I would be grateful for some advice about how to get around in Poland. My family and I have a vacation to Poland coming up soon. We're flying into Warsaw Chopin and from there plan on taking a train to Mragowo in northeastern Poland. What is the best way of going about this? Should we take a train from the airport to the Warsaw Central Station and then buy a ticket to Mragowo from there? Is there a good website with information in English about train connections and prices? Thanks in advance for the advice.
Should we take a train from the airport to the Warsaw Central Station and then buy a ticket to Mragowo from there?
That's a good way to do it - it saves mucking about with taxis and buses. You can buy tickets at the ticket office in the Okęcie Airport railway station. They speak English.
I don't think you can go by rail to Mrągowo at the moment - you may have to go to Olsztyn and get a coach.
If you want to buy online (you can print the ticket off) these sites (both from Polish railways) are available in English. I prefer using the first one:
Sorry but I just checked and it appears that passenger trains stopped running to Mragowo in 2009. You could get the train to Olsztyn and a bus from there, probably wouldn't take much more than an hour.
Personally I'd just hire a car at Warsaw airport and drive, you'll want a car to get around in that area anyway.
Yes, there's an ATM at the airport - several in fact. Use that rather than the airport exchange offices which give a very bad rate.
A quick tip - debit/credit cards on the Mastercard network tend to give a better rate than ones on the visa network. You might also google your debit card to see if it's particulary praised or criticised for t&c when using abroad.
Another way (perhaps the best) is to bring Euros in cash and exchange them at any kantor (avoid 24 hour ones, hotel ones or ones in the most touristy of areas like Mragowo - just use a normal one, most towns have several) since these always give the best rates.
skyscanner.pl is the best option for comparing the offers from all the companies (you can set it to be in English and give prices in whatever currency you want).
is also a good one. I always use them for flights, and they now do car hire comparisons. One reason I prefer them to skyscanner is that their website has a lot of features yet is very easy to use.
Of course a real bargain hunter would look at both ;-)
It should be a cheap add-on if he flies from across the pond on LOT - normally domestic flights at the beginning/end of a transcontinental flight are only a handful of złoty extra.
Although I've never been, I've been told the lake regions around Mazur etc. are highly recommended and the photos of Zakopane in the Tatras are simply breathtaking!
Why is that road so dangerous? We will be driving during daylight hours on a Sunday. What is the safest route to drive to get to Mragowo. I'd be willing to take a longer route for better safety.
OK. Is it easy to catch a bus from Olsztyn to Mragowo? Do the buses leave from the Olsztyn train station? What bus service is the best and how can I see the departure times and prices? Thanks!
The railway station? Yes, the bus station is right outside it. Book in advance using en.e-podroznik.pl - this website lets you book on all the different services from different companies. For that route there are plenty of buses throughout the day. Prices and journey times are shown.
Make sure you do this in advance, to make sure you get a seat - it should be ok, however it's always good to be sure. The journey isn't too long and is extremely cheap, especially if that service isn't busy. Generally, the earlier you book, the cheaper it is - they have dynamic pricing.
The problem with booking in advance is that we can't be sure about when we'd arrive in Olsztyn. The flight could be delayed or our train from Warsaw to Olsztyn could be delayed. I'd rather pay a bit more for the flexibility. Based on your experience, what would you say is the maximum a bus ticket from Olsztyn to Mragowo could cost per person if purchased at the station immediately before departure?
Based on your experience, what would you say is the maximum a bus ticket from Olsztyn to Mragowo could cost per person if purchased at the station immediately before departure?
15PLN or so. Can't imagine it being much more than that.
Starts at 7 zl, and the dearest was 64 zl. Most around 7 zl. (According to the link to e-podroznik posted last night).
The longer you leave it, the dearer it can get. On a Sunday, I'd say it would tend towards the dearer price if the time of the bus is popular. That's still nly 15 quid, and in reality the price will probably be half that at the most.
My god those are some low prices. If the absolute worst case scenario involves having to pay €16 for a ticket that should cost €1 or €2, I think I can live with that. Thanks so much for your input. Now I just need to figure out which bus stop in Mragowo to get off at for Hotel Mercure Mragowo.
A nice and fairly new 100 square meter apartment in a nicer part of Frankfurt can easily get over €2,000/month. It would be rare to find places that expensive in Berlin.
Indeed, I know Berlin, haven't been back in an age, though. You're surely correct, being as you live there. Might be an idea however to learn some basic Polish for the trip. Once again, can't rely on the average local to know German. English too might be a challenge, except for the younger urban set. In that case, they'll be multilingual in English, possibly German, perhaps Russian or even Spanish and French:-)
Roads have gotten a lot better too, I'm told! Hope to hear from you.
Based on your experience, what would you say is the maximum a bus ticket from Olsztyn to Mragowo could cost per person if purchased at the station immediately before departure?
Now I just need to figure out which bus stop in Mragowo to get off at for Hotel Mercure Mragowo.
The Hotel Mercure is on the 'other' side of Mragowo. You'll probably need a taxi (should be a taxi rank by the bus station). Due to the hotel's location, you'll probably use taxis a few times during your visit - they aren't expensive.
You'll be pleasantly surprised at some of the restaurants in Mragowo. Don't just eat at the hotel (which will be more expensive than most places). there are some nice places to eat there, by the lake, and around town.
