Review: RegioJet Train Olomouc to Prague

This review details a trip on a RegioJet train between Olomouc and Prague in business class.

RegioJet train

After a great time in the wonderful city of Olomouc I had to return back to Prague.

Having travelled dozens of times before on board the trains of the the Czech national railway company České dráhy, I was curious how the private train operators in the country would compare in terms of quality.

On my way from Prague to Olomouc I had already checked out Leo Express and now on my return to Prague it was time to review RegioJet.

RegioJet – which is owned by a large Czech travel company called Student Agency – operates both buses and trains.

RegioJet trains connect Prague with several domestic destinations inside the Czech Republic such as Pardubice, Brno, Olomouc and Ostrava.

However, RegioJet also operates a couple of international routes, connecting Prague and Brno with the cities of Vienna (Austria) and Bratislava (Slovakia), while also linking Prague with the Slovakian cities of Žilina, Poprad and Košice.

RegioJet also operates night trains linking Prague with Przemyśl in Poland (with onward connections into Ukraine) and a seasonal sleeper train from Prague to Rijeka and Split in Croatia.

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A RegioJet train at the main station of Vienna (Wien Hbf) in Austria. ©Paliparan

Olomouc station

My journey started at the beautiful train station of Olomouc.

Make sure you do take a minute to admire the wall decorations and reliefs in socialist realism style in the main station hall before making your way to the platform.

olomouc train station
Olomouc train station. ©Paliparan
olomouc station
The main hall of Olomouc station. ©Paliparan
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Czech Railways (České dráhy) ticket offices. ©Paliparan
olomouc station
You can access the platforms by taking the escalators down to the underground passage underneath the tracks. ©Paliparan
escalator
Taking the escalators up again towards my departure platform. ©Paliparan
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Standing on one of the platforms of the train station of Olomouc. ©Paliparan

RegioJet train Olomouc to Prague
Train RJ1014 – Departure: 3.52pm – Arrival: 6.22am
Duration: 2h30m – Distance: 250 kilometres
Business class, coach 4 seat 32 – Costs: 16.10 EUR

route map
It takes two-and-a-half hours to travel by train between Prague to Olomouc. ©Rome2rio

On board the RegioJet train

RegioJet daytime trains have four different travel classes: Business Class, Relax Class, Standard Class and Low-Cost.

For the journey between Olomouc and Prague I was booked in business class, the highest travel class on board daytime RegioJet trains which I will review in-depth in this article.

Relax Class is comparable to first class on most other European trains with leather seats in a spacious 2-1 configuration, although RegioJet does throw in complimentary bottled water as well as coffee or tea.

Both Standard Class and Low-Cost will get you a normal 2nd class seat, with seats in a 2-2 configuration in an open-plan saloon car or in a 6-seat compartment.

The difference between Standard Class and Low-Cost has mostly to do with on-board service, as Low-Cost will only get you a bottle of water while Standard Class will also get you complimentary tea and coffee.

There are power sockets at each seat in all travel classes except for Low-Cost, which might be another reason to opt for Standard Class if you are after a second class seat as this will only cost you a few euro extra.

Tickets in all classes come included with seat reservation and there is Wi-Fi internet throughout the entire train.

For a full overview of all travel classes on board RegioJet trains and the differences in service, do check their website for more details.

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My RegioJet train arrives at the station of Olomouc. ©Paliparan

RegioJet business class seat

For just 16 euro I had bought a seat in Regiojet’s Business Class – which I thought was excellent value for a two-and-a-half-hour train journey.

Business class on RegioJet gets you a comfortable leather chair in a 4-seat compartment.

Most of these train wagons were bought second-hand by RegioJet from the Austrian Railways (ÖBB), so if the seats in Business Class or Relax Class might look familiar you know why!

Although the seats were showing their age and did clearly look like they have been heavily used for quite some years, they were certainly comfortable.

Moreover, RegioJet’s Business Class is extremely spacious as there are only four seats in each compartment.

Each seat has a power socket as well as a small fold-out table.

You can store your baggage on the racks above the seat or just leave them on the floor in the compartment.

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RegioJet business class features 4 leather seats inside a compartment. ©Paliparan
regiojet business class train
Comfortable leather seats in RegioJet business class. ©Paliparan
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RegioJet business class seat. ©Paliparan
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Business class compartment. ©Paliparan

Departure

There were no other passengers in my Business Class compartment when I boarded the train at Olomouc and during the ride to Prague it would remain empty.

It was certainly great to have the entire compartment to myself, which added to the comfort and experience!

Shortly after departure, one of the train attendants came by to hand out a bottle of water and inquired whether I wanted some sparkling wine.

Don’t expect any premium champagne on board RegioJet’s business class – but the complimentary bottle of (very decent) Czech sparkling was certainly a nice touch.

regiojet business class review
A comfortable journey in RegioJet’s business class. ©Paliparan
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View from the window after departure from Olomouc. ©Paliparan
olomouc prague train view
On the way from Olomouc to Prague. ©Paliparan
sparkling wine bottled water
Complimentary sparkling wine and bottled water. ©Paliparan

RegioJet business class service

At your seat, you can find a small booklet which details RegioJet’s on-board service in your travel class.

It will list all complimentary offers as well as a buy-on-board menu if you might want to order something more during your journey.

RegioJet’s crew on board the train mostly seemed to exists out of students working part-time jobs.

