Poland Transport

Coming and Going

There are direct flights to Warsaw from major European destinations, and Ryanair flies from London Stansted to eight regional Polish cities (Rzeszow, Krakow, Lodz, Wroclaw, Poznan, Gdansk, Bydgoszcz and Szczecin). Flights to Warsaw also depart from US cities such as New York and Chicago, which have large Polish communities. There is no departure tax. Train and bus fares from some European destinations can be as expensive as discounted air fares, unless you have some kind of transport pass. Road connections with Poland are good and getting better, but there are still border delays, especially when crossing from other Eastern European countries. There are sea connections from Denmark and Sweden to Gdask, Gdynia and winoujcie. All services have car-freighting facilities.

Getting About

LOT (www.lot.com) operates a comprehensive network of domestic routes. There are daily flights between Warsaw and Bydgoszcz, Gdask, Katowice, Kraków, ód, Pozna, Rzeszów, Szczecin, Wrocaw and Zielona Góra. All flights between regional cities travel via Warsaw and connections aren't always convenient. Currently there is no domestic competition, but this may change if DirectFly (www.directfly.pl) resumes operations in the future.

Poland has great potential as a place to tour by bicycle - most of the country is fairly flat and you can throw your bike on a train to cover long distances quickly. Major roads carry pretty heavy traffic and are best avoided. Instead, you can easily plan your route along minor roads, which are usually much less crowded and in reasonable shape. Be warned that the standard of driving in Poland may not be what you're used to at home; nor are cyclists allowed to ride two abreast.

Bike-hire outlets are growing in number, but they still aren't numerous. They seldom offer anything other than ordinary Polish bikes, the condition of which may leave a little to be desired.

Poland has a long coastline and lots of rivers and canals, but passenger-boat services are limited and operate only in summer.

Poland has a comprehensive bus network (far greater than the rail network) covering most villages accessible by road. They are often more convenient than trains over a short distance. Ticket prices and service frequency varies greatly, so shop around.

Most of Poland's bus transport is operated by the former state bus company, PKS (Pastwowa Komunikacja Samochodowa), although deregulation of the country's bus system has made room for a plethora of private operators.

In most cities you can travel on the autobus (bus) and tramwaj (tram), and some also have a trolejbus (trolleybus). Warsaw is the only city with a metro.