Getting to Cracow by Air, Train, Bus or Car

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Conveniently located Balice Airport should be your preferred way of getting to Cracow. The following direct flights are currently available to/from Cracow Airport: Budapest, Chicago, Frankfurt/M, London, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv, Vienna, and Warsaw. Polish Airlines LOT carrier is a member of Star Alliance (a group of 15 airlines providing joint booking and pricing) and you can get to Cracow via Warsaw Okecie Airport, which provides a large number of flights to all corners of the world. If you are coming via Warsaw, you can also take a train (see below) from Warsaw to Krakow, however, it is more convenient to get to Krakow by air. At Krakow Balice Airport there is always a taxi waiting for you. You can get to the center of the city for about 10 USD. You could also take a city bus (208 or 192) -- the tickets can be purchased from the driver for less than 1 USD (but you have to have the exact change!). Moreover, the buses do not run by our registration/meeting locations, and you would have to transfer. If you are not familiar with Krakow we urge you to take a taxi.

By Train

There are a number of convenient trains coming to Krakow from major European cities and communication hubs: Berlin, Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Dresden, Frankfurt/M, Frankfurt/O, Hamburg, Kiev, Kosice, Lviv, Odessa, Ostrava, Petrovice, Praha, Wien, and many others, especially during the tourist season. Use the Connection Search to find the suitable route. Use "Krakow" spelling as destination. You may also try the Die Bahn connection search.
For those who want to come to Krakow from Warsaw by train, there is a number of fast trains (PKP Intercity) (less than 3 hours, circa 25 USD for economy class), which depart every two hours during the day (7:15, 09:15, 10:15, 12:15, 14:15, 16:15, 17:15, 20:15 and several other trains that run on certain days only). If you come to Warsaw by train, you need to step out at Warszawa Centralna (Warsaw Central Station), which is a place where you can transfer to the train to Krakow. For those who come to Warsaw by air, the major inconvenience is getting from Warsaw Airport (Okecie) to Warsaw Central Railway Station (Warszawa Centralna). It requires currency exchange at unfavorable airport rates (you will need to change about 50 USD to PLN -- 15USD for the taxi and 25USD for the train), getting a taxi (use only official taxis, ask for the price, it should be about PLN 40-50PLN/10-15USD max, and if taxi driver does not speak English, take another taxi), and purchasing a train ticket. Taking a City Bus No.175 from Airport to Warsaw Central Station is strongly discouraged. Once at the Warsaw Central Station, look for ticket office (Kasa Biletowa) and tell them that you want a ticket for an earliest "Express Train" to Krakow. Ask them from which platform the train starts, but this information is also given in many locations on yellow time tables around the station. The trains have numbered seats so you will travel comfortably. Ticket offices accept credit cards and there is usually no problem in getting tickets unless you take the last train (8:15pm). The train has a food bar which has sensible choice of meals, so get to the train first and eat on the train. If you are in a hurry, you can buy a ticket from a conductor, but it will be more expensive, and you need to tell the conductor as soon as you enter the train.

By Bus

As a major tourist attraction, Krakow has many convenient and inexpensive bus connections to/from many European cities. While traveling by bus on a longer route is usually less convenient than plane or train, this may be, however, the best compromise for you. You may want to consult the Euro Lines Search.

By Car

While getting to Krakow by car is easy, driving within Krakow is discouraged. It is an old city, with narrow streets, and driving in many areas of Cracow's old town is by special permits only. Also cars left on the street are not safe. Public transportation is excellent and inexpensive, and taxis are easily available. We suggest that you park your car on arrival to the hotel and use other means to move around the town. Parking in the city center is very expensive, restricted to special categories of cars and difficult to find. Moreover, your car will be safer in the hotel parking than on the street. Check the information in the next paragraph.

General Comments

Currency used in Poland is called Polish Zloty (PLN). Currently, 1 USD is equal to 3.6 PLN. You may check the Currency Converter for the latest update. To change your currency in Zlotych, you need to go to a Kantor (Exchange Kiosk). The exchange rate you get at the Airport or Railway station is usually lower (less favorable). However, you can get pretty good deal in Kantors closer to the center of the City. Do your currency exchange earlier in the day. In the evening, the exchange rate is usually lower, since the Kantor proprietors are stocked with foreign currency, especially during tourist season. If we are at the money, we'd like to remind you about some general safety precautions in the crowed places such as airports, railway stations and public transportation particularly if you pass through the big cities on your way to Krakow. New York, Rome, Paris, Moscow, Warsaw and other big cities have some problems with pick-pockets. Be careful and keep your money, credit cards and passports well protected, and do not leave your luggage unattended. Krakow has a low crime rate compared to other cities, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. While Krakow hotels pride themselves to be safe, you are well advised to put your valuables in a vault/safe at the hotel -- they offer this service for free in many hotels.

Other Sources of Information

For participants who know Russian, there is an excellent site: http://www.krakow.ru. The travel tips in: http://www.krakow.ru/guide/doroga.htm are very good -- we wish that there was Polish or English edition of this valuable information.

For more information check Google Search Engine and search for Krakow Travel. You may also consult the following pages: http://www.krakow-info.com/travel.htm, http://www.itisnet.com/english/e-ce/e-poland/e-krakow/e-t-krak.htm and http://www.visit.pl/guide.php.