Getting There By Rail
Polish Railways, Polskie Koleje Panstwowe – PKP (tel: (022) 9436, for all enquiries; (48 22) 511 6003 for calls outside of Poland; website: www.pkp.com.pl), operates trains on the Polish rail network. Poland’s rail network continues to improve and services are increasingly comfortable and punctual, especially on the main routes to other Polish cities and destinations outside Poland. However, they are often very crowded and it is worth spending the 50% surcharge for a guaranteed first class seat or try and opt for the Inter-City trains (IC) that require a reservation. The main lines passing through Warsaw are the Moscow-Berlin and Gdansk-Ostrava routes. Tickets can be purchased at the station or through Orbis tourist offices.
Most international services arrive at Warszawa Centralna (Warsaw Central), aleje Jerozolimskie 54 (tel: (022) 524 4320), across from the tall Marriott Hotel. This station attracts the dirty underbelly of Warsaw society and tourists should take care of their belongings at all times. Station facilities include tourist information, 24-hour left-luggage, a chemist, post office, bureaux de change, ATMs, shops and snack bars. The other main stations are Warszawa Wschodnia (Warsaw East), Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West) and Warszawa Gdanska, which receives trains from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
Rail services: EuroCity and InterCity trains from Cracow (journey time – 2 hours 40 minutes), Berlin (journey time – 6 hours 20 minutes) and Prague (journey time – 8 hours 50 minutes) arrive at Warsaw Central station. Care should be taken on some night train routes, where thieves have been known to operate.
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