There and Back Again: Czechia to UK Return Trip in a Single Day
My twenty-seventh birthday was approaching fast and I was wondering what crazy thing I could pull off this year. While watching a YouTube review of the Five Guys fast food restaurant on the train one day, an idea of a b-day trip to the UK quickly crossed my mind. Everyone who’s familiar with low-cost airline sales knows that getting to the city upon Thames cheaply is not a problem. From over here, flights starting at CZK 250 (EUR 10) per direction are fairly common. That, combined with a desire to check out another Czech airport, and the taste for burgers, came together to a swift decision to go.
I was really lucky: there was an available Ryanair flight from Pardubice to London-Stansted right on my birthday. I then started searching for hotel rates, which quickly ruined my day, and so the dangerous idea of a day trip formed in my mind. Is there perhaps an affordable flight to Prague same day in the evening? Well yes, there is! Ryanair as well, and with a great fare. I didn’t hesitate for a minute, booked the tickets, then bought up to an “extra” legroom seat (for a 7 ft tall man, that translates into “normal legroom”). I then started planning and buying tickets for all the other necessary connections.
A Muddy Road to the Old Airport
When I woke up in the morning, I still couldn’t believe what I was about to do. The train journey from Pilsen was smooth, albeit with a chillingly short transfer time in Prague onto a Railjet train to Pardubice. Sadly, on-board breakfast plans fell through, since the cabin crew didn’t have any time to serve first class customers. Once in Pardubice, I fished out some coins in order to operate an old-fashioned ticket machine.
Even though the city of Pardubice now has a modern public transport terminal, it lacks a covered footpath from the station building to the bus stands. If it’s raining, you’ll get drenched just as I did. Bus number 24 to Starý Mateřov, which stops at the airport, soon arrived. Well, “at the airport” may be an overstatement—more in the general vicinity, thanks to then ongoing street construction works. I got off the bus with a few other brave souls, walked the muddy path and got collectively betrayed by the poor signage, which led the whole group to turn up at the entrance of a local military base. The soldier seemed to recognize this situation well and promptly directed us to the airport.
Although I had visited Pardubice Airport before as part of a university class, I was once again shocked by its appearance and limited facilities. The security checkpoint and passport desk were efficient, though, and so I could quickly proceed to departures and muse over goose liver offered from a local food stall. My priorities soon shifted to catching cell reception or wi-fi, which turned out to be trickier than expected. Within a few moments the gate was opened, offering another surprise: since the boarding staff didn’t have a barcode scanner, one lady read out the seat assignments off boarding passes out loud (seventeen foxtrot!), while another verified that using a computer. As the terminal itself is rather far from the airplane stands, we had to board loaned city bus first to take us to the plane.
Note: As of February 2018, Pardubice has a new modern terminal right next to the airplane stands. Also, a fast direct bus line now runs directly to the train station. Read more in our guide.
The flight didn’t really differ from many others in the past. I was glad to order a breakfast burrito once airborne, all the while watching the slightly flexing wing above the clouds. We landed smoothly at Stansted in about two hours. I went through the usual hike from the remote gates to immigrations area. I had the foresight to bring an e-passport, which allowed me to use the self-service gateway as a way of passport control. I just had to duck lightly inside the scanner for it to capture my face and—unlike my previous trips to London–I was let through without any assistance from the attendant. Hurray. The idea of a Five Guys burger gave me a nudge forward, so I walked straight to the Stansted Express train platform.
Lunchtime in London
Since I wanted to have as much time as possible in London, the train was a clear choice. Stansted Express is fast, though more expensive than bus alternatives. Still, a birthday is not the day to get stuck in traffic en route to London, plus the train is more comfortable and electric sockets and wi-fi make the journey go by faster. In less than 50 minutes, I was at London Liverpool Street station.
I took the London Underground and rode to the nearest Five Guys location. I do own an Oyster Card—London’s prepaid transport card–though recently I’ve started leaving it at home in favor of contactless credit card payments, which are now widely supported throughout the system. Both methods offer the advantage of tracking your travel expenses automatically, and capping the total daily fare based on zones traveled and peak/off-peak travel times. Once your fare cap is reached, you ride free of charge for the rest of the day (except for buses, that is).
Soon enough, my dream became reality. I ran into the restaurant, ordered a bacon cheeseburger, chose my toppings, got a number and watched the bustle of the open kitchen. Crisps are fried in peanut oil, which gives them a specific flavor. As you wait, there’s unlimited supply of peanuts you can scoop up, crack-open and eat. Select restaurants also feature a Coca Cola Freestyle drinks dispenser, which lets you can combine any and all the flavors of their soft drinks. You can also always find out where the potatoes came from, and the best thing: the meat is not frozen. The taste of the burger cannot be adequately described, so you’re best off trying it. After this visit I no longer consider Five Guys to be usual fast food, as you can definitely tell the quality of the products based on the taste–and also your wallet.
Shopping, the Tube and Return
The rest of my London visit was mainly spent in grocery shops buying some UK products, and also on the Tube, which is simply great for its amazing stations and overall historical value. Time was running out, though, so I had better go back to Stansted in anticipation of the evening rush hour. Luckily there was no queue at security, but the tray with my shopping bag and jacket got flagged for manual inspection. I wasn’t sure why, until a security officer found a half-empty water bottle from the morning flight in my jacket pocket. After a round of mutual apologies, away went the bottle and I could pass through security into the gigantic walk-through Duty Free store, followed by a looong corridor to the departure gate for Prague.
After arriving to Prague, I bought an Airport Express ticket through the Czech Railways app, as this is the cheaper option than buying tickets on board. I spent the rest of my time doing some quick shopping at the airport supermarket, then boarded the Airport Express bus to Prague central railway station. I was so exhausted, but so happy to get the next train back home.
Czech Republic to UK in a Day
You can see that even crazy ideas can be executed. I realize some people do quick turnarounds regularly while traveling for business, but for me it was an experience that I’m thankful for. And it was the greatest birthday present!
Tickets were purchased online about a month in advance. The table does not include fares of public transport tickets in Pilsen, Pardubice and London.
| Pardubice (PED) to London Stansted (STN) ticket | CZK 723 | Incl. extra legroom (exit-row seat) and priority boarding |
| London Stansted (STN) to Prague (PRG) ticket | CZK 1012 | Incl. extra legroom (exit-row seat) and priority boarding |
| Stansted Express train from Stansted to Liverpool Street Station | CZK 661 | Return ticket |
| Pilsen to Pardubice train | CZK 159 | With Czech Railways “IN25” discount card |
| Prague to Pilsen train | CZK 75 | With Czech Railways “IN25” discount card |
| Airport Expres bus from Prague airport to Prague main railway station | CZK 33 | With Czech Railways “IN25” discount card |
| In total | CZK 2663 | |
Services Project Lead in somemove.cz and Travel Expert on travelsupport.eu
I’m interested in the quality of services and I love improving public transport in Czech republic