When arriving to Krakow Airport, there are lots of ways to get to the Main Station:
public transport (buses),- train,
- taxis,
- uber,
- private drivers.
The cost of getting from the Airport to the city center varies from 4 zł (PLN) for a public bus, up to 100 zł (PLN) for a taxi.
There’s also a big difference in traveling time: the train will usually get you to the center twice as fast as any other method.
Some of these means of transport have free WiFi internet, electric outlets to charge your devices, bathrooms etc…
Read on to learn the important details.
Differences between the Main Station, Dworzec Glowny, Galeria Krakowska, Old Town, City Center, Main Market Square etc.
First, let’s explain, that the Main Station in Krakow is called “Dworzec Glowny” – that’s the Polish translation and the name on most of the stops surrounding the station. The station is a central hub for both public buses & trams, as well as trains, private buses, private minibuses and long-distance private buses (the “RDA” – Regionalny Dworzec Autobusowy, translated to: Regional Bus Station). The tour buses for guided tours also usually leave from around the main station.
The main station is connected (literally) with a shopping center called “Galeria Krakowska”. It is also about 1 km (0.5 miles) away from the Old Town & Main Market Square, which is also known as the center of the city.
Therefore, no matter if you want to go to the Main Station, Dworzec Glowny, Old Town, Galeria Krakowska, Main Square, City Center – you usually mean the same place. Just to be sure you end up where you want to be, use the Main Station, Dworzec Glowny or Galeria Krakowska naming. The Old Town & Main Market Square is a 10 minute walk away from the station, while the center of the city can be considered as a wider area.
What’s the fastest way to get to the center of Krakow from the airport?
- Taking the train is the fastest way to reach the center of Krakow. It’s a 20 minute ride.
- Taxis, ubers & private drivers will drive you to the center in about 35 minutes.
- Public buses usually take 50 minutes to reach the main station (they have many stops along the way).
If you take a public bus, taxi, private driver or an uber around 7:00 – 10:00 or 16:00 – 19:00, your travel time might easily double or triple, as these are the high traffic hours in Krakow. The train is not affected by traffic.
What’s the cheapest way to get to the Main Station from the airport?
- A public bus is the cheapest way to travel between the airport in Krakow & the main station (Dworzec Glowny). You need to buy an agglomerative (Zone 1 + 2) version of the ticket, since the airport is outside of the standard city zone. You can view the current prices here. Right now, an agglomerative ticket costs 4 zł (PLN) per person.
- The train is more expensive, but still cheap. It costs 9 zł (PLN) per person.
- Private drivers & uber drivers are not registered as taxis, so they usually don’t pay taxes or have the needed exams taken. This also allows them to lower the costs to about 40 zł (PLN). I highly discourage you from using these means of transport – you don’t have any rights when traveling this way.
- Taxis have taximeters installed, but sometimes you can agree on a fixed price when entering the vehicle. The price depends on the time of day (night is more expensive). There’s a starting fee of about 7 zł and then the price per km gets added and changes when you enter the city. Usually you’ll end up with a taxi price of around 90 zł (PLN) at daytime.
Is there a metro (subway, tube) in Krakow?
Nope, there is no subway in Krakow and there might never be, as whenever you stick a shovel into the ground, you find a monument that needs to be preserved. We built on top of the old structures, so now it’s a bit hard to make a metro.
The public transport is very well organized though, so don’t worry.
So, what’s the BEST way to get to the center?
By far, the best way to travel from the Krakow – Balice Airport to the center of Krakow is a train. Reasons being:
- It’s cheap.
- It’s fast.
- You have a lot of ways to get a ticket (including a cash / credit card machine & person on the train).
- You have a lot of space for your bags.
- You have free access to a bathroom.
- You have free access to WiFi internet.
- You have free access to electrical outlets (sockets) to charge your devices.
- You can hear the station names via the speakers and have a LCD display to see when you should get off.
- It’s clean & safe.
This is a no-brainer. The only circumstance at which you’d want to use something else are:
- when you arrive at the airport very late at night and the trains don’t run that late (which we’ll get into in a moment),
- when your accommodation is far from the main station and it’s better to take a cab or get off the public bus before reaching the station.
How to get a train ticket at the Krakow – Balice Airport?
You can get a train ticket:
- At the airport terminal in a machine (you can pay with cash or a credit card). When you leave the Arrivals zone, you will be on the bottom floor. There’s a ticket machine right next to the moving stairs, basically in front of Arrivals. Look around and you’ll see a black column which shows the time when the nearest train leaves. After buying the ticket, go up a level using the moving stairs and turn left to walk through a bridge straight to the train station.
- At the airport train station in a machine (you can pay with cash or a credit card).
- Inside the train in a machine (you can pay with cash or a credit card) – be sure you immediately go find the machine after entering the train or you may be fined for traveling without a ticket.
- Inside the train from a conductor (you can only pay with cash) – be sure to immediately go find the conductor (he should