} The button is located directly below the e-ticket and above the personal details.

YES. If the order has not been processed yet (=status PENDING), it can be cancelled by email or phone call. Then the cancellation fee is 15 % ( min. 3 EUR) of the paid price.

16. The price on tickets is different than the one I paid.

By purchasing the train tickets you agree with our prices. Our prices do not have to correspond with the ones at your tickets. Our price of each ticket/person has to include: banking fees, taxes and administrative fee (in total 4–25 EUR per pax per ticket). For details please See our terms and conditions If you need an invoice for the total price, please contact us by e-mail.

17. Do I have to print the e-ticket?

YES. In most cases you have to. It must be printed on a white A4 sheet / US letter. Then it is considered a valid travel document. Print all the pages of the PDF document.

For some e-tickets it is sufficient to show it on your mobile device (e-tickets for trains within the Czech territory, trains from Czech republic to Slovakia and Austria…) If not sure, please contact us by e-mail.

18. What if my ticket is lost, damaged, or stolen?

Czech transport does not replace lost, damaged, stolen tickets. If you have e-tickets, you can simply print them again. If you cannot find them, write to us and we will send them to your email again. Also bear in mind, that the barcode must be intact. If it is damaged, the e-ticket is invalid.

19. I do not understand the e-tickets

Please print out ALL pages of the .pdf document(-s) you receive. Depending on the carrier there is either one-name-per-person or one-name-per-whole group printed on the ticket.

Seat/bed/couchette reservations are sometimes on separate pages or they can be also part of the ticket too.

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C) At the station, On the train

20. How do I find the platform number?

The numbers of platforms are not written on the tickets. They are usually announced about 20 minutes before the departure at the train station and are visible on departure screens.

21. Can I travel just with an e-mail confirmation?

NO. You will need to physically show your train ticket to the conductor onboard at the time of ticket control. In any case, e-mail confirmations or invoices are NEVER acceptable as a travel document.

22. How soon do I have to arrive at the station?

Try to avoid arriving at a station a couple of minutes before your train departs. Stations large or small that you haven’t used before can be confusing.

To avoid any problems we always recommend to arrive at the station at least 20–30 minutes before the train departs.

23. What to do on the train?

Simply find your seats and get seated. If there is already somebody else sitting on your seats, ask them to make it free for you. For trains from Czech republic to Poland:

If there is no conductor to stamp your tickets even 30 minutes after you depart, please go to find him/her and ask them to stamp your ticket. The ticket is only valid, if stamped on the Czech territory.

24. Do conductors speak English?

YES. The conductors on international trains should be familiar with a basic level of English.

25. What if I miss the train?

It depends on the type of your ticket.

  • If you have a seat reservation, you must buy a new one for the next train
  • If you have tickets+seatres, go to the train station office and ask the staff, if the ticket is valid for the next train or not. Most e-tickets are NOT VALID for the next train though.

26. Can I buy refreshments on the train?

Generally YES. On day trains, there can be restaurant or bistro carriage. (The train composition: click on a name of your train and then link train composition will appear.) Or refreshment trolleys are providing in-seat service. You can also take your own food on board of any train.

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D) General questions

27. Do children / students/ seniors have discounted tickets?

USUALLY NOT. The tickets are already a special low-cost offer. There are only few age-related discounts on some routes for children or seniors.

28. Can I travel with my pet?

YES. Dogs and small pets up to the size of a domestic cat are transported ON DAY TRAINS free of charge, provided they are in a suitable container which prevents damage or soiling of the carriage or luggage. These containers must be placed on the passenger’s lap or in areas specified for hand luggage.

Larger dogs and dogs not in the above-mentioned containers transported ON DAY TRAINS must have a muzzle and must be on a leash. You need a separate travel document for the pet. The ticket can be bought online or at a train station or from the conductor. The price is about a half the 2nd class fare.

NO. Dangerous or sick pets, including dogs, cannot be transported and will be excluded from transport. Dogs and other small pets (except for guide dogs) cannot be transported to or from Norway, Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. For transport to Sweden (SJ) there are several restrictions (mandatory quarantine, vaccinations, etc.); in inland transport around Sweden, it is necessary to have a reservation for a compartment in which the transport of animals is permitted. For more information, visit Swedish Railways (SJ).

Transportation of animals ON THE NIGHT TRAINS is usually not permitted. Sometimes it is allowed, when you book the WHOLE CABIN. You can e-mail us regarding the animal transportation allowance on a specific night train.

29. Will there be Wi-Fi available on the train?

There is no Wi-Fi guarantee on any train. Generally speaking the faster the train and the higher the comfort class is, the higher chance is the Wi-Fi will be available.

30. Can I buy an e-ticket for a bicycle?

  • Domestic trains on Czech territory: USUALLY YES. Please book it online or send this inquiry via e-mail to us BEFORE you buy the ticket. We will check the availability and offer the rate.
  • International trains: DEPENDS. Please send this inquiry via e-mail to us BEFORE you buy the ticket. We will check the availability and offer the rate.

In any case we don't sell autonom bicycle reservations. We can only sell person+bicycle reservations (+tickets).

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Related Links: Getting from Prague – international destination

Train E-tickets

Transfers from/to Prague, Brno, Karlovy Vary by car (private taxi)

Electronic bus tickets

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Last update: 2025-04-20