Arriving
You can get to Cracow by train from almost any Polish city and town (the Intercity train trip to Warsaw takes 2.5 hours), as well as many other European cities. There are direct international railway connections to Cracow from Austria (Vienna), the Czech Republic (Prague), Germany (Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt/M, Frankfurt/O, Leipzig), Hungary (Budapest), Rumania (Bucharest), Slovakia (Bratislava, Kosice), Ukraine (Kiev, Lvov, Odessa).
Train tickets may be purchased at the main and other railway stations. They are also available in advance from the ORBIS TRAVEL OFFICE, 41 Market Square (Rynek Główny), which charges a small commission. It is also possible to buy a ticket from the train conductor BUT you must tell him that you have no ticket BEFORE commencing your journey.
A seat reservation must be made for the Intercity, express trains, as well as overnight couchettes and sleeping carriages. Trains, which require seat reservations, are indicated in the time-table by the letter R (Rezerwacja).
To get to the University, those who come by train may use a tram or a taxi. A price for a tram ticket at present is 2,20 PLN, and the cost of a taxi is about 10 PLN. Those going by tram must walk a couple of meters away from the station to the main road (Lubicz St.) and catch the tram # 4, 13 and 24.
Many travel agencies offer regular services operating between Cracow and numerous cities in Europe. Travelling by coach, one may arrive from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Holland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The main coach station, DWORZEC AUTOBUSOWY, is located in the centre, opposite the Main Railway Station.
The Polish Airlines LOT offers direct flights from Cracow to Frankfurt, London, Paris, Rome, Vienna and Zurich. Transit via Warsaw to Cracow from: Amsterdam, Bangkok, Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Budapest, Cairo, Chicago, Copenhagen, Damascus, Dubai, Dusseldorf, Helsinki, Hamburg, Istanbul, Kiev, Larnaca, Los Angeles, Lvov, Nice, New York, Oslo, Pekin, Prague, Riga, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Vilnius. Polish Airlines LOT also provides flights from Cracow to Gdańsk, Poznań, Szczecin, and Warsaw.
The John Paul II International Airport in Balice is located 15 km (approx. 10 miles) west of the city and the journey to the city centre takes about 20 minutes.
Ø There are 3 bus routs serving the centre:
· 152 – goes to the Cracovia Hotel
· 192 – goes to the Cracovia Hotel
· 208 – goes to the Main Railway Station
· B - the express bus – goes to Nowa Huta via the city centre (approximately every 15 minutes)
A bus ticket must be purchased from a newsagent’s at the airport prior to your journey or from the driver when boarding the bus. Large pieces of luggage are subject to additional charge.
Ø There is a taxi rank at the terminal’s main exit. The price for a drive to the centre is about 50,00 PLN.
Ø Airlines serving Crocow:
· Austrian Airlines, Mały Rynek 1, tel: 442 64 70
· British Airways, ul. ¦w. Tomasza 25, tel: 422 88 21
· Delta Airlines, ul. Szpitalna 36, tel: 422 61 05
· Lufthansa, ul. Sienna 9, tel: 422 41 88
· LOT Polish Airlines, ul. Basztowa 15, tel: 952, or 953, or 422 42 15
· Swissair, ul. Szpitalna 36, tel: 422 94 40
· * Cracow-Balice Airport, tel: 411 19 55
Cracow is located close to important roads, highways and at the crossroad of E 77 (linking the North with the South) and E40 (linking the West with the East). One may also travel to Cracow along the A4 highway running from the West through Silesia.