Travelling by plane
Air travel enables you to get to the largest Polish cities quickly and comfortably. The Warsaw Okęcie airport itself maintains direct connections to about fifty cities in more than thirty countries in Europe and the world. International connections are also offered by airports in Gdańsk, Katowice, Łódź, Poznań, Szczecin, Wrocław and Krakow.
The main Polish air carrier is Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT (www.lot.com). It offers domestic and international flights. The largest airlines, such as Lufthansa, British Airways, KLM or Air France also use Polish airports.
International airports:
Gdańsk (Rębiechowo) - Lech Wałęsa Airport http://www.airport.gdansk.pl
Katowice (Pyrzowice) – International Airport http://www.gtl.com.pl
Krakow (Balice) – John Paul II International Airport http://www.lotnisko-balice.pl
Łódź – Władysław Reymont Airport http://www.airport.lodz.pl
Poznań (Ławica) – Poznań Airport http://www.airport-poznan.com.pl
Szczecin (Goleniów) – NSZZ Solidarność Szczecin Goleniów Airport http://www.airport.com.pl
Warsaw (Okęcie) – Frederic Chopin Airport http://www.polish-airports.com
Wrocław (Strachowice) – Wrocław Airport http://www.airport.wroclaw.pl
Budget airlines
Using budget airlines may be very advantageous. Budget carriers offering flights to Poland are listed below:
Aer Lingus http://www.aerlingus.com/
Air Italy http://www.airitaly.eu/
Click Air http://www.clickair.com/
EasyJet http://www.easyjet.com/
Germanwings http://www.germanwings.com/
Norwegian http://www.norwegian.no/
Ryanair http://www.ryanair.com/
Wizz Air http://www.wizzair.com/
Due to the dynamically changing offering of budget airlines, it is worth looking for connections through search engines such as
http://whichbudget.com/pl/
http://www.aero.pl/
Travelling by train
Railway travel enables you to reach most of the cities and towns in Poland. The Polish carrier is Polskie Koleje Państwowe (PKP) http://www.pkp.pl/. It offers express (Intercity) connections, as well as passenger and fast trains, both domestic and international.
Information about the timetable may be found at railway stations on information boards and at information desks, or at the Website http://rozklad-pkp.pl/. The timetable may also be received to a mobile phone via an SMS message (details: http://www.pkp.pl/cop/rozkladsms). Information is also provided by telephone (http://www.pkp.pl/cop/telefony).
Tickets may be purchased from ticket offices at stations and via the Internet http://www.pkp.pl/cop/biletprzezinternet
Travelling by bus
You can travel by PKS buses to smaller places which cannot be reached by train. There are numerous divisions of Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Samochodowej (Motor Transport Company) all over Poland. Their timetables and pricelists may be viewed at bus stations on information boards and at information desks, and at the appropriate Websites. Tickets may be purchased from ticket offices or from drivers directly before the departure.
Below, we provide links to PKS Websites in the largest cities:
Białystok: http://www.pks.bialystok.pl/
Bydgoszcz: http://www.pks.bydgoszcz.pl/
Gdańsk: http://www.pks.gdansk.pl/
Gorzów Wielkopolski: http://www.pks-gorzow.pl/
Katowice: http://www.pks.katowice.pl/
Kielce: http://www.pks.kielce.pl/
Kraków: http://www.pks.krakow.pl/
Lublin: http://web.pkswschod.pl/
Łódź: http://www.pks.lodz.pl/
Olsztyn: http://www.pks.olsztyn.pl/
Opole: http://www.pks.opole.pl/
Poznań: http://www.pks.poznan.pl/
Rzeszów: http://web.pks.rzeszow.pl/
Szczecin: http://www.pks.szczecin.pl/
Warszawa: http://www.pksbilety.pl/
Wrocław: http://www.polbus.pl/
Zielona Góra: http://pks.zgora.pl/
Domestic and international coach connections are also offered by travel agents. These include such companies as:
Agat: http://www.agat.eu/
Eurolines: http://www.eurolinespolska.pl/
Intercars: http://www.intercars.pl/
Orbis Travel: http://www.orbis-transport.pl/
Sindbad: http://www.sindbad.pl/
Travelling by car
Here is some practical information for persons using Polish roads:
Basic road traffic rules
Poland has right-hand traffic.
