Warsaw

By bus

Regional and long-distance bus connections in Poland are traditionally called PKS. Once it was a legitimate abbreviation for the state-owned monopoly. Now, however, bus routes are operated by completely independent companies, some of which have chosen to retain the old PKS as a part of their name. In Warsaw, there's PKS Warszawa (http://www.pks.warszawa.pl/) but PKSes from various other cities also operate. Most PKS buses arrive and depart from either of two major terminals:

Dworzec PKS Warszawa Zachodnia

The bigger of the two, next to the railway station by the same name. Most buses arrive here. International buses like Eurolines, Ecolines, Simple Express have their main stop here. To get to the city center from here, walk to the other side of Al. Jerozolimskie and take a bus: 517, E-5  peak hours only, 127 , or 130  to Dw. Centralny one bus stop short of Centrum. Catching the eastbound suburban train or S2 urban railway line might be the best option. During the night, buses N35  and N85 run to Dw. Centralny main station every 30 minutes beginning at 23:52.

By train

Warsaw has three stations for long-distance trains:

Dworzec Centralny or Warszawa Centralna Warsaw Central ul. Emilii Plater

Dworzec Wschodni or Warszawa Wschodnia Warsaw East between ul. Kijowska and ul. Lubelska on the right bank

Dworzec Zachodni or Warszawa Zachodnia Warsaw West Al. Jerozolimskie near Rondo Zesłańców Syberyjskich

Unless you really know what you're doing, the best option is Dworzec Centralny Warszawa Centralna station, as it has best connections with all the places in the city. All long-distance trains pass through this station and all stop there. It is the only long-distance station underground. It isn't the last station on the route!

Trains running eastwards start at Warszawa Zachodnia, stop at Warszawa Centralna and then at Warszawa Wschodnia, while trains heading westwards make the same trip in the opposite direction except that they don't always stop at Warszawa Zachodnia. The same is true for arriving trains. Tourists often find it confusing that the main train station Warszawa Centralna is not the last station on the route.

The Berlin-Warszawa Express runs from Berlin to Warsaw daily and is quite inexpensive if booked in advance. Students get discounts as well. It's a fairly comfortable six hour trip. Schedule are available on Intercity's website (http://www.intercity.pl) and tickets can be booked through Polrail Service (http://polrail.com) or on the Deutsche Bahn (http://www.bahn.com) website.

One train per day runs to Kaunas and Vilnius in Lithuania, with a change of trains near the border.

There're also trains to Russia - Moscow, Saint Petersburg and even direct cars to Saratov or Irkutsk, Belarus - Minsk, Ukraine - Kiev and direct cars to Simferopol or even Astana in Kazakhstan. There are many direct connections to central and western European cities too.

In domestic trains, reservation is obligatory only on EC, EIC or Ex trains. In the most popular TLK cheapest, sometimes only a little slower than expensive EIC seat reservation is possible but not obligatory! only in 1st class.

There are also some IR InterRegio trains, operated by Przewozy Regionalne. These are the cheapest trains in Poland, but often not very comfortable and slow. Only IR Warsaw-Szczecin-Warsaw called "Mewa" and Warsaw-Rzeszow-Warsaw called "WOŚP" are highly recommended - they're equipped with air-conditioning, CCTV, power sockets for every seat and free wi-fi connection, although the price is extremely low. Seat reservation is possible for as little as 3zł ~0,75€, but only when purchasing internet ticket on website (http://www.biletyregional...).

If you don't have a reservation, you may get a better seat by boarding the train at its point or origination. During peak season, you may not be able to get a seat at all.

By car

Unlike most European capitals, Warsaw has no real bypass, so all transit traffic is routed through the city streets. The following streets, which constitute a circle with the radius of some 10 km six mi from the city centre, can be considered an ersatz ringroad: Trasa Toruńska-Trasa Armii Krajowej-al. Prymasa Tysiąclecia-Al. Jerozolimskie-ul. Łopuszańska-ul. Hynka-ul. Sasanki-ul. Marynarska-ul. Rzymowskiego-ul. Dolinka Służewiecka-ul. Sikorskiego-al. Witosa-Trasa Siekierkowska-ul. Marsa-ul. Żołnierska.

Four European "E-roads" lead to Warsaw: E30 A2, E77 7,  E67 under the unofficial name of Via Baltica, A8, and E372 17. The E-numbers are usually displayed on signs but it is best to know the national road numbers too, which are the numbers in parentheses.

What follows is a list of streets you will find yourself on when approaching the city from different directions:

North-West

Wyb. Gdyńskie or "Wisłostrada" in Bielany and then in Żoliborz along the left bank:  7- E77  Gdańsk DK RU S

North-East

ul. Radzymińska in Targówek and then al. Solidarności in Praga Północ  8- E67 Białystok BY LT

East and South East

ul. Płowiecka in Praga Południe 2|E30 Terespol BY; 17-E372 Lublin UA

West

ul. Wolska in Bemowo and then in Wola 2- E30  Poznań D

South-West

al. Krakowska in Włochy and then ul. Grójecka in Ochota  7 - E77-Kraków SK  8 - E67  Katowice CZ

The cities listed above are the ones displayed on signs in the city. The abbreviations in parentheses show you which neighboring countries can be reached with a road. If you are coming to the city, follow the blue-on-white Centrum signs. One exception is when you are coming from the north-east: follow the Praga sign unless you are driving a lorry.

Driving distances to other cities:

In Poland - Białystok 190 km 118 mi;Gdańsk 390 km 242 mi;Kielce 180 km 112 mi;Kraków 290 km 180 mi;Olsztyn 210 km 130 mi;Poznań 310 km 193 mi;Siedlce 100 km 62 mi;Toruń 210 km 130 mi

In other countries - Berlin D 570 km 354 mi;Budapest H 700 km 535 mi;Kaliningrad RU 350 km 217 mi

Car hire. At the Frederic Chopin airport you will find Avis, Hertz, Budget and Sixt. Telephone numbers can be found in free magazines lying around in hotel and cafe lobbies. Also refer to the individual companies websites. It is a legal requirement for you to carry your driving licence, insurance documents and the vehicle registration details at all times. If the Police stop you without them, they are likely to impose a fine.