Getting around Poland

Polish road infrastructure is well-developed but poorly maintained and lacks badly-needed highways. Public transport is quite plentiful, both buses and trains. Some local trains are considered dangerous at night.

By car

Speed limits in Poland Polish road network is below par by Western European standards, but quite functional and dense. The biggest problem is that there is sparse intercity highway system and most of the country is linked only with single-carriageway roads, which are not suitable for the traffic volume they are experiencing. The roads are generally well-signed but various surface defects, most notably ruts, are commonplace. As long as you keep by the main roads, you should get to where you want fairly easy. But estimate twice as much time and exhaustion compared with driving in countries like Germany or France. When travelling between cities or towns, you should always add about 30 minutes for every 100 km that you travel to leave time for getting stuck behind slow moving vehicles. Poles drive aggressively, which means that they usually disrespect the speed limits and overtake recklessly. Some peculiarities of driving in Poland include:

• Speed limits are: 50km/h in city (60km/h at night), 90km/h outside city, 10km/h more if directions are separated, 100km/h on car-only roads (white car on the blue sign), 110km/h more if directions are separated, and 130km/h on highways.
• Driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious offence. BAC limits are: up to 0.02% - not prosecuted by law, up to 0.05% - an offence, above 0.05% - criminal offence (up to 2 years in jail). Despite the strict laws, DUI's are a serious problem in Poland. Be especially careful during (and after) national holidays and on the small roads in the countryside.
• There is no right turn at a red light. Exception is when there is green arrow signal in which case you still have to come to a complete stop and yield to pedestrians and cross traffic (although the stop rule is seldom respected by Polish drivers). All above does not apply if right turning traffic has separate (red-yellow-green) signals.
• On T-crossing or crossroads without traffic signs, traffic at the right always has right-of-way unless your road is a priority route, shown by a road sign displaying a yellow diamond with a white outline.
• After turning into a crossing street, driver can select any lane.
• Driving with lights on is obligatory at all times.
• When driving in the countryside, other drivers (sometimes those approaching from the opposite direction too) may expect you to evade to the verge of the road to facilitate overtaking. This is a custom, not a law so you are not obliged to follow it. Before you do it, make sure there is a hard shoulder and it is safe to do so.

Some drivers flash their headlights to warn those approaching from the opposite direction of a police control nearby (you are likely to encounter this custom in many other countries). So if you see somebody flashing their headlights, it doesn't necessarily mean there is something wrong with your car or sth. In Poland you can encourage three ways of saying "thank you". More common, and what may be misleading for foreigners is using hazard lights (all indicators simultaneously) once or twice. It is beeing slowly phased out by flashing right/left/right indicator sequence or similar. Third way of saying "thank you" mainly used when letting someone do a left turn is by showing right hand. Be aware about hazard lights - Drivers also use them as a way of showing, that vehicle is rapidly slowing down, or alredy stopped in a traffic jam on a highway.

By train

In Poland, the national railway carrier PKP has recently been divided into several different companies, among them are: PKP InterCity (Intercity, Express, Night Express, TLK), PKP Przewozy Regionalne (pospieszny and osobowy) and PKP Cargo (which incidentally owns all the locomotives). There are also some local competitors emerging (KM Koleje Mazowieckie). Tickets are valid for trains operated by the issuing company only. Tickets are quite cheap, but travel conditions reflect the fact that majority of railworks and wagons are from few decades ago. Unfortunately, sometimes it's not very safe to travel by train (although this can be equally true in some other European countries as well), especially on some non-express suburban routes - it is recommended to travel close to the front of the train (where train staff are more likely to provide assistance), and to avoid traveling by night. Express and InterCity routes are much safer than slower connections. However, Poland is generally a non-violent country. With sensible precautions (for example, making sure the door of your compartment on a night train is locked securely while you are sleeping), Poland does not present a greater danger to travellers than travelling at night elsewhere. You can expect a fast connection on modernized routes, such as the Warszawa - Katowice, the Warszawa - Kraków and the Warszawa - Poznań lines. Train types

• Express / IC InterCity / EC EuroCity - express trains. usually compulsory reservation 25PLN in IC, 10 PLN in EX(paid); popular routes include:Warsaw-Katowice,(298 km, 2 hours 40 minutes, 81 zł) Warsaw-Poznan (306 km, 2 hours 50 minutes, 84 zł);Warsaw-Kraków (290 km, 2 hours 45 minutes, 81 zł); Warsaw-Zakopane (430 km, 7 hours, 84 zł) You can buy a weekend ticket (99/149 zl).

