Getting Around, Warsaw Travel, Transport and Car Rental

(Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland)

Poland's Zarzad Transportu Miejskiego, otherwise known as the City Transportation Board, operates the fully integrated public transport network within the city of Warsaw. This transport system comprises a series of bus and tramlines, along with underground metro trains, and all of these very different travel options use the very same ticketing.

Around Warsaw, the main travel routes operate from around 05:00 in the morning and run to just after 23:00, along with some additional night buses. Services are always both regular and reliable, although during Warsaw's extremely busy rush hours, you can expect public transport to often become rather crowded.

Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) / Arriving by Air

Address: Ulica Zwirki i Wigury 1, Warsaw, PL-00906, Poland, PL
Tel: +48 022 650 4220
At around 10 km / 6 miles from Warsaw city centre and located directly to the south-west, Chopin Airport is easy to reach and is conveniently close to the E67 highway. This is currently Poland's biggest ad busiest airport, and each daily Chopin Airport handles some 100 different scheduled flights, serving in excess of nine million passengers annually. In total there are three main terminals featuring a range of domestic and international airlines. These include a number of budget carriers, such as bmi, easyJet, Germanwings, Ryanair and Sky Europe, all of which use Terminal 2 (Etiuda Terminal). Reaching central Warsaw couldn't be simpler and airport bus transport is both the cheapest and most popular option, using bus routes 175 and 188, and being operated by both MZA and Polski Express.

Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) Guide

Car Rental

Driving around Warsaw can be a little troublesome, since many of the roads are not in a particularly good state of repair and often contain potholes of varying sizes. Since there is no bypass as such, it can often be rather busy when driving around the city centre, so be prepared for a little congestion. The local Polish government operates a paid parking scheme along many of the central streets, where ticket machines known as 'parkomats' are never far from hand. Also worth looking out for, the guarded car park along the Ulica Parkingowa is especially well placed.

Book your Warsaw WAW Car Rental here.

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Buses and Trams

Buses are a great way to travel around much of Warsaw and generally provide reliable transport between the hours of 05:00 to 23:00. If you are waiting at a bus stop and wish to signal your intentions to the oncoming driver, simply raise your hand. Trams are also a popular mode of transport in central Warsaw and although they tend to be a little slower than buses, they do come into there own where traffic levels are heavy. Tourists also find that the tram system is easier to understand and many use it as a means to sightsee. Tickets purchased at the various kiosks around the city are valid on both buses and trams, and must be validated as your board. Daily travel cards often provide good value for money if you intend to use the public transport network extensively.

Trains and Metro

The city is home to several different train stations, although most tourists tend to just use the Central Station, known locally in Polish as the Warszawa Centralna and situated on the Dworzec Centralny. The train station handles the majority of all domestic train transport coming through Warsaw, although trains do not actually terminate here, so if you are arriving by train, be sure to depart quickly once it stops. Recently expanded, Warsaw's modern metro network of underground trains is also extremely popular and connects a number of suburbs, such as Dworzec Gdanski and Ursynów.

Taxis

By western standards, taxi travel in Warsaw is not overly priced and all reputable taxis must display a sign on the roof, complete with company name and telephone number. Official taxis can be both hailed on the street or caught at one of the most central ranks, although if you are in any doubt at all, do consider requesting a cab by phone. Always make sure that you actually see the taxi meter switched on, to avoid the fare of the previous passenger being added on to yours.