Hello, I will be on the RST Best of Poland Tour beginning 7/1/2025. My understanding is that Uber is popular and a good choice for transportation from the airport to the hotel and for local trips. Specifically, I am referring to Gdansk and Krakow. I would like to know if you agree with my understanding, or if you recommend an alternative?
Thanks for your input.
Uber is popular, but BOLT is more popular. At least in my experience. Their prices are also usually slightly better.
Similar type of service. Download the app, register and you are good to go.
Actually the most popular is FreeNow but you may compare all three to see which one offers the best deal for your particular trip. You can also use public transport which is very good in Poland
Freenow just calls a taxi. The rate will depend on time and distance--or extra distance the driver wants to add.
With Uber and Bolt you get the price ahead of time. And in Poland, all of the vehicles I took with Bolt were taxis but it was a fixed rate. They are usually cheaper than taxis as well.
I will also say that public transport in Krakow was very good. Plus many of the sites are in walking distance to the center of town.
FreeNow Lite shows the price before booking. Many drivers work for more than one transport/taxi company. You may also find that depending where and when you are going, they only driver you may be able to get is with Freenow as nobody wants to work for cheaper prices.
We had a scrupulously honest taxi from the Warsaw airport, very cheaply. We used several trams every day in Warsaw, Wroclaw, and Krakow. We never used an exploitative ride service at all. I will say that temporary tram track construction made it hard for Google Maps to give detailed directions.
Google maps were never good for public transport in Poland. In Poland we use jakdojade- offers timetables, maps and tickets in about 50 cities.
I always use Bolt wherever it's available, it's cheaper than Uber.
I took the train from the Gdansk airport into the city - it is dirt cheap, but there is one wrinkle - even if you buy a ticket to Gdansk Glowny, the majority of trains stop at the station before, so you have to move to a different platform and get on the next train. There is an information desk in the airport after baggage claim - you could ask there for clarification.
I saw many Bolt cabs in Gdansk, Warsaw and Krakow - Freenow as well - you may find that you will have to wait to create an account in the Bolt app until you arrive in Poland - although you can download before leaving home.
Warsaw is built on a very large scale, and while public transportation is excellent, you may find a cab useful in the evening.
Jakdojade is quite helpful in Poland as a trip planner for local transportation - you can also purchases in the app, but I believe you need to load a cash balance first. And there are different validation requirements for some cities - I believe that in Warsaw you need to shoot the QR code above the vehicle door upon entry, while in Krakow you need to enter the tram car number. You may find that buying a paper multi-day pass is easier for Warsaw and Krakow - it may not be worth it in Gdansk, which is amazingly compact. And perhaps you'll receive passes as part of the tour.
I arranged for a cab to the airport through my hotel in Krakow - it turned out to be a black car service - at a way too early hour - I was amazed how busy the airport was at 5:00 AM. Cab took 20 minutes at that time.
Why might I have to wait until arriving in Poland to set up my Bolt account? I already have one here. Won't that work?
Why might I have to wait until arriving in Poland to set up my Bolt account? I already have one here.
I was able to install, but wasn't able to configure the account with payment info until on the ground in Poland. This was my experience - YMMV.
