Once you get to the capital of Poland, you’ll probably notice right away that the city is pretty big. If you are planning on staying only in the historic center of the city, you can get everywhere on foot. But since some of the important Warsaw attractions are located a little bit further from the Old Town, it’s a good idea to read this article with some hints about how to get around Warsaw.
Let’s start with some data. Believe it or not, but we have around 1.5 million cars in Warsaw! It means that for every 1000 inhabitants of Warsaw there are more than 800 cars! That’s three times more than in Berlin. If you come to Warsaw, you’ll probably experience or at least see a lot of traffic jams. So, our first important recommendation for you is to choose public transport over car or taxi. Especially since public transport in Warsaw is very good and there is a lot to choose from: buses, trams, metro. To plan your itinerary, feel free to use one of these websites: ztm.waw.pl or jakdojade.pl.
No matter what means of transport you choose, remember about buying and validating a ticket because if you travel without a valid ticket, it’ll cost you 266 PLN. So, how can you avoid this unpleasant experience? You have several options. Tickets are sold in some small shops, at the newsagent’s, at the ticket machines located on some of the bus and tram stops and at all metro stations. Tickets should be validated inside the buses and trams and before entering the metro station. If you’re tech-savvy, you can also download the MOBilet app, buy a ticket there and then validate it by scanning the QR code inside the bus or tram.
What ticket should you buy?
It totally depends on your plans. You can get a single way ticket for 20 minutes (which costs 3.4 PLN) or the one for 75 minutes (4.4 PLN). During this time, you can take as many trips as you want. For longer stays, we recommend a one-day ticket, which is valid for 24 hours after validation (15 PLN), a three-day ticket (valid 72 hours, 36 PLN) or a weekend ticket which allows you to take an unlimited number of
trips from 7 PM on Friday till 8 AM on Monday (24 PLN). Please, have in mind that foreigners can use full price tickets only; unfortunately you can’t benefit from any discount, even if you’re a student or a retiree.
Active ways of travelling
For those who prefer active ways of travelling, Warsaw also has something to offer. A very convenient way to travel is using the city bike system called Veturilo. To rent a bike, you need to register online and pay the initial fee of 10 PLN. The first 20 minutes is free of charge. There are more than 5000 bikes located at 380 bike stations in the whole city, available from March to November. If you choose this means of transport, ride your bike on the bike lane or on the street – it’s forbidden to ride a bike on the pavement.
For the last couple of years, Warsaw has a nice choice of e-scooters. Users can choose from companies like Bolt, Dott, Lime, Hive or Tier. To ride an e-scooter, you need to download the application, register and assign your payment method. Then find the e-scooter on the map or on the street and unlock it by scanning the QR code on it with the application. To end the ride, find a safe place to park, lower the kickstand, open the application and touch the "End trip" button. Renting an e-scooter costs around 2-3 PLN, each minute of the ride is 0.5 PLN.
Taxis
As you can see, there are many different means of transport available in Warsaw but if you like comfort and are a big fan of taxis, you can also go for it. Just please make sure to use licensed taxis only. How do you find them? The licensed taxi will always have a white sticker with detailed information about the prices on the rear right window, a yellow-red stripe with the side number and symbol of Warsaw on the front doors, and a TAXI sign on the roof. The standard price of a taxi is made of two elements: initial fee of 8 PLN and fee per kilometer, usually between 2-4 PLN. You can order a taxi by phone or using a taxi application, for example FreeNow or iTaxi. Ah, and Uber also operates in Warsaw, in case you’re wondering.
I guess now you have all the necessary information about getting around Warsaw. Of course, if you have any further questions while here, feel free to talk to any of our guides who will be happy to help you. And if you’re not in Warsaw yet and still wondering how to get to this beautiful city, read our article that can be found here.
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