Warsaw Travel Guide

Getting There By Air

Airlines offering direct flights to Warsaw from the UK include British Airways, LOT Polish Airlines and Wizz Air.

Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW)
Tel: (022) 650 4220.
Website: www.lotnisko-chopina.pl

Warsaw Chopin Airport is Poland's main airport and is located 10km (6 miles) south of the city center. It is one of the most modern and well-equipped airports in Central and Eastern Europe.

Airport facilities
Warsaw Chopin Airport includes a transit hotel, tourist information center, post office, bank/bureau de change (kantors), duty-free shops, ATMs, bars, restaurants and car hire from Avis, Budget, Europcar and Hertz.

Transport to the city
Warsaw's local public transport authority ZTM (tel: (022) 19484; www.ztm.waw.pl) bus 175 departs from in front of the arrivals hall and passes through the city center and near the Old Town, daily (journey time - 30 minutes). Bus 188 goes to the right bank (eastern part) of Warsaw (Praga, Grochow, Goclaw). Night bus N32 follows the same route, as far as the central railway station, every half an hour at night. You can purchase tickets from the driver, but a surcharge may be added. Pickpockets have been known to operate on these routes.

Certain hotels offer a shuttle service for both guests and non-guests, but the price will be much higher than the regular bus, and usually more than a taxi. Taxis to the city center take approximately 20 minutes. It is advisable for visitors to book an official taxi and to confirm the price before setting off. Taxis can be hired in the arrivals hall at the airport or by calling MPT Radio Taxi (tel: (022) 19191).

Approximate flight times to Warsaw
From London is 2 hours 30 minutes; from New York is 8 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 14 hours 10 minutes; from Toronto is 9 hours 30 minutes and from Sydney is 21 hours 45 minutes.

Getting There By Road

Traffic in Warsaw drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 17. Speed limits are 130kph (81mph) on motorways, 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways, 90kph (56mph) on open roads and 20-50kph (12-31mph) in built-up areas (60kph/37mph from 1100 to 0500). Headlights must be on at all times from 1 October to 1 March. International Driving Permits and European and US national driving licenses are accepted for the first six months in Poland. Drivers should carry their vehicle registration and third party insurance documents. Short-term Green Card insurance is only required for cars originating from outside of the EU and Switzerland. Information about road travel can be obtained from the Polish Motoring Association - PZM (tel: (022) 849 8449; www.pzmtravel.com.pl).

Emergency breakdown services
PZM (tel: 9637).

Routes to the city
The main route to Warsaw is the east-west E30, which connects Warsaw with Łódź, PoznaÅ„ and Berlin to the west and the Belarus border to the east. The north-south E77 links Gdansk with Cracow, via Warsaw. The E67 is the route from the southwestern city of Wroclaw.

Driving times to the city
From Berlin is 5 hours; from Prague is 5 hours, and from Cracow is 3 hours 40 minutes.

Coach services
Dozens of licensed carriers, including the state-owned PKS (tel: 0703 403 330; www.pksbilety.pl), offer services to and from over 200 European and Polish destinations. Warszawa Zachodnia is the central bus station, located at Aleje Jerozolimskie 144. Eurolines (tel: (022) 676 9187; www.eurolinespolska.pl) also provides international services to and from Poland.

Getting There By Rail

Rail Services
Poland's rail network continues to improve and services are increasingly comfortable and punctual, especially on the main routes to other Polish cities and destinations outside Poland. However, they are often very crowded and it is worth spending the 50% surcharge for a guaranteed first-class seat or try and opt for the InterCity trains (IC) that require a reservation. The main lines passing through Warsaw are the Moscow-Berlin and Gdansk-Ostrava routes. You can buy tickets at the station or through Orbis tourist offices. Most international services arrive at Warszawa Centralna (Warsaw Central), Aleje Jerozolimskie 54, across from the tall Marriott Hotel. This station attracts the dirty underbelly of Warsaw society and tourists should take care of their belongings at all times. The other main stations in Warsaw are Warszawa Wschodnia (Warsaw East), Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West) and Warszawa Gdanska, which receives trains from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

Rail Operators
Polish Railways, Polskie Koleje Panstwowe - PKP (tel: (022) 9436, for all enquiries or (022) 511 6003, for calls outside of Poland; www.pkp.com.pl), operates trains on the Polish rail network. EuroCity and InterCity trains from Cracow (journey time - 2 hours 40 minutes), Berlin (journey time - 6 hours 20 minutes) and Prague (journey time - 8 hours 50 minutes) arrive at Warsaw Central station. Care should be taken on some night train routes, where thieves have been known to operate.

