PL Poland: how to get around

The principal rail corridors lie on international routes as described in Get in:

• From Germany to Poznań - Konin - Kutno - Warsaw - Terespol and Białystok (for Lithuania and Belarus).
• Gdynia - Gdansk - Bydgoszcz - Inowroclaw - Poznań - Wrocław - Katowice (for Czech Republic) - Kraków.
• Gdynia - Gdansk - Warsaw - Kraków.
• Kraków - Tarnów - Rzeszów - Przemyśl (for Ukraine).

For example Warsaw-Kraków (every two hours) and Warsaw-Gdansk (hourly) both take under 3 hours.

Tickets are cheap by west European standards. A day-trip between Warsaw and Kraków, three hours each way, in 2021 might be 100 złoty or €22. This means limited scope for discounts, but see below.

Inter-city trains are modern, comfy and fairly punctual. On local lines there are still a few gnarly O-class trains that look like escapees from a heritage tramway, with old codgers in flat caps sitting on bench seats around the brake handle.

Specific information about train types can be found at Rail travel in Poland#Train types.

It's probably easiest to buy InterCity tickets online (see rail travel in Poland). You can also buy tickets online for Regio, RE, IR and TLK. An early booking of the Intercity trains (7/15 days before departure) will be rewarded with additional discount (20/30%). There is also a limited amount of reduced tickets in the EIP/EIC trains.

Tickets for any route can generally be purchased at any station. For a foreigner buying tickets, this can prove to be a frustrating experience, since only cashiers at international ticket offices (in major cities) can be expected to speak multiple languages. It is recommended that you buy your train tickets at a travel agency or on-line to avoid communication difficulties and long queues.

It may be easier to buy in advance during peak seasons (e.g. end of holiday period, New Year) for trains that require reserved seating.

Tickets bought for E-IC, EC, EXpress, etc. trains are not valid for local/regional trains on the same routes. If you change trains between InterCity and Regional you have to buy a second ticket.

See Rail travel in Poland#Tickets for how to book and information on group bookings as well as discounts.

Poland has a very well developed network of private charter bus companies, which tend to be cheaper, faster, and more comfortable than travel by rail. For trips under 100 km, charter buses are far more popular than trains. However, they are more difficult to use for foreigners, because of the language barrier.

There is an on-line timetable available. It available in English and includes bus and train options so you can compare: e-podroznik.pl. Online timetables are useful for planning, however, there are multiple carriers at each bus station and departure times for major cities and popular destinations are typically no longer than thirty minutes in-between.

Each city and town has a central bus station (formerly known as PKS), where the various bus routes pick up passengers; you can find their schedules there. Bus routes can also be recognized by signs on the front of the bus that typically state the terminating stop. This is easier if picking up a bus from a roadside stop, rather than the central depot. Tickets are usually purchased directly from the driver, but sometimes it's also possible to buy them at the station. If purchasing from the driver, simply board the bus, tell the driver your destination and he will inform you of the price. Drivers rarely speak English, so often he will print a receipt showing the amount.

Buses are also a viable choice for long-distance and international travel; however, long-distance schedules are usually more limited than for trains.

FlixBus (ex-PolskiBus) takes a more 'western' approach - you can only buy tickets through the Internet and the prices vary depending on the number of seats already sold. They have bus links between Warsaw and most of the bigger Polish cities (as well as a few neighbouring capitals).

For commuting within the city, you can use Jakdojade mobile app, where you can buy tickets and check schedule.

While the road network in Poland still lags behind many of its western neighbours, in particular Germany, there has been continued significant improvement since the 2010s with the opening of many new motorway segments and refurbishments of some long-neglected thoroughfares that were used far above capacity. There are, however, still quite a lot of roads that are not up to snuff for the traffic they are supposed to carry. Some sections of motorways A1, A2 and A4 are tolled.

Travelling east–west is now generally much easier than a decade or two prior, with Poznań, Łódź and Warsaw connected to Polish-German border (direction Berlin) with the A2 (E30), and the southern major metropoles – Wrocław, Katowice, Kraków and Rzeszów – connected to Polish-German border (direction Dresden) and Polish-Ukrainian border (direction Lviv) by the A4 (E40).

The main north–south routes A1, S3, S5, as well as the Warsaw–Rzeszów connection by the combination of S17 and S19, are opened to traffic on their primary sections as of 2022. However, S7 (linking Gdańsk, Warsaw, Kraków and the Polish-Slovak border) is notably not completed despite carrying high traffic volumes, and one needs to expect large traffic jams near Warsaw and Kraków if driving it during the rush hours or bank holidays. Some major roads, most notably DK1 Tychy–Bielsko Biała (part of the Silesia–Slovakia connection) and parts of DK7 north of Warsaw, south of Warsaw and south of Kraków are non-motorway-standard dual carriageways with at-grade intersections and pedestrian crossings.

Most large and medium-sized cities have ring roads allowing you to bypass them, as do some of the smaller towns that are by the major roads. Some of the city bypasses are already past their capacity, and large traffic jams form on them when the traffic in the city reaches high volumes. Most notably, in the rush hours, one needs to expect large delays on A4 near Kraków and Wrocław, S6/S7 near Gdańsk and S8 near Warsaw.

