Pardubice is a city in East Bohemia. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument reservation. The city is well known for its sport events, which include the Velká pardubická steeplechase in horse racing, the Golden Helmet of Pardubice in motorcycle racing, and the Czech Open international chess and games festival.

Understand

This city of 92,000 people (2023) is known as the centre of industry, with an oil refinery and an electronic equipment plant.

Get in

By train

• 1 Pardubice main railway station. Pardubice main railway station (Czech Pardubice hlavní nádraží) is one of the largest railway stations in the Czech Republic, located about 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) west-south-west from city centre of Pardubice, and an important railway network hub. (updated Feb 2021)

The easiest way to get to Pardubice is by train. It lays on railway between Prague - Brno - Vienna and Prague - Ostrava. There is at least one train to and from Prague every hour. There are three train companies serving this route: Czech Railways (České dráhy), RegioJet and Leo Express. Travel to Prague takes about one hour (104 km). Tickets cost about €4-7.

An overnight train from Rijeka stops here in the summer months; it runs via Ljubljana, Csorna, Bratislava, Břeclav and Brno, continuing to Prague. It's run by Regiojet, booking essential.

By plane

• 2 Pardubice Airport (Letiště Pardubice). PED  ^IATA is both a military and a civilian international airport. The airport does not receive a lot of flights, but Ryanair has a year-round connection to London Stansted, and there are some seasonal flights to Alicante, Heraklion, Moscow, Burgas, Rhodos and Antalya. The airport serves as a low-cost airport for Prague, especially for charter flights. (updated Feb 2021)

The only airport terminal has common airport facilities such as WiFi, luggage wrapping, small duty free shop and some vending machines. Europcar provides can renting. There is no exchange office at the airport, but a single ATM.

From the airport to the city and the train station, use bus number 90, which leaves 30 and 60 minutes after arrival of every flight. In the opposite direction, the bus leaves the train station 90, 120 and 150 minutes before any plane departure. You can buy tickets from the ticket machine or the bus driver. Ticket machine accepts contactless credit cards and coins, while the bus driver accepts 100 Kč bills and coins. The price of the ticket is 15 Kč if bought from the ticket machine and 20 Kč if bought from the driver. You can also park for free at the airport for an unlimited amount of time.

By car

Pardubice does not have highway access, the best possibility is to go to Hradec Králové via the D11 highway, which is 20 km from Pardubice, and then to Pardubice.

Get around

Public transportation system, consisting mainly of busses and trolley-busses.

There are also pedestrian/bike paths on some roads.

Most of the city is able to be safely walked as well, but it may take awhile.

See

Pardubice castle

• 1 Historical centre (Staré Město). (updated Feb 2021)
  • 2 Green gate (Zelená brána). May-Sep: Tu-Su 10:00-17:00; Oct-Dec Apr: Sa Su 10:00-17:00. Gate and tower which was rebuilt in 1507 by William of Pernštejn. The gate has a historical exhibition and you can climb the tower. 50 Kč. (updated Feb 2021)
  • 3 Pardubice Castle (Zámek Pardubice). Castle daily 06:00 - 20:00, museum Tu - Su 10:00 - 18:00. from 15th-16th century, contains the East Bohemia Museum. Various admission charges. (updated Dec 2022)
  • 4 Church of St. Bartholomew. (updated Feb 2021)
  • 5 Theater Východočeské divadlo. (updated Feb 2021)
• 6 Kunětická hora. Highest point of the wide area around Pardubice (295 m) with the castle on the top. (updated Feb 2021)
• 7 Kunětice Mountain Castle (Kunětický hrad). The castle was rebuilt in 1491 and burnt to the ground in the 17th century, and was reconstructed in the 20th century. The castle has a museum with a mural dating from 1523 depicting Samson and Delilah. (updated Feb 2021)
• 8 Památník Jana Kašpara. Open 24 hours. Sculpture of the first Czech pilot Jan Kašpar who was born in Pardubice and first flight in the country from Pardubice to Chrudim. Free. (updated Nov 2021)
• 9 Ležáky memorial (30 km south of Pardubice near Miřetice), ☏ +420 469 344 179, lezaky@lezaky-memorial.cz. Nov-Mar: M-F 09:00-16:00; Apr-Oct: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00; otherwise upon agreement. Commemoration of the annihilation of the village of Ležáky by Nazi Germans on 9 June 1942, as a retaliation for the assassination of the acting Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. 30 Kč (reduced 20 Kč). (updated Jun 2015)