Although it might not have been the most refined service ever, my train attendant was welcoming and extremely hard-working, checking on me and the other passengers in our carriage multiple times.

If you travel in Business Class on RegioJet, you get a complimentary bottle of water as well as some juice or sparkling wine included in your fare.

RegioJet also serves Illy coffee (espresso, cappuccino, latte macchiato and lungo) as well as tea, which in Business Class is again free of charge.

Complimentary newspapers (Czech and Slovak only) are also provided to passengers.

business class service booklet
Booklet about the on-board service in business class. ©Paliparan
business class service
Complimentary products and service in business class. ©Paliparan
buy-on-board menu
Buy-on-board menu. ©Paliparan

Sushi and sparkling wine

What I loved about RegioJet’s service was it’s highly affordable buy-on-board menu, which listed some quality products.

Don’t think soggy Ryanair sandwiches for £8 a piece here.

RegioJet’s menu features tasty microwaved meals and even salads and sushi plates for just a couple of euro each.

For a large box of sushi and a chocolate cake I paid only 4 euro – what a steal!

The sushi was of surprisingly good quality and went well with the Czech sparkling wine.

To finish the meal, I made use of the complimentary tea and coffee by ordering some Illy espresso.

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Enjoying some sushi on board my RegioJet train. ©Paliparan
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Complimentary espresso on board the RegioJet train. ©Paliparan

Scenery between Olomouc and Prague

It may not be Switzerland in terms of scenery, but the Czech landscape between Olomouc and Prague does make for a pleasant train ride.

The best bits are in the first hour after departure from Olomouc as you will see some deep forests, rolling hills and a couple of Czech towns and cities on your way.

The pictures below will give an impression of the scenery along this railway line.

Zábřeh na Moravě railway station
Zábřeh na Moravě railway station. ©Paliparan
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Railbus at the train station of Zábřeh na Moravě. ©Paliparan
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Rolling hills and forests between Olomouc and Prague. ©Paliparan
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Scenery between Olomouc and Prague. ©Paliparan
Krasíkov scenery
Rolling green hills around Krasíkov. ©Paliparan
czech countryside
Fields and farms around the town of Rybník. ©Paliparan
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View from the window. ©Paliparan
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Czech countryside. ©Paliparan
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View from the train between Ústí nad Orlicí and Pardubice. ©Paliparan

Beer time

About an hour out of Prague I got thirsty again so decided to order a beer.

For half a litre of Bernard pilsner I paid the grand sum of 0.80 euro – another steal!

To my surprise, the beer was served with some a proper mug unlike the sparkling wine and coffee which came in a plastic glass and disposable cup respectively.

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Czech Bernard beer in proper glassware on the RegioJet train. ©Paliparan

Toilets

Just like on any other European train, you’ll find toilets at both ends of each carriage.

The toilets on board the RegioJet train were spotlessly clean and even featured a orchid to give them some extra class, which I thought was another nice touch.

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Toilet on board the RegioJet train. ©Paliparan
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Orchid at the washbasin. ©Paliparan

Prague arrival

After a comfortable journey, my train pulled into Prague at sunset to some lovely views over the city.

Make sure you take some time to admire Prague’s beautiful Art Nouveau station before heading out into the old town!

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Sunset over Prague. ©Paliparan
prague sunset view regiojet train business class
Prague sunset view as seen from the RegioJet train. ©Paliparan
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My RegioJet train has arrived at Prague’s lovely main station. ©Paliparan
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The gorgeous main hall of Prague’s old Art Nouveau station building. ©Paliparan

RegioJet or Leo Express – which is better?

Having been on board both RegioJet and Leo Express, it was hard for me to pick a clear winner among these two Czech private train operators.

When it comes to comfort I would opt for Leo Express’ excellent Premium Class seat.

Another advantage of Leo Express is that there is more included for food and drinks in their complimentary on-board service.

However, RegioJet beats Leo Express when it came to the actual quality of the on-board food and drinks and their train tickets were cheaper too.

Besides these two private operators, you shouldn’t rule out České dráhy, the national train operator in the Czech Republic.

You’ll find a wider range of departures when travelling with České dráhy and on certain routes you can also enjoy some excellent food and drinks in a Czech Railways dining car.

Overall, I don’t think there is a clear winner as it pretty much depends on what you are looking for on board your train!

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Lunch on board a Czech Railways dining car. ©Paliparan

Conclusion

I was pleasantly surprised travelling by train with RegioJet.

This private Czech railway company runs a reliable operation with train services to different destinations across the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Poland.

My seat in RegioJet’s Business Class was comfortable and at just 16 euro for a two-and-a-half-hour ride quite a steal.

What stood out most about RegioJet were the affordable ticket prices and the extremely cheap food and drinks from the buy-on-board menu, which certainly was tasty too!

I certainly wouldn’t hesitate travelling on RegioJet again whenever I’m visiting the Czech Republic.

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Koen

Koen works as a freelance journalist covering south-eastern Europe and is the founding father and editor-in-chief of Paliparan. As a contributor to some major Fleet Street newspapers and some lesser known publications in the Balkans, he travels thousands of miles each year for work as well as on his personal holidays. Whether it is horse riding in Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan mountains, exploring the backstreets of Bogotá, or sipping a glass of moschofilero in a Greek beachside taverna, Koen loves to immerse himself into the local culture, explore new places and eat and drink himself around the world.

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