National roads are indicated by 1- or 2-digit numbers (prefixed with letter A or S in case of highways) on the red background, and they are predominantly in good shape. Voivodeship roads are indicated by 3-digit numbers on the yellow background and their condition varies by region. Local roads are indicated by numbers that are used only for administrative needs; therefore, they are not placed on road signs. GPS navigations are notorious for leading through 'shortcuts' using such local roads in order to save several minutes compared to the main route. Unless there are traffic jams justifying changing the route, it is typically better to stick to the national or voivodeship roads rather than following the GPS, as numbered roads are often purposefully lead along slightly longer but higher-quality routes.

Use only those that are associated in a "corporation" (look for a phone number and a logo on the side and on the top). There are no British-style minicabs in Poland. Unaffiliated drivers are likely to cheat and charge you much more. Like everywhere, be especially wary of these taxis near international airports and train stations. They are called the "taxi mafia".

Because of travellers' advice like this (and word of mouth), taxis with fake phone numbers can be seen on the streets, although this seems to have decreased - possibly the police have taken notice. Fake phone numbers are easily detected by locals and cater to the unsuspecting traveller. The best advice is to ask your Polish friends or your hotel concierge for the number of the taxi company they use and call them 10–15 minutes in advance (there's no additional cost). That's why locals will only hail taxis on the street in an emergency.

You can also find phone numbers for taxis in any city on the Internet, on municipal and newspaper websites. Some taxi companies, particularly in larger towns, provide a cab to be ordered online or by text message. There are also stands, where you can call for their particular taxi for free, often found at train stations.

If you negotiate the fare with the driver, you risk ending up paying more than you should. Better make sure that the driver turns the meter on and sets it to the appropriate fare (taryfa):

• Taryfa 1: Daytime within city limits
• Taryfa 2: Nights, Sundays and holidays within city limits
• Taryfa 3: Daytime outside city limits
• Taryfa 4: Nights, Sundays and holidays outside city limits

The prices would vary slightly between the taxi companies and between different cities, and there is a small fixed starting fee added on top of the mileage fare.

When crossing city limits (for example, when travelling to an airport outside the city), the driver should change the tariff at the city limit.

Every taxi driver is obliged to issue a receipt when asked (at the end of the ride). You can inquire driver about a receipt (rachunek or paragon) before you get into cab, and resign if his reaction seems suspicious or if they refuse.

Ride-hailing is available in Poland and the following are the most anticipated providers:

• Bolt. Includes many towns. (updated Jul 2020)
• Uber. Works in all voivodeship capitals and some larger cities. (updated Nov 2024)

Cycling is a good method to get impression of the scenery in Poland. Especially in the south you can find some nice places for bicycling; e.g. along the rivers Dunajec (from Zakopane to Szczawnica) or Poprad (Krynica to Stary Sącz) or Lower Silesia (Złotoryja - Swierzawa - Jawor). Specially mapped bike routes are starting to appear and there are specialized guide books available so ask a bicycle club for help and you should be just fine. Away from roads which join major cities and large towns you should be able to find some great riding and staying at agroturystyka (room with board at a farmer's house, for example) can be a great experience.

Cycling infrastructure is hit or miss with some cities and towns investing a lot into cycling while others do not care at all. There is no nationwide cycling network; it's more a patchwork of different local systems with varying build quality. Over the last few years, the infrastructure has been rapidly improving, and cycling paths along busy highways are becoming more common (though by no means universal). Expect some sudden dead ends. Markings of bike trails are pretty much close to non-existent, so always take a map with you.

As Middle European countries go, Polish drivers are generally careful around cyclists. Still, you may want to avoid "droga krajowa" (DK) and "droga wojewódzka" (DW) types of roads as these are subject to heavy traffic and usually lack both hard shoulder and bike lanes which make them dangerous to cycling. In general plan your trip far ahead to avoid all problems mentioned above.

Bicycles in Poland are obliged to have at least one working brake and a bicycle bell. At night lights are mandatory. You do not need a bike helmet, though. Signal turns with left or right hand depending on direction you are going. You are legally allowed to drive on sidewalk if weather conditions are bad, you drive with a child below age 10 on its own bike, or if speed limit is above 50 km/h and the sidewalk is at least 2 meters wide. Look out for bike lanes with signs where pedestrians and bicycle are shown together or aligned horizontally, as these roads are not bike lanes but mixed pedestrian-bicycle lanes where pedestrians have right of way. Put your safety above cycling legally as police rarely cares about fining cyclists.

Bike sharing systems (system roweru miejskiego) exist in most Polish major cities. It is a self-service system in which you can rent a bike on 24/7 basis from early spring to the end of autumn, with rental fees charged according to local tariffs. First 20 minutes of a rent is usually free of charge. Charge for next 40 minutes is 1-2 zł, then every consecutive hour 3-4 zł. The major system operator in Poland is Nextbike. You should register online to get an account, make pre-payment (usually 10 zł) and then can rent bikes in all cities in which this system exists (including towns in Germany and other Central European countries).

Hitchhiking in Poland is (on average) OK. Yes, it's slower than its Western (Germany) and Eastern (Lithuania) neighbors, but your waiting times will be quite acceptable! The best places to be picked up at are the main roads, mostly routes between Gdańsk - Warsaw - Poznań and Kraków.

Use a cardboard sign and write the desired destination city name on it.

Do not try to catch a lift where it is forbidden to stop. Look on the verge of the road and there should be a dashed line painted there, not a solid one.

As in any country, you should be careful, there are several reports of Polish hitchhiking trips gone awry, so take basic precautions and you should be as right as rain.