• TLK - express trains, held by same company. Slower, but cheaper than above and more safe than below types. Not many routes, but very good alternative for budget travellers. Check www.tlk.pl usually compulsory reservation but very cheap (3PLN)

• Pospieszny - long distance, priority trains, stop only in larger cities; popular routes include Warsaw-Kraków (320 km, 5 hours, 46 zł), Warsaw-Zakopane (460 km, 7.5 hours, 50 zł), Warsaw-Łowicz (80 km, 50 minutes, 20 zł). You can buy a weekend turystyczny ticket (60/80 zl) or a weekly one (160/240 zl).

• Osobowy - long distance, ordinary train usually slow, stops everywhere. Warsaw-Łowicz: (80 km, 80 minutes, 12 zł)

• Podmiejski - suburban train

Tickets Tickets for any route can be purchased at any station. For a foreigner buying tickets can prove to be a frustrating experience as many employees at the railway ticket offices do not understand anything but Polish. It is recommended that you buy your train tickets at a travel agency. Also, trying to pronounce your destination will often not be understood. Polish railways' ticket salespersons are not known for any service minded attitude. The long queues in front of the ticket sales offices is another good reason for foreign travellers to choose a travel agency. Be also aware that it may be easier Buying in advance and it may be necessary for peak seasons (eg. end of holiday period, New Year, etc.) for those trains where place reservation is obligatory. If you change trains between InterCity and Regional you have to buy two tickets. It connects all major cities, but it is also good choice to get to many small towns on internal routes.

• PKP timetable search (in English, but station names only in Polish)
• You can use German DB search service as well
• PKP information: +48 22 9436, international information +48 22 5116003
• PKP Intercity serves express connections (tickets can be bought online)
• Polrail Service offers a guide to rail travel in Poland and online purchase of tickets and rail passes for Polish and international trains to neighboring countries.

Travellers under 26 years are entitled to 33% discount on travel fare in Intercity, excluding the price of seat reservation. There is also an option of buying a cheap ticket for 27/59/69 PLN (regarding type of train) that allows you to travel on a selected route regarding the distance. Ticket must be bought at least one week ahead and is vaild for one train.

By taxi

Use only those that are associated in a "corporation" (look for phone number and a logo on the side and on the top). The unaffiliated drivers are likely to cheat and charge you much more. Be especially wary of these taxis near international airports and train stations (but then, shouldn't one be wary of them everywhere?). They are called the "taxi mafia". Because of travellers advice like this (and word of mouth), taxis with fake phone numbers can be seen on the streets, although recently this seems to have decreased, possibly the police have taken notice. Fake phone numbers are easily detected by locals and cater for the unsuspecting traveller. The best advice is to ask your Polish friends or your hotel concierge for the number of the taxi company they use and call them 10-15 minutes in advance (there's no additional cost). That's why locals will only hail taxis on the street in an emergency. You can also find phone numbers for taxis in any city on the Internet, on municipal and newspaper websites. There are also stands, where you can call for their particular taxi for free, often found at train stations. Never negotiate the fare with the driver as you will probably end up paying more than you should. Just make sure that the driver turns the meter on and sets it to the appropriate fare (taryfa):

• Taryfa 1: Daytime within city limits
• Taryfa 2: Nights, Sundays and holidays within city limits
• Taryfa 3: Daytime outside city limits
• Taryfa 4: Nights, Sundays and holidays outside city limits

When crossing city limits (for example, when traveling to an airport located outside the city), the driver should change the tariff at the city limit. Every taxi driver is obliged to issue a receipt when asked. You can ask the driver for a receipt (rachunek) before you get into cab, and resign if his reaction seems suspicious or if he refuses.

By bicycle

Bicycling is a good method to get a good impression of the scenery in Poland. The roads can sometimes be in quite a bad state, but mostly they are ok. The cars drivers are not as careless as they are said to be. Especially in the south you can find some nice places for bicycling; e.g. along the rivers Dunajec (from Zakopane to Szczawnica) or Poprad (Krynica to Stary Sacz).

By thumb

Hitchhiking in Poland is (on average) OK. Yes, it's slower than its Western (Germany) and Eastern (Lithuania) neighbors, but your waiting times will be quite acceptable! Not necessarily a thumb but waving an extended hand is a much better recognized sign that you need a lift in Poland. Use a cardboard sign and write the city name on it. Do not try to catch a lift where it is forbidden to stop. Look on the verge of the road and there should be a dashed line painted there, not a solid one. As in any country, you should be careful, there are several reports of Polish hitchhiking trips gone awry, so take basic precautions and you should be as right as rain.