Getting to Kraków: By plane

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The most convenient way to travel from Balice Airport (also known as John Paul II International Airport) is to book a taxi www.protourscracow.com (KRK) Balice is the main airport, about 12km to the west of the centre. It is the second biggest airport in Poland, with frequent domestic and international charter and scheduled flights. There are several direct arrivals every day from all over Europe, including London, Paris, Glasgow, Brussels, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Belfast, Milan, Cologne, Berlin, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Rome, Vienna, and Zürich. Services also fly from Chicago and New York in the USA and there are summer flights to more destinations, including Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey. The main flight companies operating in the airport include Aer Lingus, British Airways, LOT (the Polish national airline), CSA Czech Airlines, Iberia, Austrian Airlines, and Lufthansa. There are also lots of budget airlines operating here, including easyJet, Ryanair, Norwegian, Germanwings, Air Berlin, Jet2 and Transavia. Alternatively, you can fly to Warsaw for a connecting flight. Jet Air is offering domestic flights to Gdańsk, Poznań and Szczecin (via Poznań).

Trains run from the airport to 'Dworzec Glowny PKP' (the central station) approximately every 30 minutes, starting from 4:24AM, until 11:24PM (for more details see the airport's webpage www.krakowairport.pl/en/3/176/35/en. Tickets can be bought from the train attendant (8 PLN), or by automated cashiers (7 PLN). The journey takes 16 minutes. You can walk to the station, as it is only 250m, or take a free shuttle-bus service runs from the front of the airport. Given the price and speed of the train, this is the best choice.

Bus number 292 rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0292/0292t030.htm and 208 rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0208/0208t027.htm runs from the airport to the city centre about once an hour. If you need to get to the central train station, get off at the stop "Dworzec Główny Wschód". This bus stop is located next to shopping centre "Galeria Krakowska", approximately 100 meters from the entrance of the central train station (Dworzec Główny PKP). The ride takes around 40 minutes.

Single-ride tickets from Balice Airport to the city center cost 3.00 PLN (or 1.70 PLN for ISIC/EURO 26 Holder). Make sure you buy the "agglomeration ticket", this type of ticket is valid in two zones, so also in the area where the airport is located. Tickets can be bought from one of the newsagents or from a ticket machine at the bus (3.50 PLN when bought on board / 1.95 PLN for ISIC/EURO 26 Holder). Make sure you validate your ticket immediately when entering the verhicle.

During the night, you can catch night line 902 rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0902/0902t025.htm which goes from the airport to the city centre at 11:26PM, 00:56AM, and 02:26AM. Single-ride tickets for the night line cost 3.00 PLN.

Radio Taxi 19191 is official partner of Kraków Airport, they accept also payments by card. Taxi ranks are located in front of the T1 and T2 terminal exits. The journey to the centre should cost no more than 70PLN during the day. Check that the meter is on with the appropriate tariff. Note that the airport is outside the city, so you will be subject to the 'outside' tariff until you pass a certain point, at which it changes.

You can try hitchhiking, but it is difficult from the airport. If you want to give it a go, walk to the main road, and remember to hold out your whole hand.

• www.protourscracow.com
• www.krakowairport.pl/en/3/176/35/en
• rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0292/0292t030.htm
• rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0208/0208t027.htm
• rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0902/0902t025.htm