Traveling
Traveling to Kraków
Arriving by plane
The John Paul II International Airport Krakow-Balice is located 17 km west of the city center and boasts a brand-new passenger terminal opened in September 2015. The new terminal connects directly to the airport's parking garage and the new “Krakow Lotnisko/Airport” train station via a convenient footbridge. As the complex offers all services and amenities of a modern airport, here you'll find ATMs and currency exchange, tourist information, taxi and public transportation stops, car rental desks, restaurants and shops, a chapel, business lounges and VIP services.
John Paul II Krakow-Balice Airport
Medweckiego Street 1, 32-083 Balice
phone +48 12 295 58 00
www.krakowairport.pl/en/
The conference venue is located in the city centre on the Main Campus of the Cracow University of Technology and it is a 5-minute walk from the main railway station “Kraków Główny”.
How to get to the city center from the Krakow-Balice Airport?
You can order a taxi directly at the airport or through the Bolt or Uber apps.
The Kraków Airport train station is located near the passenger terminal, at the rear of the multi-storey car park, and connected with the terminal building by a footbridge.
Traveling by train is the fastest way to get from the airport to the city center (the journey takes about 18 minutes). Trains are equipped with air conditioning, power outlets, Wi-Fi and ticket machines. All trains also have spaces for disabled passengers and persons with reduced mobility (PRM). The trains operate 7 days a week.
A full train timetable is available at kolejemalopolskie.com.pl. Tickets can be purchased at the passenger terminal, at the train station (from a ticket machine), or from the conductor on the train.
Taking the bus is the most budget-friendly option to get to the city center. The starting point is the bus stop outside the terminal building. There are two AGGLOMERATION BUS LINES (209) and (300). Bus (209) terminates at Salwator and bus (300) terminates at Os. Podwawelskie, where you can change to other bus lines. The night line bus (902) terminates at the main railway station EAST (Dworzec Główny Wschód) which is located in the city center. The journey takes around 40-45 minutes.
Bus timetables are available at mpk.krakow.pl. We also recommend the bus connection browser jakdojade.pl.
The Krakow-Balice Airport is located in the public transport zone I+II and a single-trip ticket, valid for 60-minutes and priced at 6 PLN (€1.4), is sufficient to get to the city center. Detailed information about prices and types of tickets is available at KMK Public transport.
Tickets can be purchased from the ticket machine :
- at the passenger terminal, arrivals hall, level 0,
- at the bus stop (payment in cash or with credit/debit card),
- located in most vehicles (payment with credit/debit card, including contactless payments).
- Note: The ticket must be validated using the stamp machine on the bus.
Arriving by train
The Main Railway Station (Dworzec Główny) is conveniently situated in the very center of the city. There is a good train connection between Warsaw and Kraków (express InterCity trains go every hour during the day, the journey lasts less than 3 hours). Kraków has direct connections with: Berlin, Bucharest, Budapest, Kiev, Odessa, Prague, Vienna. The taxi stand is located outside the main entrance as well as on the top floor of the car park.
KRAKOW GLOWNY Main Railway Station
Pawia Street 5a, 31-154 Krakow
phone +48 12 393 12 34
www.pkp.pl
If you are planning to travel by train, please refer to the train timetable.
Arriving by bus
The Regional Bus Station (MDA - Malopolski Dworzec Autobusowy) is located in the city center, and it neighbours the Central Railway Station.
Krakow Main Bus station (MDA)
Bosacka Street 18
Next to the Main Railway Station
mda.malopolska.pl
If you are planning to travel by bus, please refer to the bus timetable.
Arriving by car
Kraków is located 300 km south of Warsaw. The A4 motorway, via Wrocław and Katowice, leads to Kraków from Western Europe.
The speed limit in Poland is generally 50km/h in cities (60km/h between 11.00 pm and 05.00 am), 90km/h outside urban areas, 120km/h on expressways and 140km/h on motorways. All cars must have their headlights switched on at all times and carry a red warning triangle in the trunk (mandatory for cars registerd in Poland). Replacement bulbs, a national identity sticker and proper registration and insurance documents are recommended. A reflective vest and a first-aid kit are recommended but not mandatory. Traffic restriction zones of designation A, B, C are enforced in the city from Monday till Saturday, 10.00 am - 8.00 pm.
It is necessary to pay parking fees within paid zones (the first hour and next hours: 9 PLN in A zone; 8 PLN in B zone; 7 PLN in C zone). Parking cars in these zones without payment is prohibited, except for vehicles belonging to persons or organizations granted free access and public transport vehicles. Parking is permitted only in designated areas. Absolute priority is given to pedestrians and the maximum driving speed should not exceed 20km/h.
IMPORTANT: The conference venue is located in the city center, in parking zone “A3”. Direct access by car is possible, but we strongly suggest leaving your car in the hotel parking lot and using public transport or walking. The location of restricted zones along with their description is available on the map of the Central Paid Parking Zone in Kraków.
Traveling around Kraków
Public transport
The public transport system in Kraków consists of bus and tram lines. A single-trip ticket costs 6 PLN (€1.4) and allows changing lines within 60-minutes. The ticket also allows a single journey of unlimited length without changing vehicles. You can buy it at newsstands and from ticket machines at downtown stops and on most buses and trams. The ticket should be validated immediately after entering the tram or bus.
Bus and tram operating company
Miejske Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne
w Krakowie (MPK)
mpk.krakow.pl
We recommend to use the maps of the bus and tram lines on the official MPK website (or jakdojade.pl connection browser), where one can go as well to view the current ticket prices and a guide to places where tickets can be purchased.
Courtesy of the city of Kraków, the conference participants can use the public transport free of charge during the event. In the case of a ticket inspection, please show your conference badge.
Useful information
Currency
The Polish currency unit is złoty (PLN), which divides into 100 subunits (grosz). The current exchange rate is available for example at www.nbp.pl or www.xe.com.
1 EUR = c.a 4,25 PLN (November 2025)
1 USD = c.a 3,70 PLN (November 2025)
Most foreign currencies can be easily exchanged either in banks or in private exchange offices (“kantor”). Foreign currencies (cash) are not acceptable in most shops.
Shops
The common opening hours are 10.00 am – 7.00 pm Monday to Friday.
On Saturdays stores are mostly closed after 2 pm and are closed on Sundays except for some small shops (e.g. “Żabka”).
Payments in shops can be made in cash (in PLN, with some facilities in the city center exceptionally accepting €) or by credit and debit cards.
Emergencies and medical services
Emergency calls are free of charge.
997 Police
998 Fire brigade
999 Ambulance
986 Municipal police
112 European emergency number for mobile phones
Credit cards
The most widely used credit/debit cards in Poland are Visa and MasterCard, more rarely American Express. Cash withdrawal machines, restaurants, car rental agencies and most shops accept all major credit cards. You can pay with your card, but your bank may charge a foreign transaction fee.
Post offices
Post offices are open Monday to Friday 8.00 am – 4.00 pm and closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Post boxes are red and post is usually collected twice daily. Stamps can be bought only at post offices.
Banks
Banks are open Monday to Friday 8.00 am – 6.00 pm and are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.