Varied Means of Transportation in Krakow
With most landmarks within easy walking distance from one
another, the best way to enjoy old Krakow is
on foot. The more so that the bulk of
the city’s historic area has been turned into a
pedestrian precinct (click to see a
map). But you can also roam the
Old Town and Kazimierz
historic districts driven in a horse cab, an electric cart
with a taped guide, or a bicycle rickshaw. One may also take
a tour of Krakow in a double-decker
bus.
Public Transport in
Krakow
Getting around in Krakow is
pretty easy. There is no subway in Krakow, nonetheless that
nearly million city has a fairly dense public transport
system which consists of tramways and bus lines that mostly
a municipal company operates and a number of private-owned
minibus fleets. And some suburbanites commute by local
trains.
One-way ticket for a municipal bus or a streetcar (tram) is
3.8 zloty (an equivalent of roughly 0.9 euro).
You can buy it at newsstands and from ticket machines at
downtown stops and in some buses and tram cars. Drivers sell
60-minute tickets worth five zloty. Immediately after
boarding you should put the ticket yourself through the
ticket puncher and keep it till you reach your destination.
A 20-minutes ticket allowing for changing lines costs 2.8
zloty (PLN), its 40-minutes equivalent is 3.8 zloties, an hourly
one 5 zloty, and 90-minute ticket has been priced at 6 zloties.
The prices of unlimited-travel passes for all municipal
buses and streetcars have been set at 15 zloty for a 24-hour
ticket, at 24 zloty for a 48-hour one, and at 36 zloties for
a 72-hour pass, while a seven-day unlimited-travel ticket
costs 48 zloties. Tickets are valid
for the stated period starting with their first punching on
a bus or a tram (don't punch your ticket any more till its
expiration).
All of the above-mentioned tickets are good for municipal
bus services within the city limits only. A one-way ticket
for buses going beyond the administrative boundaries of
Krakow - bus numbers from 200 to 304 - costs 4 zloties (so
called 'bilet aglomeracyjny').
Minibuses run by independent companies don't accept the
municipal tickets, the fare - usually two zlotys - to be
paid to the driver on boarding.
Krakow's Taxi Cabs
Taxicabs are plentiful and relatively inexpensive in Krakow –
within the city boundaries the fare should not exceed 30 euro
(in the daytime on a weekday). And you can dial roughly fifteen
different taxi telephone centers, each with its own fleet. Do
not expect an English speaker on the other end of the phone line
but a cab will arrive in few minutes to your address if you
manage to give one.
Note:
City Council has set upper limits for taxi fares in Krakow.
The initial charge may not exceed 7 zloties. Maximum rates
per kilometer within main urban zone are 2.8 zloty from 6
a.m. to 10 p.m. and 4.2 zloty between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Kilometers beyond the zone can cost twice as much. Actual
rates may be lower and they vary from cab to cab. Rates per
kilometer and other charges should be displayed clearly on
doors of all taxis so it's advisable to check them in
advance, as it's always prudent to watch the taximeter.
Driving Car in Krakow
Krakow is a modern and busy city of considerable size, so the
rush-hour traffic jams have become common, nevertheless there
seems to be much less congestion here than in most cities in the
world. Yet the acute shortage of parking space in downtown
Krakow (click here to see map) is most
unnerving to drivers, with parking lots rather expensive (euro 2
to 4 for an hour) and insufficient. And although parking in the
streets in the very city center is paid as well in the daytime –
to the tune of 0.7 euro an hour or so – it is hard to find a
free place to leave your car.
See more about driving car in Krakow
Krakow
Commuter Tips
-
Rather than cruising streets Krakow's
taxies wait for cargo to find them at numerous taxi
stands scattered throughout city. But you may hail one
if it happens to pass by you.
-
Watch the taximeter. Fares per one
kilometer should be displayed in the window of the
right-hand rear door.
-
Beware of pickpockets in buses and
streetcars more than anywhere else.
-
If possible leave your car at the hotel
parking lot and take bus or taxi instead. For one thing,
it is difficult to find a place in downtown Krakow to
park; for another, driving after drinking as little as
one beer is an offense in Poland.
-
You need to purchase a ticket from a parking meter to
park your car in the street in the very city center and
adjacent
Kazimierz
district (so-called Zone C) between 10 a.m.
and 8 p.m. on weekdays.
Twenty minutes of parking costs one zloty, one hour is
three zloties, two hours - 6.5 zloty, while a three-hour
parking costs 10.6 zloty (the machines don't give the
change so it's advisable to keep exact money). Shiny
steely parking meters are installed at least one per
street or the length of a block.
Note:
The purchased ticket should be left on view behind
the windshield of a parked car. Transgressors can
be fined to the tune of fifty zloties.
-
Practically all
year round horse cabs and electric carts wait for you on the
central Rynek Glowny (Grand Square)
and at other improvised stands in the Old Town historic
district.
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Travel to Krakow
Over four million visitors show up in Krakow every
year. Many arrive by air, but most take advantage of the fact
that Krakow lies at a major European road and rail junction.
Krakow tours and day-trips
Pleasure rides in Krakow
Driving Car in
Krakow
Parking zones and parking lots in the city center.
Krakow Old Town
Historical District
Poland's prime tourist attraction and a must-see in
Central Europe boasts numerous world-class monuments, charming
vistas, delightful atmosphere, and the best restaurants.
In the proximity
of Krakow
Krakow is Poland's tourist mecca, and also a gateway to
many other must-see sites in the region.
Bicycle in Krakow
Map of the Main
Roads in Krakow
City of Krakow map
Map of the Old
Town Historic District
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