Getting there by Air
Main international airports are:
Warsaw Okecie (WAW) - located 10km (6 miles) southwest of the city. Transportation to and from the airport by city buses and taxis. Airport facilities include: duty-free shops, post office, bank, foreign exchange office, tourist information services, car rental.
Krakow Balice (KRK) - located 14km (9 miles) west of the city center. Transportation to and from the airport by buses, trains and taxis. Airport facilities include: duty-free shops, foreign exchange office, car rental.
Wroclaw Strachowice (WRO) - located 8km (5 miles) from the city center. Transportation to and from the airport by Buses and taxis are available (journey time - 30 minutes by bus; 20 minutes by taxi). Airport facilities include: duty-free shops, car rental.
Katowice (KTW) - located 34km (21 miles) from the city. Transportation to and from the airport by Buses and taxis are available (journey time - 40 minutes by shuttle bus or taxi to city centre; 2 hours 10 minutes by road to Krakow). Airport facilities include: duty-free shops, bank, foreign exchange office, car rental.
Gdansk (GDN) - located 10 km (6 miles) southwest of Gdansk. Transportation to and from the airport by Buses and taxis are available (journey time - 25 to 40 minutes by road to Gdansk city centre). Airport facilities include: duty-free shops, post office, bank, foreign exchange office, car rental.
Most of the major European airlines fly to Poland, particularly to Warsaw. Warsaw has also regular connections to the United States (New York and Chicago) and Canada (Toronto), operated by LOT Polish Airlines (member of Star Alliance).
Approximate flight times are: 2 hours 30 minutes from London to Warsaw, 8 hours 30 minutes from New York to Warsaw.
Getting there by Train
The EuroCity or Express trains, operated by Polish State Railways (Polskie Koleje Panstwowe, PKP) connect Poland with many European cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Cologne, Leipzig, Kiev, Vienna, Prague, Moscow, Minsk or St. Petersburg.
Getting there by Bus
Major Polish cities have regular international bus connections to various European cities with many of the routes operated under EuroLines brand, that also offers 15 or 30 day discount passes.
Getting there by Water
There are regular car ferry services between Denmark (Copenhagen, Bornholm/Ronne), Sweden (Ystad, Karlskrona, Nynäshamn, Visby) and Finland (Helsinki) and Polish ports Gdansk and Swinoujscie. Ferry operators are: Polferries (Sweden, Denmark), Stena Line (Sweden), Unity Line (Sweden), Finnlines (Finland).
Getting there by Car
There are many road crossings from any of the Poland's 7 neighboring countries. Because Poland belongs to the Schengen Zone, there are no border checks between Poland and Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Note that traveling to Russia through Belarus requires Belarusian transit visa that must be obtained in advance. Also, many times there are very long line-ups on the road crossings to Ukraine and Belarus, with wait times reaching several hours or more.
Getting around by Air
LOT Polish Airlines operates domestic flights between major cities (Warsaw, Bydgoszcz, Gdansk, Katowice, Krakow, Lodz, Poznan, Rzeszow, Szczecin, Wroclaw and Zielona Gora).
All domestic flights are directed via Warsaw and connections to other cities aren't always convenient. Currently LOT is the only domestic carrier and the fares are not competitive to train or bus transportation.
Getting around by Bus
Bus transportation is very popular on short and medium distances, when it's usually cheaper, faster, more comfortable and convenient than trains. Long distance schedules are more limited and usually trains would be a better option. Tickets can be purchased from the driver or at the bus station if there is a ticket office there.
Getting around by Train
Train is the most convenient way of traveling between bigger cities. Although the rail network in Poland is very good, services between smaller cities or towns may be limited - many connections were cancelled in the 1990s because of economic reasons.
Polish State Railways (Polskie Koleje Panstwowe, PKP) operates trains in Poland, in particular, the InterCity (IC), EuroCity (EC) and Express (Ex) trains, that link all major cities and are relatively cheap and efficient. Local trains are much slower and they stop and every station along the route.
Getting around by Car
There are very few highways in Poland and most of the roads (event some of the main ones) are single lane. Although the network of roads is pretty big, many of them are poorly maintained and crowded with slower moving vehicles and trucks. Travel between bigger cities is usually comfortable as long as you stick to the main roads or highways. Note that Poles tend to drive quite aggressively (and dangerously) - mostly when overtaking on a single lane road; speeding is also common.
Car rental is not cheap in Poland, mostly due to high insurance premiums. Foreigners are usually required to show their passport at car rental agencies. The age limit to rent a car is 21-23.
Poland Gallery
There are 5 pictures in our Poland gallery. Click the thumbnail to enter.
