Transport

 

There are two airports in the vicinity of Kraków: in Balice (Kraków Airport) and Pyrzowice (Katowice Airport).

Balice (Kraków Airport) krakowairport.pl

Kraków Airport in Balice (John Paul II International Airport Kraków–Balice) lies several kilometres west of the city centre.
Address: 32-083 Balice, ul. Medweckiego 1, Airport information: phone: +48 12 295 5800, +48 801 055 000

By rail: Kraków Airport – Kraków Główny – Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia route; tickets at PLN 8 (Kraków Airport – Kraków Główny) and PLN 11 (Kraków Airport – Kraków Główny – Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia); available from the ticket machine in the passenger terminal (Eastern section, Level 0), the ticket machine on the railway platform, and on the train (from the machine or conductor). The transport of luggage is free of charge. The shuttle from Kraków Airport to Kraków Główny takes about 20 minutes.
Timetables: malopolskiekoleje.pl

By bus: lines 292 and 208, and the 902 night bus operate from a number of stops in the city centre, and leave from the terminal Dworzec Główny Wschód (Main Railway Station East). The airport terminal is situated in front of the passenger terminal of the airport. Regular city tickets are in operation, though the price is higher than in Zone 1 in the city centre: a standard ticket costs PLN 4, and reduced – PLN 2. There is no fare for luggage. Approximate travel time: 45 minutes.
Timetables: mpk.krakow.pl

By taxi: Kraków Airport runs its own taxi services at fixed prices. Reaching a destination in the centre of Kraków, depending on the distance, costs PLN 69 or PLN 89, regardless of the time of day and day of the week. Travelling time ranges from around 20 to 40 minutes.
krktaxi.pl

Transfers: individual car or minibus bus rides to any location in Poland (to central Kraków at PLN 68) and even abroad, adjusted to the number of people travelling, can be ordered from the InfoKraków point at the airport. The exact cost of the ride is given when you order the service. Same fees apply irrespective of the time of day and day of the week.

By car: the city centre is accessible along one of the following routes:

via Olszanica, Chełm, and Wola Justowska, along Olszanicka and Królowej Jadwigi streets, and later along Focha Avenue by the Błonia Green
via Szczyglice and Bronowice, along Balicka and Bronowicka streets
via the A4 motorway to the Bielany exit, and later along Księcia Józefa Street towards the district of Salwator
via the A4 motorway to the Kraków-Północ exit, and later along the No. 7 dual carriageway via Modlniczka and Rondo Ofiar Katynia roundabout.
There is a paid multi-level car park opposite the passenger terminal, where car rental companies also operate.

Pyrzowice (Katowice Airport) katowice-airport.com

Many people arriving in Kraków use the services of Pyrzowice Airport (International Katowice Airport in Pyrzowice), as many popular low-cost airlines (incl. WizzAir and Germanwings) operate from there. The airport is situated approximately 110 km (70 mi) west of Kraków.
Address: 42-625 Ożarowice, ul. Wolności 90, Airport information: phone: +48 32 392 73 85, +48 32 392 73 24, +48 801 011 752

By bus: first, to the centre of Katowice (timetable on the airport’s website), and later from Katowice to Kraków.

There are private bus and minibus companies offering direct transfers from Pyrzowice to Kraków, yet they require advance booking: online or by phone. Regular operators on the route:

Pyrzowice Ekspres (pyrzowiceekspres.pl)
Matuszek (matuszek.com.pl)
Transfer: – individual transfers from Pyrzowice to Kraków, by car or minibus adjusted to the number of passengers, can be ordered from the following websites:
airporttransfer.com.pl
krakowshuttle.com
krakowwelcome.com
transfernalotnisko.pl
By car – cars can be rented from one of the offices situated on the premises of Terminals A, B, and C. The quickest access to Kraków is along the S1 Road to Mysłowice, and later along the toll section of the A4 motorway. You can also take a detour from the S1 in Dąbrowa Górnicza, and take the free national road 94 via Olkusz, admiring the scenic landscapes of the Trail of the Eagles’ Nests and the limestone valleys near Kraków en route.

The Bus Station in Kraków (Dworzec Autobusowy) is connected to the Main Railway Station. Buses serve many regional, national, and international routes.

Address: ul. Bosacka 18

Popular tourist destinations:

Zakopane and the Tatras
Oświęcim (access directly to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum)
Wrocław, Katowice, Tarnów, Rzeszów (express service along the A4 motorway)
Finding your connection:

mda.malopolska.pl – all direct national services from Kraków, international connections redirected to the Euroticket international ticket sales system
www.e-podroznik.pl – lets you check the bus and rail connections, offers the option of buying tickets
Information about national services: +48 703 403 340 (connection available 24/7, cost from local telephones: PLN 2.56 per minute).

Tickets are sold at the ticket offices of the Bus Station (all days, from 7:00am to 7:45pm), directly from the drivers, and from the websites of some transport providers. PKS lines offer reduced fares for students in higher education, also foreigners, if they produce a valid EURO 26 Card. For reduced rates of other providers ask the respective drivers.

Kraków belongs to a vast network of train connections, both regional ones offering access to numerous locations around the city (notably Wieliczka, Bochnia, Oświęcim, and Balice with the Kraków Airport) and fast InterCity ones.

Destinations and approximate travel times on the InterCity trains:

Częstochowa (1.5h)
Warsaw (2.5h)
Łódź (2.5h)
Wrocław (3.5h)
Poznań (5.5h)
Gdańsk (5.5h)
The Main Railway Station in Kraków (Kraków Główny) is situated in the city centre, only a 10-minute walk away from the Main Market Square. The ticket offices operate from 5:00am to 11:00pm, and ticket machines at the station work 24/7. An automatic left luggage office with lockers of various sizes is accessible to travellers.

Address: ul. Pawia 5a
Timetable: rozklad.pkp.pl
Enquiries: 19 757; international calls: +48 22 39 19 757
International connections in Europe can also be checked on the website of Deutsche Bahn: www.bahn.com
Those entitled to reduced fares are Polish students under 26 who present a valid student ID issued by a Polish institution of higher education, and Poles studying abroad on producing a valid ISIC card.

Kraków lies at the crossroads of two important routes:

the E40 (the A4 motorway being part of it), leading westwards via Katowice and Wrocław to Germany (Dresden, Cologne), and further across Belgium to northern France (Calais), and eastwards – via Tarnów and Rzeszów to Ukraine (Lviv, Kyiv, Kharkov)
the E77 leading southwards through mountains (the Carpathians) to Slovakia (Banská Bystrica) and Hungary (Budapest), and northwards – through Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, to the Baltic Sea (Gdańsk)
Motorised tourists can also use the network of national and regional roads, which provide access to the region’s most important sites including the salt mines of Wieliczka and Bochnia, Oświęcim (Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial), Zakopane in the Tatras, and the plethora of sites on the Wooden Architecture Route.