Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) Information
(Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland)
Poland's biggest and busiest airport may have been officially renamed after one of the country's most legendary composers in 2001, but many Warsaw residents still use the airport's former name, Okecie, after the suburb where it is situated, south-west of the city centre. Nearly half of Poland's air passenger traffic enters or leaves the country through the Warsaw Chopin Airport.
The annual passenger traffic has skyrocketed since the 1989 fall of communism in
Poland, from just over two million annual visitors in 1994 to more than nine million passengers nowadays. A second terminal was opened in 2006 to accommodate this dramatic growth.
Growing numbers of charter flights are being added to the airport's already impressive 300 daily scheduled flights to about 100 different destinations across Poland and the world.
Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW)
Address: Ulica Zwirki i Wigury 1, Okecie, 00 906, Warsaw, Poland
Tel: +48 22 650 4220
A historic village called Raszyn (Pruszków County) stands adjacent to the Warsaw Chopin Airport's location, 10 km / 6 miles south-west of Poland's national capital and most populated city. Of note, the main road linking the capital to its airport is known as the Aleja Krakowska.
Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) Guide
Facilities:
- Six ATMs throughout the Departures and Arrivals areas
- A post office and a BHP banking branch in the Departures area
- A chapel where mass is held each Sunday
- An elevated observation deck
- Car hire from Avis, Budget, Payless, Europcar, National and Hertz in the main terminal building
- A huge duty free shopping area selling Polish souvenirs and alcohol
- Several vending machines dispensing refreshments
- An information desk in the Departures hall's main concourse area
- Two coffee houses in the Transit zone, as well as an Arrivals hall restaurant
- Three executive lounges in the Departures Transit area
- Childcare room and a first-aid point
Cars
It takes about 15 minutes to drive between the Warsaw Chopin Airport and central Warsaw via the Aleja Krakowska road. Although car hire is straightforward to arrange, driving in the city can be challenging due to speeding local motorists, poor signage and bad road conditions, as well as traffic congestion, which is growing as rapidly as the city itself. Underground garages are the easiest locations to find parking places in Warsaw.
Taxis
Taxis gather outside the airport Arrivals hall day and night, using metered fare systems. Travellers should be sure to avoid taxi drivers who come inside the terminals to tout for business, since they have gained something of a reputation for overcharging. The Warszawa Centralna railway station is a popular destination for taxis, with rates increasing by night and on Sundays. Roughly 20 minutes to the south, the town of Piaseczno is also reachable by taxi, as is the suburb of Bialoleka to the north and many further outlying destinations.
Buses
Bus stops for a local bus company called the Intercity Polski Express stand outside the Warsaw Chopin Airport's Arrivals area, next to the main terminal and multi-floor parking complex. Buses 188 and 175 travel to the city's historic Old Town and main rail station, and Intercity Polski Express buses leave for some 30 other Polish municipalities.
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