Travel to Warsaw

Flying to Warsaw

Airlines operating direct flights to Warsaw from the UK include British Airways, LOT, Norwegian, Ryanair and Wizz Air. Cheap flights are available year-round, with fares rising over busy periods such as Easter, Christmas and school summer holidays. LOT also offers direct flights from the USA.

Flight times

From London - 2 hours 20 minutes; New York - 8 hours 30 minutes; Los Angeles - 11 hours 30 minutes (including stopover); Toronto - 8 hours 15 minutes; Sydney - 23 hours 30 minutes (including stopover).

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 22 849 9361; www.pzm.pl).

Emergency breakdown services

PZM (tel: 19637, in Poland only).

Routes

The main route to Warsaw is the east-west E30, which connects Warsaw with Łódź, Poznań and Berlin to the west and eventually with the Belarus border to the east. The north-south E77 links Gdańsk with Cracow via Warsaw. The E67 is the route linking Warsaw with the southwestern city of Wrocław.

Coaches

Warszawa Zachodnia is the central bus station, located at Aleje Jerozolimskie 144. Dozens of licensed carriers offer services to and from other European and Polish destinations. Eurolines (tel: +48 146 571 777; www.eurolinespolska.pl) provides international services to and from Poland, as does PolskiBus (tel: +48 22 417 6227; www.polskibus.com), with an easy-to-use use timetable in English.

Time to city

From Berlin - 5 hours 30 minutes; Prague - 7 hours; Paris - 16 hours; Cracow - 4 hours; Wrocław - 4 hours.

Travel by 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 approximate 50% surcharge for a guaranteed first-class seat or try and opt for the InterCity trains (IC) that usually require a reservation.

The main lines passing through Warsaw are the Moscow-Berlin and Gdańsk-Ostrava routes. You can buy tickets at the station or online such travel companies as Polrail Service (www.polrail.com).

Most international services arrive at Warszawa Centralna (Warsaw Central), Aleje Jerozolimskie 54, north of the tall Marriott Hotel. The other main stations in Warsaw are Warszawa Wschodnia (Warsaw East) in Praga, Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West) next to the central bus station and Warszawa Gdańska, which receives trains from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

Operators

Polish State Railways, Polskie Koleje Państwowe – PKP (tel: 19757, in Poland only; www.pkp.com.pl), operates trains on the Polish rail network. Most EuroCity and InterCity trains arrive at Warsaw Central station. Care should be taken on some night train routes, where thieves have been known to operate.

Journey times

 From London - 21 hours (including changes); Berlin - 5 hours 40 minutes; Moscow - 18 hours 30 minutes; Prague - 8 hours 30 minutes; Cracow - 2 hours 40 minutes; Gdańsk - 2 hours 50 minutes.