Public transport – Tram/bus/trolleybus

Using the public transport is the easiest and most efficient way to move around the city. Brno’s municipal public transport system is known for its extensive and frequent services for reasonable prices, especially for those who opt for a monthly/quarterly/yearly pass and the system is often rated as the best in the country. There yet is no metro in the city, but there is a range of other public transport options including trams, buses, trolleybuses and even boats – on the Brno Reservoir. Part of the public transport system are also some tariff-integrated sections of railway lines operated by Czech Railways. Full information in English on all aspects of this system can be found by going to DPMB.cz

Public transportation timetables

If you know the names of the bus/tram stop to which you need to get, you can use this website, to find all transportation timetables IDOS.cz

Here you simply put the names of the stops, choose time when you want to travel, and it will search for the most convenient way how to get there. You can also download it as an application into your Android phone or iPhone under the name IDOS.

Single-use tickets

You can use them for occasional travel around Brno in any kind of Brno public transport vehicle. These tickets are sold in the yellow vending machines at the stops, kiosks, newsstands, railway stations or DPMB shops. Then you need to validate these paper tickets when entering a vehicle.

It is also possible to buy a ticket by a contactless bank card inside the vehicle in a validator immediately after entering, by placing your bank card close to the machine and it automatically charges you with an amount of 25 kč (in that case you have the ticket on your bank card instead of a paper ticket). If you leave the vehicle and tap-off (again) your bank card on the machine in less than 15 minutes, you get charged only 20 kč. The least common but possible way to buy the ticket is directly from the driver.

It is necessary that the ticket is validated inside the vehicle! You can find the validator near the entrance door, it has a form of a yellow box. Without the validation, you are considered to be travelling without the ticket and you can get a fine if the ticket inspector catches you (usually 800 CZK – paid on the spot or at the DPMB center).  Additional information about the transport, fares, fines and more can be found here:

DPMB – Tariff Contact Center

The single-use tickets are limited by zones and time. The centre and other parts of Brno around it are in the zones 100 and 101, these are the most common ones. You will rarely find yourself outside of these zones if you do not go outside of Brno. You can always check the number of the zone, as it appears on the screen inside the vehicle. All of the ICRC buildings are within these two zones.

You can use the ticket for any kind of public transport vehicle – tram, bus or trolleybus, you can even transfer from one to another if it is within the time limit and the zones.

Types of basic tickets:

Validity	Price
15 minutes (zones 100, 101)/45 minutes (outside the zones 100 and 101)	20 Kč
60 minutes (2 zones)	25 Kč
90 minutes (3 zones)	27 Kč

If you have a Czech sim card, you can buy an SMS ticket by sending a text message to number 90206. You should receive the confirmation text message before entering the vehicle.

Form of the message	Validity	price
BRNO20	20 minutes	20 Kč
BRNO	75 minutes	29 Kč
BRNOD	24 hours	99 Kč

Transport pass, in Brno known as “Šalinkarta”

If you need to travel in Brno regularly, you can buy the transport pass. There is an option for a monthly, quarterly and yearly pass. These tickets do not have to be validated inside the vehicle as they are in a form of a card, however, you have to make sure that you have it with you at all times while travelling.

The prices are shown for the zones 100 and 101.

Validity	Price
1 month	550 Kč
3 months	1 370 Kč
12 months	4 750 Kč

Prices differ if you also have a valid student pass, then the prices are usually even cheaper.

Transport pass online

Newly there is a possibility to purchase the transport pass online, and instead of receiving and carrying the “šalinkarta” card every time you travel, you can only use your contactless bank card and have it as a valid carrier!

More info can be found here: BRNOID.cz

Driving 

EU citizens

Holders of a driving license issued by any of the European Union member states may drive with their original EU driving license for the full period of its validity. Therefore, you don’t have to replace your valid driving license card for a Czech one, but you can if wanted. Exchange of the EU driving license for a Czech driving license is possible in case of lost, damage of the card or expiration, but only after six months’ residence and a proof is needed.

Please note:

if the information stated in your driving license in not in Latin alphabet (for example it’s in Arabic, Russian, Thai etc.), or if it misses other requirements such as your photo, you may come across problems if the Czech police officer cannot read it. In such case, we recommend you getting an International Driving Permit or a certified translation of your license. You should do this before you leave the country that issued your driving license.

Third-country nationals

If your driving license wasn’t issued by an EU country and you intend to stay and drive in Czech Republic for more than 6 months (you get a residency permit), you must obtain a Czech driving license within the first 3 months of your stay. However, if your driving license is fully compliant with the Vienna or Geneva convention, although you are not an EU citizen, then your driving license is valid (if written in Latin alphabet) and you may drive in the Czech Republic for those 3 months before you get it replaced.

A driving license issued by a foreign country can be replaced for a Czech one only if the driving license issued by a foreign country corresponds to the Convention on Road Traffic (Vienna 1968) or to the Convention on Road Traffic (Geneva 1949). Licenses that do not correspond to the Conventions cannot be replaced and their owners must go through the procedure as new drivers, meaning enter a driving school and take a theoretical and practical examination in vehicle driving. You may send your license for recognition to the Drivers Agenda Office of the Municipality (address: Kounicova 67, Brno).

Please note:

if the information stated in your driving license in not in Latin alphabet (for example it’s in Arabic, Russian, Thai etc.) or if it misses other requirements such as your photo (is not in accordance with the Convention on Road Traffic), you may come across problems if the Czech police officer cannot read it. In such case, we recommend you getting an International Driving Permit or a certified translation of your license, for the allowed period of driving in the territory before the compulsory replacement of your license. You should do this before you leave the country that issued your driving license.

Register of an imported car

If a foreign national intends to stay and drive in the Czech Republic for over 185 days, a vehicle must be registered. At all times, the vehicle has to have a valid limited liability insurance “green card”. Purchase of the limited liability insurance is possible only for vehicles registered in the Czech Republic. A vehicle can only be registered in the name of a foreign national with temporary long-term or permanent residence. This registration is done at the Brno City Municipality’s Vehicle License and Registration Section (address: Kounicova 67, Brno).

Parking zones in Brno

For visitors, the system is simply divided in three Visitor zones (A, B and C):

• In the Zone A (historic city center), no entry is possible for visitors without a permit (except for the Veselá area, which is possible to drive through, but with no parking allowed).
• The Zone B is a ring around the historic city center where free parking is permitted for 60 minutes a day, then for the price of CZK 30 for each additional hour. The regulation is valid around the clock on business days.
• In Zone C, 60 minutes of free parking a day are possible, then for the price of CZK 20 for each additional hour. The regulation only applies from 5 PM to 6 AM on weekdays.

To use free parking, one always needs to register with the parking meter or via mobile phone.

If you wish to obtain more information on this matter, please visit this website: Parking in Brno (parkovanivbrne.cz)