Practical Kraków
The things nobody tells you in advance.
From the airport
The train is the answer. Kraków Lotnisko to Kraków Główny takes 17 to 20 minutes, runs about every half hour and costs 20 PLN. Buy at the platform office, from the machine on board, or in an app. From the main station it's a 10–12 minute walk to the apartment.
| Option | Time | Cost |
|---|
| Train (SKA1) to Kraków Główny | 17–20 min | 20 PLN |
| Official airport taxi (fixed zone fare) | ~25 min | 109–129 PLN |
| Bolt / Uber / FREE NOW | ~25 min | ~60–150 PLN |
| Night bus 902 | ~35 min | zone ticket |
Watch out: unlicensed drivers tout in the arrivals hall and have charged visitors 200 PLN and more. A legitimate taxi shows a company name and a printed rate card in the window. The official airport taxis charge fixed zone fares whatever the time or traffic.
Trams & buses
Fares changed on 2 March 2026, and plenty of websites still print the old ones. Current prices: 15 minutes 4 PLN, 30 minutes 6 PLN, 60 minutes 8 PLN, 90 minutes 9 PLN, 24 hours 20 PLN, 72 hours 55 PLN. A 24-hour ticket for zones I+II+III, which includes the airport, is 25 PLN.
Validation is where visitors get caught. A paper ticket goes into the yellow kasownik the moment you board; unvalidated counts as no ticket. An app ticket doesn't need punching, but you have to enter the vehicle's side number and buy it before an inspection starts, because the apps are blocked the moment inspectors begin checking. The machines on board take cards only and print nothing: you tap the same card on the inspector's reader. The fine for no ticket is 400 PLN plus the fare, halved if you pay within seven days.
Money: złoty, not euros
Poland pays in złoty (PLN). Euros aren't the currency here, and anywhere that does take them will give you a terrible rate.
Always pay and withdraw in PLN. The ATM or card machine will offer to convert the amount into your home currency at a "guaranteed rate". Say no. That's dynamic currency conversion, and it typically costs 5 to 13 percent. At a shop terminal, choose PLN. Skip standalone Euronet-style ATMs, which add their own fee; use machines at Polish bank branches (PKO BP, Santander, Pekao, ING, mBank, BNP Paribas), and take out larger amounts less often.
Tipping
Ten percent for good restaurant service, fifteen for very good. Nothing is expected at a bar or anywhere you order at the counter. Check the bill first: some places on the tourist streets add a service charge, and then you don't tip twice. Card machines often suggest a tip on screen, and declining isn't rude.
The classic trap: paying cash, don't say dziękuję ("thank you") as you hand over the note. In a Polish restaurant that means "keep the change", and the change might be a lot. Say the total you want to pay instead.
The Sunday trading ban
Most shops in Poland close on Sundays. The 2026 trading Sundays are 25 January, 29 March, 26 April, 28 June, 30 August, and 6, 13 and 20 December. On every other Sunday, Galeria Krakowska and the supermarkets are shut.
What stays open: Żabka, the small green convenience shops, most of which trade on non-trading Sundays too, usually 08:00 to 21:00, under the owner-operated exemption. So do bakeries, pharmacies, petrol stations, the shops in Kraków Główny station and at the airport, and every restaurant, café and bar. A non-trading Sunday makes groceries awkward, not eating. There's a Żabka a few minutes away in almost any direction.
Tap water
Kraków tap water is safe to drink. The city's water utility tests it continuously, and it meets Polish, EU and WHO standards. It's hard water, so the kettle will scale up, but that's limescale, not a safety issue. No need to buy bottled.
Quiet hours
22:00 to 06:00, nationwide. The hours aren't written into statute as such, but disturbing night-time rest is an offence under Article 51 of the Code of Petty Offences, and the police do fine for it. In an Old Town building the neighbours will report noise, and they're within their rights.
© Zygmunt Put · CC BY-SA 4.0
