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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 is 2.8 zloty (an equivalent of roughly
0.6 euro). You can buy it
at newsstands and from ticket machines at down stops and
in some buses and tram cars. Drivers sell 60-minute tickets
worth 3.6 zloty. Immediately after
boarding you should put the ticket yourself through the
ticket puncher and keep it till you reach your
destination.
A
15-minute ticket allowing for changing lines costs two zloty, it's
30-minutes equivalent is 2.8 zloties, an hourly one 3.6 zloty,
and 90-minute ticket has been priced at 5.2 zlotyt. The prices of unlimited-travel passes for all municipal buses and
streetcars have been set at 12 zloty for a 24-hour ticket,
at 20 zloty for a 48-hour one, and at 28 zloties for a 72-hour
pass, while a seven-day unlimited-travel ticket costs 38
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 3.2 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
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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.
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Watch the taximeter. Fares
per one kilometer should be displayed in
the window of the right-hand rear door.
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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.
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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.
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Horse cabs practically
throughout the year and electric carts from springtime
through autumn 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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