Is it easy to get a taxi at the train stn in Prague at night? I am looking at train schedules and plan on taking a train that arrives at 9.30 pm. Is it easy to get a taxi at this time of day? I can take a train that arrives at 7.30 pm instead, wondering if theres any difference or advance in arriving in Prague earlier.

There is a taxi stand just outside the entrance, but getting a taxi is not the problem. There are many rip off taxi companies in Prague and they are likely to be found in places like outside of the station. Two companies that are reliable are AAA taxi and City taxi. Others do not have a good reputation. Perhaps you can contact one of these companies and arrange for a pick-up, OR, have your hotel arrange to have you picked up. Most will do that and what might be a slightly higher fee (but not always) will be worth the peace of mind.

opps, the last sentence in the op should read...

I can take a train that arrives at 7.30 pm instead, wondering if theres any difference or advantage in arriving in Prague earlier.

Thanks for the reply, basingstoke2

Agree with basingstoke. We made arrangements to be picked up and somehow did not connect.
We had been told what the fare should be to our hotel. We approached several taxis and they were going to totally rip us off. They even opened the trunk and showed us a large card with our "special fare". We walked a bit away from the station and found an honest driver. I would opt for the earlier train.

Thanks, violetduck.

Am I better off staying at a hotel near the train stn? Are there any hotels which are within walking distance? And, is it safe to walk at night?

You have not mentioned your reason to be in Prague,but I assume as a tourist. If so, staying in or near the historic center would be best. However, it would probably be more expensive. I don't know about the safety around Prague's station but quite often it is not the best area. I can tell you we had more people approach us asking for money than anywhere else we have been, so that is a big clue to me. Maybe someone else can help you regarding a hotel. I assume you know about www.tripadvisor.com and www.venere.com to get further information.

I have taken the train from Berlin Dresden and arrived at 9:30 with my 9 year old daughter in Prague. I was so worried about getting a dishonest taxi driver back then so we took the metro which was directly below the train station. A homeless looking person helped us get the right ticket and I gave him a small tip afterwards and we hopped on the nice modern metro line towards our hotel. We then walked about 3 blocks from the metro station to our hotel. We never felt unsafe anywhere we walked in Prague even in the evening. It may be dark in some areas but we never felt unsafe inside old town.
The second time I came to Prague, I simply took a taxi to our hotel and made it clear that I wanted the taxi meter to be on and I had no problem. In my mind I was willing to pay an extra 10 euro if need be just so I didn't have to take the metro and walk with my suitcase.
One of the special treats for me was to walk on the Charles bridge after midniight when the bridge lights were all turned off so it was almost pitch black but there were street musicians playing beautiful music and we could really appreciate the beauty of the city lights and the beaconing castle complex on hilltop.

I have seldom used taxis on my many trips to Prague,but as others have mentioned AAA and city taxi are reliable.
If you want a hotel near the main rain staion,this is the one I used in May this year.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...e_Bohemia.html
there are many really good reviews and you will see mine there too.
it is ideal for sightseeing,though the main reason I stayed there was because it was on the Red Line Metro and i needed to use this to getn to the Prague beer festival

This is just my usual pitch for staying on Kampa Island. IMHO it is the ideal location - in the heart of things, yet a quiet oasis with beautiful views. There are several very nice restaurants on the island and a pleasant park. It is just under the Charles Bridge with very easy and convenient access onto the bridge. On the Island we stayed (on two occasions)for a total of 7 nights at the Hotel Kampa Garden, which I would describe as high end budget - a very nice place indeed (breakfast though is average, but fine).

Prague centre is normally very safe but the station at night. No.

Underground looked ok but the trams are better. I'd go for a tram

Although the underground and trams are handy and inexpensive, they are also where you have the greatest liklehood of meeting up with a pickpocket or worse, still a real problem in Prague. I would stay central, where I could walk to most things. As bilbo says, the center is normally very safe. BTW, one scam on the underground that targets tourists is the fake ticket inspector. As is many countries, tickets can and are inspected at random. The fake inspector looks official enough, counting on the fact the the tourist doesn't really know, "finds something wrong" with the ticket and tries to collect the "fine" right there threatening a trip to the police station. Most tourists pay up.

Which station do you arrive at?

good question CP... there are 2 possibilities.

Bahn only shows Praha as the destination, from what I understand the train will go to Prague Main Station, Praha Hlavni Nadrazi. I will be travelling from Dresden, Germany.

I have used this service several times from the airport; also possible to use them from the train station. Advantage is you can prebook your fare, and they will meet you at the station with a sign with your name on:

http://www.prague-airport-transfers.co.uk/

Further to my last post, I took a quick look at Bahn.com and the train stops at both stations, Praha Holesovice and Praha Hlavni Nadrazi. The later is the last stop. I would prefer to stay near Praha Hlavni Nadrazi since the train I'll take to leave Prage departs from here and does not stop at Praha Holesovice station.

We have used www.mike-chauffeur.cz to take us to other cities out of Prague and Mike also has pick-up service, I believe. Check out his website. He is very reliable and fair and recommended by other fodorites and Rick Steves.

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justshootme on Aug 9, 10 at 3:13pm

Further to my last post, I took a quick look at Bahn.com and the train stops at both stations, Praha Holesovice and Praha Hlavni Nadrazi. The later is the last stop. I would prefer to stay near Praha Hlavni Nadrazi since the train I'll take to leave Prage departs from here and does not stop at Praha Holesovice station."

Much better. I was in Prague alone for 5 nights, took Metro at all hours . The Metro is very good ( sam stations are downright beautiful) .
Make sure you validate the ticket.
From Nadrazi you can easily reach Musem which is right in the center.
Sorry, I cannot recommend a hotel - I stayed in a private home.

Can I just say that the Hlavni train station has undergone a major tranformation and is completely different from what it was like a few years ago,completely refurbished,new shops etc,the whole area is much improved and as safe as any train station in europe if not safer than most.I do remember lots of unsavoury characters around the area day and night and I have had a run in with a few (usually after your change from buying tickets) but on my last trip in May this year the changes were quite startling,not that it was that bad before.
Do not worry about safety in theis area.

unclegus-Thanks for sharing such positive news about the train station. That will be a real plus for beautiful Prague. I hope they have been able to clear out the "unsavoury characters" also.
They were really scary to me standing there by myself waiting on DH. I had so many come over to me I moved over to stand by a couple with a child who lived there and spoke English. They told me it was quite a problem. As you stated, probably no real danger, just wanted money, but made me very uncomfortable.