It is quite far to walk from Florenc bus station to Prague Castle, but there are good public transport connections.
Florenc bus station is located in the eastern part of Prague city centre, about 20 minutes’ walk from Old Town Square. Prague Castle is on the opposite side, to the west from Old Town. It would take at least 40 minutes to walk from Florenc to Prague Castle – through some of Prague’s most popular places like Old Town Square and Charles Bridge, but probably not the best if you have luggage or limited time.
Florenc to Prague Castle by Metro
Florenc is also the name of the metro station next to the bus station. It is the interchange of metro lines B and C, and one of the busiest and best connected stations in Prague.
Prague Castle is accessible either from Malostranská or Hradčanská metro stations. Both are on line A and neither is immediately next to Prague Castle, but a short (5-10 minutes) walk away.
To get from Florenc bus station to Prague Castle by metro, take line B two stops to Můstek. Then change to line A and take two stops to Malostranská, or three stops to Hradčanská.
Malostranská or Hradčanská?
Distance and time-wise, walking to Prague Castle from Malostranská or Hradčanská is more or less the same.
However, as you probably know from the typical photos, Prague Castle is situated on a hill overlooking the city, and therefore it is quite a climb from the city centre to the castle. Malostranská station is on the city centre side. The station’s name means Lesser Quarter station and it is situated in Lesser Quarter, or Malá Strana, next to the building of Czech Senate. From the metro station to Prague Castle you need to climb the Castle Stairs (Zámecké schody), which may be a bit exhausting, but at the same time offers great views of the city.
The advantage of Hradčanská is that it is on the opposite side at a higher altitude and the climb is negligible. The station is named after the surrounding district Hradčany, which means Castle district. The walk from Hradčanská to Prague Castle is also quite pleasant, mostly away from traffic and through parks. When visiting the castle, you may want to arrive through Hradčanská and leave through the Castle Stairs and Malostranská, in order to get the best of both routes.
Pražský Hrad Tram Stop
If you want to get as close to the castle as possible with public transport, you can combine metro and tram. Exit the metro at Malostranská station and then take tram number 22 or 23 to Pražský hrad (two stops). Pražský hrad is the Czech name for Prague Castle. The tram stop is right in front of the castle’s entrance.
Staying near Prague Castle
Both districts surrounding the castle are good areas to stay in Prague. Most government buildings and embassies are concentrated here. Lesser Quarter is more touristy (though less so than Old Town), while Hradčany is quieter, but still close enough to centre and well connected by public transport. Lesser Quarter naturally has much wider selection of hotels and accommodation options, but you can also find a few good deals in Hradčany.