Tickets, Warsaw

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My recommendation for a visitor is to walk on foot (the Old Town and the Royal Way) and use either city transportation (bus, tram, metro - 1 line only) or taxis (door to door transportation, more expensive but more comfortable and safer). City buses and trams are mostly quite punctual :-) and go from 4.30 am - 5.00 am to about 11.00 pm - 11.30 pm. Night bus lines go later (numbered 601 up). Trams are a bit faster than buses in rush hours.

BUS LINES NUMBERING MODE
Black numbers from 101 up - day lines
Black numbers from 301 up - day rush hours lines
Red numbers from 401 up and E-1 to E-5 - fast rush hours lines
Red numbers from 500 up - fast day lines
Black numbers from 601 up - night lines
Black numbers from 701 up - suburbian day lines
Black numbers from 801 up - suburbian rush hours lines
Red numbers from 201 - temporarily lines (special events, holidays)

TICKETS
There are the same tickets for both city buses, trams and metro which reach almost each point in large Warsaw area. The tickets are sold in numerous kiosks (read my shopping tip) and by a driver of a bus or trams (but only on a stop, they don't give any change, and you must pay 0.6 zl more unless you take a night or suburbian bus).

Haha, there are tenths or even hundreds kinds of tickets. Students always pay 50%. The most usuful tickets for a visitor (100% fare):
- 2.40 zl - for a single trip in day lines
- 2.00 zl - for a single trip in day lines which starts on business day between 9 am and 2 pm
- 7.20 zl (1.9 euros) - for 24 hours since validation time (inside the city, valid also for night buses)
- 12 zl (3.2 euros) - as above but for 3 days
- 24 zl - as above but for 7 days.
There is NO fee for any luggage or bicycle.

There are many different kinds of tickets for public transportation, here are some examples:
1 normal ticket - 2,80 PLN
Ticket for 20 min. - 2,00 PLN
Ticket for 40 min. - 2,80 PLN
Ticket for 60 min. - 4,00 PLN
Ticket for 90 min. - 6,00 PLN
Ticket for 24 h - 9,00 PLN
Ticket for 3 days - 16,00 PLN
Ticket for one week - 32,00 PLN
Children under 4 years travel for free, above 4 years pay 50%.

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If you are arriving by plane and require tickets for Warsaw's public transport it is fairly easy. Just inside the arrivals entrance in Terminal Two there is a Ruch Shop, that sells different types of tickets. The staff are very helpful and speak or at least understand English. A 1 day ticket costs 9pln, 3 days 16pln & 7 days 32pln, they also sell single journey tickets. There is a Relay shop in Terminal One that also sells tickets but it only has limited types of tickets. You can of course purchase a ticket from the bus driver. The tickets are valid for all day lines within city limits, suburban lines within the city zone and night lines, for buses, trams and the metro. More information can be found at this website http://www.ztm.waw.pl/?c=110&l=2
The #175 bus stop is just across the road from the two terminals. This bus goes to the city centre. Just inside the doors of the bus is a yellow box to stamp the ticket and it prints the expiry date, the machine only seems to work when the engine of the bus is running. No additional tickets are needed for luggage. The bus takes about 30 minutes to get to the city centre and quickly fills up with standing room only by the time it gets into town. If you are loaded down with luggage may sure you sit or stand close to the doors. Watch your belongings as the #175 bus is popular with pickpockets.

The public transport system in Warsaw city truly impressed me: there are buses, trams and a subway that all interconnect, from the new town to the old town.

We mostly used the bus no. 175, which will take you all the way to Old Town (bus stop "Hotel Bristol"). This bus keeps going around and around, with many stops to hop-on and hop-off. As our hotel was perfectly located near the Palace of Culture & Science, we even had our own bus stop right outside, so it was very convenient (bus stop "Pl. Zawieszy"). This bus line #175 also has a stop just across the road from the main airport terminal & will take you to the city centre.

We also found that most people were extremely helpful if we asked for adivce on the stops & destinations we were interested in... so don't be afraid to ask. Most young Poles have a good knowledge of English.

You can purchase public transport tickets in the tourist office of many hotels in the area, or simply in any kiosk/newspaper store. We purchased a 3-day pass which allowed us unlimited use of bus, tram and subway for a fantastic price of only 12 Zloty per adult! (Prices in year 2006)

TIP: Don't forget to punch your ticket as soon as you start using it. There are orange machines in the buses & trams that will print the date & time on the back of the ticket. Only after doing this the ticket is valid.

WARNING: Watch-out for pick pockets... especially on buses going to the old town.

I found the Warsaw’s public transport system to be useful, efficient, and safe. Trams, Busses, and a Subway allow any visitor to Warsaw to make their way to almost any part of the city. Tickets can be bought to used across the entire public transport system for a very small fee (€2 for a 24h pass) and can be purchased at store such as Relay in the main train station. As with any city, watch out for pick pockets when using public transport.

If you gonna use the transport, make sure you dont try cheat the system! We got checked on every form of transport we used, from Underground to Tram & Bus. Transport in Poland is very cheap, so whats the point in getting a rather large fine for cheating the system, when its costs almost nothing to use it?
Spot checks are done on every route, at various times during the day.

Hi, I've found rather than buying train tickets at Warszawa Centralna railway station where it is always very busy, and quite frankly not an exactly pleasant experience, try buying your tickets at the Orbis (?) travel shop on al. Jerozolimskie (next to the "Smyk" toy shop) as it is much less busier and a much better atmosphere.

Okay, I think I've said this a few times already, but this picture shows you the ubiquitous green and yellow sign of the Ruch Newsstand where you can buy tickets for the buses, trams and the Underground. These places are all over town.

A single journey ticket is a "jednorazowy bilet" (that's the one that's 2.40 zl).
You can also buy a 90 minute ticket for 6 zl.
After 11 pm, a single journey night bus ticket is 4.80 zl.

The Orbis Travel Agency is a great place to purchase your domestic or international train tickets in advance. You can also purchase tickets for international ferries and domestic/internatonal airtickets from the major outlets as well.

The branch in Warsaw is conveniently located near the train station, and the staff are efficient.

They charge a small fee, about 9zl, but the convenience of not having to deal with the grumpy and unhelpful staff at Warsaw Centralna more than makes it worthwhile.

Orbis Travel also organises tours for both tourists and locals in and around Poland.

The Orbis Travel Agency is located along Jerozolimske, with Bracka as a cross street.

Warszawska Karta Miejska is an electronic chip card. It acts as a ticket for city transportation. The card itself costs PLN 5 and there are several outlets around Warsaw where you can recharge it.

Should you plan to stay in Warsaw for a couple of weeks, it's worth getting your own city card.