How to get to Warsaw?

Do you think travelling in Poland is difficult and expensive? On the contrary, there’s no easier thing to do!

In order to travel to the most beautiful Polish cities, you don’t need to buy the Interrail Ticket for 175 EUR or more. There are definitely cheaper means of transport!

The easiest way to get to Warsaw is, of course, by plane. You can easily arrive at Warsaw's Chopin Airport, the biggest and most modern international airport in Poland, located in Warsaw-Okęcie. Some low-fare airlines get there, including Wizzair. It’s about 10 km away from the city centre. By using local train number S2 or S3, and paying only 3.60 PLN (0.90 EUR), you can reach all Warsaw’s railway stations: Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West), Warszawa Centralna (Warsaw Central, the main station from which you will easily get to most tourist attractions) and Warszawa Wschodnia (Warsaw East). Tickets are sold in the ticket machines on the platforms. It’s not necessary to validate your ticket before getting on board.

Some low-cost airlines like Ryanair fly to Warsaw-Modlin airport. It’s located 40 km away from the city centre. The Modlin-Bus (www.modlinbus.com) runs directly to the first station of Warsaw’s underground (the Młociny metro stop) and to the city centre. It costs roughly 35 PLN (8 EUR). There is also a train connection between Modlin’s train station and Warsaw’s city centre (www.mazowieckie.com.pl/en), it costs 17.50 PLN (4.5 EUR). The airport and Modlin’s station are also linked by a shuttle bus. You need to have at least 1 hour for the journey due to traffic.

A plane is not the only way to get to Warsaw. The Flixbus company (www.flixbus.com) departs from the capital cities of all of Poland’s neighbouring countries. You can reach Warsaw in 8.5 hours for 99 PLN (25 EUR) from Berlin, and in 12 hours for 85 PLN (21 EUR) from Prague, Vienna and Bratislava. If you buy the ticket some time in advance, the price is usually lower. You need to buy a ticket on the internet at least half an hour before departure, as the drivers don’t sell them. The buses are equipped with air-conditioning and Wi-Fi. Flixbus arrives at the bus station near the Wilanowska or Młociny metro station station, where you can change to local transport to reach the city centre and Warszawa Centralna.

Additionally, Flixbus is the best way to get to Warsaw from the major Polish cities. It departs from Wrocław, Gdansk and Krakow regularly. The journey takes 6 hours from Wroclaw and 5 hours from Gdansk or Krakow. Tickets usually cost between 30 - 40 PLN (8-10 EUR). The earlier you buy the ticket, the cheaper it usually is.

Alternatively, you can take the train. There are few types of trains in Poland. TLK and Regio trains are the cheapest trains that stop only in the biggest cities on the line (www.pkp.pl). Going from Wrocław’s main station (Wrocław Główny) to Warszawa Centralna takes 5-6 hours and costs about 60 PLN (15 EURO). Travelling times from Gdańsk are comparable to those on Flixbus but the train ticket costs twice as much as the bus. Contrary to Wrocław and Gdańsk, a train is the best means of transport between Warsaw and Kraków. Fastest TLK train from Krakow takes only 3 hours and costs 60 PLN. Tickets are sold in the ticket offices in the main hall of the train stations or in the machines on the platforms. You can buy your ticket online as well. It’s not necessary to validate your ticket before getting on board but remember to have an ID card if you bought the ticket online. More comfortable trains are the Pendolino fast trains - it takes 3h to get to Warsaw from Gdansk, 3.4 hour from Wroclaw and only 2 hours from Krakow. The price is 120 - 150 PLN (30 - 35 EUR).

Train is also a good option to travel to and from Berlin (9 hours, 150 PLN) and Budapest (overnight train takes 12h, 130 PLN).

You have probably heard many stories that nobody speaks English in Poland. In fact, that’s not necessarily true. The customer service points at most of the airports, railways and bus stations have services in many languages. There are also tourist information offices with people who speak English and help you get around. Don’t be afraid – come to discover Poland and make sure you do it with Walkative!