Getting to Warsaw
By air
Warsaw has two airports handled by many airlines: Chopin Airport (WAW) and Modlin Airport (WMI).
Chopin airport is within the city boundaries and has easy bus, regional rail and taxi connections to the city center.
Insider tip: Insider tip: If you really need an Uber or Bolt, do not order them directly from Chopin Airport. Take a bus (175 dir. Centrum or 188 dir. PKP Gocławek) for just a few stops and then order a ride. The bus ticket will cost you 3,40 PLN and you’ll save as much as 40 PLN on the Uber fare.
Modlin airport is a bit further from the city, and getting to the city center is more complicated (bus + regional train or private bus/taxi services). Uber/Bolt is possible, but it can cost even 100+ PLN to the city center.
By train
Warsaw has 3 major train stations: East (Warszawa Wschodnia), Central (Warszawa Centralna) and West (Warszawa Zachodnia). If your train terminates on East or West stations, you can still use local train, tram or bus connections to the city center.
By coach bus
There are international and intercity buses like FlixBus that arrive at the Chopin Airport, West, and Central train stations. From there, you can easily change to a city bus, tram, or taxi.
By car
Warsaw city center has a paid on-street parking system, valid from Monday to Friday. If your hotel does not provide a parking, there are many Park and Ride parkings on the city outskirts with easy bus, train or metro access. If you buy a 24h or a weekend ticket, you can park there for free (check the conditions and regulations on the webpage).
Public transport in Warsaw
Warsaw has a robust choice of train, metro, tram and bus connections. You can reliably find directions using Google Maps, Apple Maps or JakDojade.
This is a short-read guide, additional information can be found in English on the official transport authority website.
Buying public transport tickets
You can buy tickets in stationary ticket machines that are placed throughout the city (they are colored red). These machines support both cash and card payments. These tickets have to be validated when entering a vehicle or metro station.
Take note – tickets purchased in stationary machines have magnet strips, do not place them next to magnets (like iPhones with MagSafe) or they won’t work!
All buses and trams also have mobile ticket machines, which support only card payments. These tickets have QR codes so they can be safely stored next to magnets, and they are already validated from the moment they are purchased.
Ticket types
There are 3 short-time ticket types: 20-minute, 75-minute and 90-minute. All are valid on all day and night lines.
If you prefer a peace of mind or you plan to travel a lot of times during your stay you can buy:
- 24-hour ticket (valid for 24 hours from validation, 26 PLN)
- weekend ticket (valid from Friday 7PM until Monday 8AM, for 24 PLN)
- group weekend ticket if you’re traveling with friends (up to 5 people, 40 PLN).
Entering the metro
If you have a magnet-stripe ticket, place it in the slot at the front of the gate. If you have a ticket with a QR code, there is a dedicated gate at each station that has an optical reader. It might take a bit of maneuvering to detect it, but it will work.
You don’t need to scan the ticket when leaving any of the metro stations.
Night buses
If you plan to get back to your hotel from the party via a night bus, they are marked with an N prefix (ex. N1, N10, etc.). Night buses only stop on demand at each stop. Therefore, you must wave to the driver when the bus approaches and press a stop button in the bus shortly before your destination stop to make a stop.