Visiting Poland for 3 days. Need some info on getting around

Hey guys,

I'll be attending a conference in Poznan next week but I need some info on how to get there. I'm planning on booking a plane ticket for Warsaw so I just need to figure out what to do from there. I'm planning on getting to Poznan by train cuz I read that the railway network is quite good. I've tried to book some train tickets online but there's no such thing as an e-ticket and you have to physically get them somehow. The trouble is that I'll be arriving on Sunday when everything is closed according to polrail.com/ so there's no way to get them from any drop-off office. To make matters worse I cannot have them shipped to me because according to the same website they may not get to me in time. So now I was thinking of just buying the tickets on the spot. I have a few questions regarding this entire business:

- Will I find any tickets?
- Can I book a seat?
- Is railway travel safe in Poland?
- Is it hard for foreigners to get around and get directions?
- Do people in Warsaw and Poznan speak English in general?

Thanks in advance,
Alex

P.S.: I'm not getting a direct flight to Poznan because the prices are exorbitant ATM.

Hi Alex

what is the conference about?

your first challenge will be getting to the train station
do NOT jump into the first taxi driver who touts for business at the airport as you will get ripped off
instead take a taxi from the taxi rank. Make sure you get some zlotys from the bankomat inside the airport first
you ought to be looking at a 30 zloty ride - although it is a while since I was in Warsaw so I expect someone
will now try to argue that is 35 zloty and not 30 but you get the idea

- Will I find any tickets?
you can pay on the train in cash or with a credit card
or you can buy a ticket if you go upstairs and cue for an eternity but you can pay with credit cards

you need to learn a Polish word
Odjazdy as this means departures
and another one, Peron which means platform

assuming you have got on the right train....

- Can I book a seat?
yes but not if you buy your ticket on the train. the secret is to sit in the Wars dining car and stuff yourself
the food is quite good but they only take cash

- Is railway travel safe in Poland?
yes but public displays of wealth are unwise

- Is it hard for foreigners to get around and get directions?
it can be, although it depends on how you want to communicate
grade your language

'train to Poznan? yes? good?'
ought to be understandable to most people under the age of 30

- Do people in Warsaw and Poznan speak English in general?
At the hotels they do and if you have a wait for your train, but are far better crossing the road and sitting in the Marriott

than hanging around at the station.

which hotel are you going to be staying at in Poznan?
if it is the Mercure or the Sheraton, they will be the easiest to find

Hi hythorn,

Thanks for the speedy reply.

I'm attending the e-nnovation conference on innovation in IT. I realize that my first challenge is to get to the train station. The taxi situation sounds kind of nasty. Is there some other way to get from the airport to the train station?

you can pay on the train in cash or with a credit card
or you can buy a ticket if you go upstairs and cue for an eternity but you can pay with credit cards
If I buy the ticket on the train, will it be more expensive?

yes but public displays of wealth are unwise
I don't plan to act and look like a pimp :)

it can be, although it depends on how you want to communicate
grade your language
Ok I'll try to use simple English exclusively.

which hotel are you going to be staying at in Poznan?
I'm gonna stay at the Sheraton.

No, it's not. As Hythorn explained, just head for the taxi rank which is right outside the terminal and it will be perfectly fine. If you have one or two guys who try to entice you before you reach it by asking " taxi?", just answer "nie" (they usually spot foreigners quite easily from their clothes or from their demeanour...)

do not take the buses from the airport, they are full of thieves

you are talking about a taxi ride for around 6 quid.

it is about 5 zloty or a quid more to buy the ticket on the train

it is a doddle to find the Sheraton from the train station
I recommend shank's pony

I wouldn't count on being able to pay with a credit card on the train - it is available on some trains but not all as far as I know


you can always switch back to normal English once you encounter someone able and willing to communicate that way :)


there sure are busses that connect the airport with the city centre - use the 175 line - it goes straight to Dworzec Centralny (the central station) - use some tablets or cardboard with 'Dworzec Centralny' written on them to show to the bus driver to buy a ticket - the ticket should be less than 10 PLN (I am not 100 per cent sure though) so if you give him a 10 PLN note it should be fine (you can use another tablet to tell him to keep the change ('RESZTY NIE TRZEBA') - (don't expect bus drivers to know English simply)

EDIT: you should actually listen to hythorn advice: he seems to know the realities - I just used the internet and my imagination

you ought to be ok on the Warsaw Poznan trains
having said that make sure you have plenty of cash with you

if you can, you are better to buy the ticket at the station as you are guaranteed a seat and do
not have to answer any questions from the ticket collectors
it is enough to give them your ticket

You can buy tickets on the PKP website and then print them out yourself. bilet.intercity.pl/irez/ Yes I do use that service myself.

now that is handy.

thanks for the tip

wow, you guys have forewarned him enought.... it's a jungle here, expect parrots and koalas and what not! :-)

Wow, thank you guys for the amazing support. I think I have figured out the last steps now. I'll get the right cab by "nie"-ing my way to the normal taxis and buy a ticket from the train station unless I'll be able to get one from the PKP website.

I'm looking forward to my Polish trip. :)

Alex

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