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New to Poland

My sister and I will be flying into Krakow from Budapest on Tuesday. This will be our first time in Krakow—well, Poland for that matter. We will be there 6nights/7 days, and will be solely dependent on public transportation and will be staying in Krakow the entire time.

Is there a transport card which will allow us to use all public transport...even from the airport to the city center?

What would be the most cost efficient way to get from the airport to the center...time is not an issue.

Thank you

Posted by
7054 posts

There are several options to get from the airport, including public transport (each international airport webpage of any airport will lay out all the options)
http://www.krakowairport.pl/en/passenger,c70/transport,c313/how-to-get-to-krakow-airport,c314/

Look into the Krakow Card and see if it's a good value for you based on the price. The 3-day version of the card says that all public transport is covered, including from the airport. The public transport in Poland is very inexpensive in general. The museums, with some exceptions, are unusually inexpensive. I'd caution getting this type of tourist card for the city (it's pricy for such an inexpensive country) unless the math makes sense and the value is greater to you than the cost (since it may be much cheaper if you price everything out separately). I wouldn't worry too much about making change, it's not that difficult. Also, most of the town can be seen on foot.
http://www.krakowcard.com

You're staying in Krakow a really long time (it's very compact), so consider some side trips (aside from the obvious). Maybe even Zakopane or Częstochowa (if you're interested in seeing the Black Madonna or have interest in Catholicism)?

Hopefully you'll come back here and post on your trip once you're done. I'd love to hear a 6-7 day itinerary of Krakow because it's a bit unusual.

Posted by
172 posts

We spent 3 days in Kraków in August, and I wish I had been able to stay longer, I didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted. I don't think you'll have any trouble filling 6 or 7 days.

Posted by
124 posts

We will be spending five days in Krakow next September. In addition to Auschwitz, I'm looking at perhaps taking the train to Warsaw for a day and maybe going to Zakopane. Other than that, we'll soak up the atmosphere including the beer! I hope you report back on your travel.

DD

Posted by
15777 posts

I would take a taxi from the airport. They aren't expensive in Poland (nothing is) and it's worth the door-to-door service if you're staying in one of the old town areas where tram and bus lines may not be close to your hotel and like the centuries-old areas of every European city, it's a lot easier to get lost than not to.

On the other hand, I found it very convenient to take the bus to the Budapest airport. However, it can be really crowded at peak times.

Posted by
47 posts

You can get from Krakow airport to the city centre with railbus or public buses - in this article, there's info about public transportation in Krakow and KrakowCard.

True, getting a taxi or renting a car is comfortable and easy but when traffic gets heavy (it's an issue in Krakow), then travelling by train, tram or railbus is a much faster idea.