Do

• 1 Pardubice Racecourse. hosts the Velká pardubická, a famous steeplechase race that is widely regarded to be the toughest and most dangerous in Europe.  
• 2 Golden Helmet Motorcycle race. The motorcycle race takes place at the Pardubice - Svítkov stadium. It often draws in over 100,000 spectators. (updated Nov 2021)
• 3 Lázně Bohdaneč, podatelna@lazne.bohdanec.cz. Enjoy spa in this nearby town. (updated Feb 2021)

Learn

• 1 University of Pardubice (Univerzita Pardubice), Studentská 95, 532 10 Pardubice II. It is most famous for its faculty of art restoration (one of a kind in the world). (updated Nov 2021)

Buy

The city is well known for its gingerbread production (Czech: Pardubický perník).

Gingerbread shop

Eat

• 1 Mléčný bar, tř. Míru 79, 530 02 Pardubice I, ☏ +420 774 366 710. M-F 06:00-18:00. Grab a Chlebíczech (open-face sandwich) or desert. Around 25-35 Kč. (updated Nov 2021)
• 2 Hospoda U Čížků, 17. listopadu 254, 530 02 Pardubice I, ☏ +420 606 712 565. M-Th 11:00-22:00; F-Sa 11:00-23:00; Su 18:00-22:00. Local Czech restaurant. Order a vrabec (variety of dumplings and cabbage) or other Czech food. (updated Nov 2021)
• 3 Šneci v peci, Bratr. Veverkových 566, 530 02 Pardubice I-Zelené Předměstí. M-F 07:00-18:30; Sa 09:00-16:00. Coffee and bakery most well known for its namesake desert, Šneci v peci (snails in an oven), which is sweet cinnamon bun filled with chocolate. (updated Nov 2021)
• 4 Cafe Bajer, tř. Míru 763, 530 02 Pardubice I, ☏ +420 466 511 265. M-F 09:00-22:00; Sa-Su 14:00-22:00.. A famous coffee house. The courtyard at the back is beautiful and quite well-known to the locals. (updated Nov 2021)

Drink

Pernštejn beer

Pardubice Brewery is a renowned Czech regional brewery established in 1871 in the town of Pardubice with a proud tradition of brewing beer since the middle ages.

• 1 Maybe bar, nám. Republiky 1400, 530 02 Pardubice I-Zelené Předměstí (In the OC Grand mall), ☏ +420 773 370 035. M-Th 09:00-01:00; F 09:00-04:00; Sa 16:00-04:00; Su 16:00-01:00. Has huge screen to watch sports on the inside of the bar. It has a rooftop terrace bar with a good view of the surroundings. (updated Nov 2021)
• 2 Klub Áčko (A Bar), Studentská 268, 530 09 Pardubice II (Inside the University of Pardubice campus), ☏ +420 466 036 339. M-Th 10:00-00:00; F-Su 19:00-00:00. (updated Nov 2021)

Sleep

• 1 Hotel U Zlatého Anděla, Zámecká 25, 530 02 Pardubice I, ☏ +420 777 210 770. Check-in: 14:00. (updated Nov 2021)
• 2 Hotel Golden pike (Hotel Zlatá Štika), Štrossova 127, 530 03 Pardubice I-Bílé Předměstí, ☏ +420 466 052 100. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 10:00. (updated Nov 2021)

Go next

Kladruber horses in Kladruby nad Labem

• 1 Kladruby nad Labem (22 km west of Pardubice). A village of some 640 inhabitants, but with an impressive history of horse breeding of centuries, which earned the town an inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019. This is the home town of the Kladruber horse breed, best known for their role as the imperial carriage horses of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. (updated Jul 2019)