TRAVEL
PLANE:
The best means of transportation to the conference venue for a tourist from abroad will be the plane.
KRAKÓW AIRPORT named after John Paul II in Balice is the second biggest airport in Poland, after the one in Warsaw. It has connections with many cities in Europe and intercontinental with the US. Tourists from around the world reach Krakow this way. It is located 11 km from Krakow and 27 km west from Wieliczka.
GPS coordinates: N: 50 ̊ 4' 21" E: 19 ̊ 48' 21"
Detailed information www.krakowairport.pl/en
TRANSPORT FROM THE AIRPORT TO WIELICZKA
Train
The train station at the airport in Balice is situated near a passenger terminal behind a multi-storey car park. You can walk on foot to the station from the terminal in a few minutes. The operator of train lines is Koleje Małopolskie. Trains from the KRAKÓW LOTNISKO/KRAKOW AIRPORT terminus go to the DWORZEC GŁÓWNY/MAIN STATION (centre of Krakow, main train and bus station in the city). Presently, it takes 20-35-minutes ride to get the MAIN STATION stop, depending on the time of departure. On 4.30-8.30 am and 2.30-10.30 pm, you can journey on directly to Wieliczka without changing trains. Participants in the conference are advised to get off on the WIELICZKA PARK stop, owing to its proximity to hotels. Train ride from Krakow to Wieliczka takes 14-30 minutes, depending on the time of departure (in total, getting from the airport to Wieliczka may take 50-60 minutes, trains run hourly). Between 8.30 am – 2.30 pm, trains from the airport go only to the MAIN STATION stop. Every train has 170 seats, air-conditioning and heating as well as sockets, Wi-Fi and ticket machines. Tickets may also be bought directly from the guard at the front of the train. The price of the ticket on the route KRAKOW AIRPORT – WIELICZKA PARK is PLN 12.50 (about EUR 3). You may pay by credit card (in the machine) or cash (to the guard).
NOTE: the above description of the connections is valid up to 09.06.2018. Restrictions on railway traffic are caused by modernisation works on the rail tracks. The Information on railway connections will be kept up-to-date.
Timetable, pricelist and detailed information: www.malopolskiekoleje.pl/index.php/routes/wieliczka-marketplace-salt-mine-krakow-airport
Taxi
You can have a comfortable and fast journey from the airport in Balice to Wieliczka by cab.
Getting there by the A-4 motorway (southern bypass of Krakow) you will cover 27 km, and it will take about 25-30 minutes.
Many taxi corporations operate at the airport. The cheapest option is the ICAR corporation (tel. +48 12 653 55 55).
The cab should be called by phone. The cost of transport to Wieliczka should not be more than PLN 80 (EUR 20)
You can also use the official airport service of the Kraków Airport Taxi, operating 24 hours a day.
Drivers wait at the taxi rank of the Krakow Airport Taxi, just next to entrances to the terminal. You can fix the ride on-line already before landing in Krakow.
You can pay by credit card or by cash. Reservations and pricelist on the website: www.krktaxi.pl
Bus
To get from the airport in Balice to the Main Station in Krakow, we can also use public transport (MPK S.A.)
A day line – line 208 – is available (the buses run at hourly intervals between 4.30 am and 10.30 pm, the ride takes 40-45 minutes) as well as a night line – line 902 (11 pm – 4 am, the ride takes 35 minutes). You should get off at the DWORZEC GŁÓWNY WSCHÓD/EAST MAIN STATION stop.
Ticket price: PLN 4 (about EUR 1). The tickets can be bought in a ticket machine on the bus only with coins or in a newspaper’s agent at the airport.
To get to Wieliczka, you should change buses at the Main Station: get on a bus of line 304 (a journey of 45 minutes, it runs from 5.00 am to 10.00 pm). The bus runs every 10-15 minutes from the DWORZEC GŁÓWNY ZACHÓD/WEST MAIN STATION stop. In Wieliczka, you should get off at the WIELICZKA PARK stop.
Ticket price: PLN 4 (about EUR 1). The tickets can be bought in a ticket machine on the bus only with coins or in a newsagent’s shop at the airport.
GETTING TO KRAKOW BY INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC TRAIN AND BUS LINES:
The Krakow Main Station is one of the most modern transport junctions in Poland. It integrates the local and long-distance railway (including international trains), city trams, bus station (connections with the whole country and cities abroad) as well as city buses. There are ticket offices, client service centres, information desks, food service facilities and cafés in the station complex. Also, a vast shopping arcade can be found here, joining the station with one of the biggest shopping malls in Krakow. In this place you can exchange currency in a few exchange offices („Exchange”) and get Polish zlotys. There is also free wireless Internet connection available in the mall.
You can buy tickets in ticket offices for railway connections and through the Internet (www.pkp.pl)
The valid schedule: http://www.rozklad-pkp.pl/pl/terminal/krakow-glowny
The Bus Station adjoins directly the PKP Kraków Główny Train Station by Bosacka 18 St. Daily, it is the starting spot of almost 1200 routes provided by more than 200 carriers. From there, you can reach many tourist attractions in the Lesser Poland which are inaccessible by rail.
Tickets can be bought in ticket offices or through the Internet: www.e-podroznik.pl
Information about the pricelist and connections: www.mda.pl
From the bus station and its neighbourhood many small buses of private carriers also depart to Wieliczka. Behind the windscreen, you can read “Wieliczka” from a plate. The ticket costs 3.50 and you pay the driver for it with cash.
Information about the connections: www.busy.info.pl
TAXI FROM CRACOW TO WIELICZKA
You can quickly get to Wieliczka from the centre of Krakow by cab. You can call it by phone or find it on a taxi rank.
You should pay attention to whether a taxi belongs to a licenced carrier (it has a visible number and name of a taxi corporation along with a list of prices for services on a window on the side).
The journey from the Krakow centre to Wieliczka takes 25-30 minutes. The cost should not exceed PLN 80 (about EUR 20).
OWN TRANSPORT
Numerous domestic and international roads lead to Krakow and Wieliczka. Krakow is cut through by the A-4 motorway, going from west to east, the international E-77 road, going from south to north, and the S-1 motorway. Some sections of the A-4 motorway are toll road sections (about PLN 15-20 per section).
The car parks in the centre of Cracow and in Wieliczka are mostly payable. The Cracow centre has many pedestrian zones and others where parking is limited. In both the cities and their neighbourhood there are plenty of gas stations.