The following speed limits are in force on roads:
built-up area – up to 50 km/h
outside built-up area – up to 90 km/h
residential area – up to 20 km/h
dual express carriageway – up to 110 km/h
single express carriageway – up to 100 km/h
dual carriageway with at least two lanes in each direction – up to 100 km/h
motorway – up to 130 km/h
Fastened seatbelts are compulsory for drivers and passengers both in front and back seats. Children up to 12 years of age must travel in special certified child seats.
Compulsory dipped headlights (day and night) all year round.
When driving, the driver may use the mobile phone exclusively through a hands-free set.
The permitted blood alcohol level for the driver is 0.2. The exceeding of the blood alcohol level of 0.5 mg/l is an offence and is subject to imprisonment of up to two years.
The driver should have the following documents:
Personal ID.
International driving licence.
Vehicle registration card with the valid MOT certificate.
Third-party liability insurance.
Green Card (concerns tourists from outside European Union).
All vehicles must be equipped with a fire extinguisher and a warning triangle. Moreover, there should be a first aid kit and a reflective vest in the car.
Other information
The national road assistance network is available under telephone number 0719637
There are charges for the use of motorways. The current charges and the method of their collection may be checked at the following websites:
A1 motorway: http://www.a1-autostrada.pl/
A2 motorway: http://www.autostrada-a2.pl/
A4 motorway: http://www.autostrada-a4.pl/
The travel route may be planned, weather conditions may be checked and information about planned repairs and traffic obstacles may be found on the Website of the General Directorate of National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) http://www.gddkia.gov.pl/.
Car hire
You may hire cars in larger cities. Usually you may do so in the vicinity of the airport. You have to sign an appropriate agreement and pay a deposit.
Municipal transport and taxis
The municipal transport network functions well in larger cities: buses and trams, and in Warsaw – an underground line. It allows convenient travel within the entire area of the city. Travel passes enable passengers to avoid getting lost when driving in the city and to save on parking charges.
Websites of transport companies in the capital cities of Provinces are listed below. You may find information about ticket prices and timetables there:
Białystok: www.komunikacja.bialystok.pl
Bydgoszcz: www.zdmikp.bydgoszcz.pl
Gdańsk: www.zkm.pl
Gorzów Wielkopolski: www.mzk-gorzow.com.pl
Katowice/Śląsk: www.kzkgop.com.pl
Kielce: www.ztm.kielce.pl
Krakow: www.mpk.krakow.pl
Lublin: www.mpk.lublin.pl
Łódź: www.mpk.lodz.pl
Olsztyn: www.mpkolsztyn.pl
Opole: www.mzkopole.pl
Poznań: www.mpk.poznan.pl
Rzeszów: www.mpk.rzeszow.pl
Szczecin: www.zditm.szczecin.pl
Toruń: http://portal.mzk.torun.pl
Warsaw: www.ztm.waw.pl
Wrocław: www.mpk.wroc.pl
Zielona Góra: www.mzk.zgora.pl
In most of the cities you may also travel by taxis. There is an extensive offer of transport companies, depending on the size of the city. You may order them by phone or simply hail down an appropriately marked car.
Travelling by boat
The main ports in Poland are Gdańsk, Gdynia, Szczecin and Świnoujście. Sailors may also use marinas in Kołobrzeg, Ustka, Darłowo and Łeba.
Poland has a regular ferry connection to Denmark and Sweden. The direct connections are with the following cities: Ystad, Karlskrona, Copenhagen, Nynäshamn (near Stockholm) and Rønne. Ferriers leave from Świnoujście, Gdynia and Gdańsk.
Companies offering ferry travel to and from Poland:
Polferries: http://www.polferries.pl
Stenaline: http://www.stenaline.pl
Unityline: http://www.unityline.pl
