Poland Travel Guide

By Plane -- Warsaw remains the major air gateway to Poland, with extensive connections throughout Europe, and some nonstop flights to North America. See Warsaw, "Getting There," below for more details. Kraków's Jan Pavel II Airport is also easy to reach from nearly any large airport in Europe. The advent of low-cost budget carriers in Europe in recent years has also opened up several other cities to regular and convenient air travel, including Lódz, Poznan, Wrocaw, and Gdansk.

By Train -- The national rail network, PKP, is well integrated into the Europe-wide rail system. Warsaw lies on the main east-west line running from Berlin to Moscow. Kraków is accessible from Prague, Vienna, and points south, though connections require a change of trains at Katowice.

By Bus -- International bus travel has become less popular in recent years due to the arrival of the budget air carriers, which often match the buses for ticket prices, but naturally get you there much quicker. Nevertheless, the Polish national bus carrier works in cooperation with Eurolines, and large Polish cities are easy to reach by bus.

By Car -- Poland is easily accessible by car. From the west, there are several international border crossings along the German, Czech, and Slovak frontiers. Note that some smaller border crossings may operate only in daylight hours.

By Ship -- It's possible to travel to Poland by ferry from two ports in Sweden, putting in at Gdansk and Gdynia on the Baltic coast.