Nice airport and you can keep your drinks in the airport

Simple but effective. It is well-run, has a few handy retail outlets and does everything it needs to for you to get through smoothly

lots of space, clean and brilliant golf bar!

Busier than many other airports but with a homely atmosphere. Lots of shops but beware, many of the products are cheaper in The Czech Republic itself. Comfortable bars and cafes and they even have smoking areas! Waiting areas more than adequate and just so much more convenient than Heathrow. Taxis outside but negotiate your fare before the journey starts - or get ready to take out a second mortgage!

Prague's international airport at Ruzyne, about 10km to the west of the city, is this year celebrating its 70th anniversary.

Handling just under 12m passengers a year, it is small by the standards of many major cities, but has been consistently voted 'best airport' in Central and Eastern Europe in the annual World Airport Polls. It has seen rapid expansion since the accession of the Czech Republic into the EU, with both tourist and business passengers showing healthy growth, up from 5 million passengers in 2000.

The vast majority of flights leave from terminals 1 and 2, on the main airport site. There is another terminal (terminal 3) on the south side of the airport, which mainly handles VIP and other special flights. Terminal 1 handles domestic and international flights with non-Schengen countries (including the UK) and was built in 1997, though has recently been refurbished. Terminal 2, opened in 2006, handles flights to Schengen countries.

Overall the airport feels very modern but compact (no endless walks to the gates) and I've had good experiences with both arrivals and departures. Everything was handled very smoothly, and staff were generally helpful and plesant, and most speak English and/or German.

There is a reasonable selection of duty-free shops and eateries in the departures area, though it's not as plentiful as in larger airports - and in common with airports everywhere, prices are higher than in the city. Be warned too that security checks for hand-baggage may take place at the gate, so don't leave it too late. A recent addition is Wi-fi access in most of the lounges and restaurants, operated in conjunction with T-mobile.

The only major failing is that there is no rail or tram connection directly into Prague. Depending on where you are heading, you have two public transport options: bus 119 takes you to Dejvická station on metro line A, and express bus 100 takes you to Zlicín station at the end of metro line B. Both journeys take about 30-40 minutes to the city centre. You can buy a travel pass at the City Transport office at the airport, which then covers you for onward metro or tram travel for a variety of periods, and provides excellent value.

More expensive is the Airport Express bus, which takes you to key stops in the centre of Prague, including the main railway station, and metro line C. There are a number of rather slower local buses to other destinations in Prague. If you are travelling at night after the metro has closed, things are a little trickier: bus 510 connects with a night-tram 51. Allow at least an hour for this.

An alternative, of course, is a taxi. Prague taxi drivers used to have one of the worst reputations for ripping off customers in the world. Although things have improved immeasurably in recent years, it's still worth ensuring that the driver turns on the meter at the start of the journey, and expect a hard sell if you are waiting for the bus, with grossly inflated travel times quoted to entice you into his car...

Overall then, one of Europe's nicer airports, and extending the metro or train to it would add another star.