Travel to Cracow

Flying to Cracow

Cracow has benefited from the profusion of budget airlines across Europe. British Airways, easyJet, Jet2.com, Norwegian Airlines and Ryanair operate direct flights to Cracow from the UK. Fares vary in price dramatically; off peak, it's possible to find cheap flights to Cracow and pick up a bargain, but in the height of summer you will pay considerably more. There are no direct flights from the USA, but it's easy to connect to Cracow via other major European airports.

Flight times

From London - 2 hours 25 minutes; New York - 10 hours (including stopover); Los Angeles - 14 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 10 hours (including stopover); Sydney - 25 hours (including stopovers).

Travel by road

Traffic drives on the right and the legal driving age in Poland is 18 years. Speed limits are 120-140kph (75-87mph) on motorways, 90-100kph (56-62mph) on main roads and 50-60kph (31-37mph) in built-up areas. Vehicles must be equipped with a first-aid kit, warning triangle, fire extinguisher, reflective vest and nationality sticker, and headlights must be on at all times.

A valid national driving licence is required. Drivers should carry their vehicle registration documents. Green Cards are useful, though not compulsory for EU visitors. You can obtain information about road travel at border crossings and from the Polish Motoring Association (PZM) (tel: +48 22 532 8444; www.pzm.pl).

Emergency breakdown services

PZM (tel: +48 22 532 8444).

Routes

The north-south E77 links Cracow with Warsaw and the coast in the north, and Zakopane and the Slovak border in the south. The east-west E40 arrives from Lviv in Ukraine in the east and then goes west through Katowice and Wroclaw to Dresden in Germany (partly as the A4 motorway). To the southwest, the Czech Republic is easily reached via the E75.

Coaches

The bus station is located on ulica Bosacka, opposite Cracow’s main railway station. The main carrier is MDA (tel: 0703 403 340, in Poland only; www.mda.malopolska.pl). Coach services connect Cracow to the rest of Poland and to many European destinations, including Berlin, Budapest, Lviv, Prague and Vienna.

Time to city

From Wrocław - 3 hours; Warsaw - 4 hours; Prague - 5 hours 30 minutes.

Travel by Rail

Services

Krakow Dworzec Glowny, Cracow's main railway station, is located at plac Jana Nowaka-Jezioranskiego on the northeastern edge of the Old Town.

The fastest trains are the InterCity (IC) and EuroCity (EC) trains, which connect the city with Warsaw, Vienna, Prague, Berlin and Budapest. Care should be taken on some night train routes, particularly the one to Prague, as thieves operate. You can buy tickets at the station.

Operators

Polskie Koleje Panstwowe (PKP) (Polish Railways) (tel: 19757, in Poland only; www.pkpsa.pl) operates clean and efficient trains on the Polish rail network of more than 27,000km (17,000 miles) of lines.

Journey times

From Warsaw - 2 hours 30 minutes; Vienna - 8 hours; Prague - 8 hours 40 minutes; Berlin - 8 hours; Budapest - 10 hours 30 minutes.