Travel - getting around

• 1Travel tips
• 2Getting to Warsaw
• 3Getting around Warsaw
• 4Money Matters
• 5Language
• 6Info about Warsaw & Poland

Above: It's warmer underground! Below: Flash cars are an increasingly common sight in Warsaw

By taxi

If your Polish is up to it, or your driver feels like practising his English, you could be treated to an endless discourse on anything from politics to Balzac - i.e. humourless but profound. Warsaw taxi drivers don't have the greatest reputation when it comes to fare charging, particularly from the airport. Avoid drivers hanging around the arrival gates - that's a guaranteed rip-off, as in any city. Call a cab (or ask any of the information points to do it for you), or simply head to an airport taxi rank and look for clearly marked cabs. The absolute easiest way to get picked up from the airport is to let someone do it for you! Just contact our Warsaw taxi and transfer service and let us know the when and wheres... we'll take care of the rest!

By car

You can hire a car to get around, but if you plan to spend most of your time in the city, think carefully. Apart from the difficulty of driving on the right, there are trams to contend with, a boggling one-way system, and signs that have even native Poles struggling to comprehend. Parking is severely restricted in the Old and New Town, and there are three different enforcement agencies (Parking, Municipal and National Police) to contend with. The alternative, public transport, is a far better bet.

By public transportation

What most cities dream of - safe, efficient and cheap transportation city-wide, through a network of trams, buses and metro. Though Warsaw's underground has only one line at the moment, it is by far the fastest option of travelling through the city - and not only to you avoid terrible Warsaw traffic, but you can hide from the summer heat or winter chill in a climate-controlled subway car. Buy your tickets from any of the little kiosks that are dotted around the town. All journeys cost the same (2.80 zloty), irrespective of distance. Jump aboard the bus or tram and punch your little ticket in one of the little orange and brown boxes that are located all around. Keep the stamped stub for the not infrequent checks by plain-clothes inspectors.

If your Polish is up to it, or your driver feels like practising his English, you could be treated to an endless discourse on anything from politics to Balzac - i.e. humourless but profound. The driving is secondary, but the notices on the back of the headrests (which tell you to fasten your seatbelts or suffer the consequence) are well-merited. Have a stiff drink before you get in (your driver probably has already), and enjoy the fun.