Travel Poland by train

If any of your friends traveled around Poland by train 20 or 30 years ago and told you about their impressions, then... the situation has changed completely! At the beginning of the 21st century, trains in Poland were still very old, smelly, and often delayed. However, over the past 20-30 years, the Polish government has begun to modernize Polish trains. The change was very slow at first, but in the last few years there has been a major replacement of old trains. Poland has purchased many high-speed trains, which have completely changed the image of Polish railways. Of course, along with the change of trains, many sections of track have also been replaced so that high-speed trains can travel at high speeds. Nowadays, Polish trains often have a restaurant car, the toilets are clean and well-equipped, and tickets can be purchased online. How long does it take to travel between major Polish cities by train, and how much do tickets cost? Read on to find out the answers to all these questions!

We already know that Polish trains are fast these days. How long does it take to travel between the two most frequently visited Polish cities, Warsaw and Krakow? The train journey from Krakow Main Station to Warsaw Main Station takes two hours and 42 minutes on average, with around 21 trains running daily on this route. The train journey from Gdańsk Główny station to Kraków Główny station takes about 5 hours and 45 minutes. You can also reach Wieliczka, home to the frequently visited Salt Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 21 minutes by train from Krakow. You can also travel by train to other beautiful Polish cities, such as Toruń, Wrocław, Poznań, and many other gems of Poland! Are Polish trains safe? Absolutely! Currently, in order to buy a train ticket, you need to provide your personal details. Thanks to that, trains are not only safe, but also not overcrowded and chaotic, which was often the case 20 or 30 years ago. There are currently two big companies operating trains in Poland. Intercity trains run between major Polish cities and are divided into two categories: express intercity (very fast and more expensive) and intercity (also very comfortable, but cheaper and slightly slower). Apart from Intercity trains, there are also regional trains, which are slower but reach even the smallest towns and are essential for many Poles to get to work.

Train ticket prices in Poland depend on many factors, such as: the company (Intercity or regional trains) route, train class (1st or 2nd class) and time of purchase. The price of a ticket between Krakow and Warsaw is around 70 PLN (about 15 EUR) for an Intercity train (slightly slower but still very comfortable) or 170 PLN (about 40 EUR) for a very modern train EIC. In our opinion, it is not worth buying tickets for the EIC train (the super fast one), because both trains are really similar in terms of comfort. Similar prices apply to connections between other major Polish cities. The cheapest tickets are often available when purchased in advance. It is worth buying Intercity tickets in advance, because the earlier you buy them, the higher your discount will be. Tickets for trains between big polish cities (Kraków, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Poznań, Łódź, Toruń, Warszawa) you can book online on the website of PKP Intercity If you want to reach small towns, check out koleo.pl or platforms such as e-podroznik.pl. If you want to learn more about traveling around Poland by train and other means of transport, you should definitely read our article about transportation in Poland and our review about traveling by train, bus, and car. And if you want your tour around Poland to be fully tailored to your needs, find out more about our Travel Poland Tours and contact us using the form!