Getting Around in Warsaw, Poland

Public Transport

The Municipal Transport Board ZTM (tel: (022) 19484; www.ztm.waw.pl) operates the bus and tram network, connecting all parts of Warsaw, as well as the metro line.

Night bus routes converge on Ulica Emilii Plater, next to the Palace of Culture and Science. The one-line metro system connects the district of Bielany with Ursynów, via ÅšródmieÅ›cie.

Tickets, valid for all modes of transport, are available at the green Ruch kiosks, post offices and hotels. It is also possible to purchase tickets on board buses, but a surcharge will apply. With every change of vehicle, a new ticket must be punched in the metal boxes inside the bus or tram, or before entering the platform on the underground.

One-day passes are valid for 24 hours after you first punch the ticket. Three- and seven-day passes are also available. You can also buy tickets at the City Transportation Office at Ulica Senatorska 37 (entrance from Saski Garden). Children under four years travel free. Pickpockets operate on some routes (especially bus 175 from the airport) and valuables should be kept close at hand and out of sight at all times.

Taxis

Taxis in Warsaw are metered and can be hailed on the street, although fares are usually cheaper if the taxi is ordered by telephone. There are also a number of private firms. You can pay by credit card with MPT Radio Taxi (tel: (022) 19191), Halo Taxi (tel: (022) 19623) and OK! Taxi (tel: (022) 19628). Other taxi firms include Wawa (tel: (022) 19644) and Super Taxi (tel: (022) 19622).

There is no baggage charge and tipping is usually around 10% of the fare. Overcharging is most likely to happen at the airport, central station, the Old Town or near one of the larger hotels. Non-affiliated taxis should be avoided - it is advisable for travelers to take a taxi with the telephone number displayed on the top and advertising on the side of the car.

Driving in the City

In the past decade, traffic congestion in Warsaw has increased dramatically. Many of the city's drivers travel at high speeds and perform dangerous overtaking maneuvers, which may trouble nervous visitors.

The lack of a ring road means that traffic goes straight through the heart of the city, worsening congestion problems in the city center. A variety of plans are underway but these are largely dependent on adequate investment. However, improvements have materialized, including the building of additional bridges.

Be mindful of tramway lines when driving as the tracks are not always on a separate road area. At red lights, a small green arrow indicates that it is permissible to turn right, however, priority must be given to cross traffic. At intersections without lights, traffic must stop for pedestrians once they have begun to cross at zebra crossings.

Paid street parking is in effect and there are some underground car parks in the city center. There is a car park under the Silver Screen multiplex (also known as the Europlex building) on Ulica Pulawska 17. There is also 24-hour parking around the Palace of Culture and Science.

Car Hire

Drivers must be at least 21 or 23 years old (depending on the company) and have a valid driver's license or an International Driving Permit to hire a car in Warsaw. There is no mandatory insurance, although collision damage waiver is advised. The major car hire providers in Warsaw are Avis (tel: (022) 630 7316; www.avis.pl), Budget (tel: (022) 650 4062; www.budget.pl) and Hertz (tel: (022) 650 2896; www.hertz.com.pl).

Bicycle Hire

Cycling in the city streets is not an ideal option, but Warsaw is a flat city and has some wonderful cycling paths connecting the city center to both the northern and southern areas of the city along the Vistula. You can hire bikes from Local-Rent-A-Car, Ulica MarszaÅ‚kowska 140 (tel: (022) 826 7100; www.lrc.com.pl) and Oki Doki Hostel, Plac DÄÂ…browskiego 3 (tel: (022) 828 0122; www.okidoki.pl).