Visas
As Poland is a member of the European Union, citizens of the EU and of the countries belonging to the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), as well as Swiss nationals, can enter Poland with a valid passport or identity card.
Beside the countries outlined above, citizens from the following countries may travel to Poland for tourism and business purposes with a valid passport and without a visa if their planned stay does not exceed 90 days: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, USA, Uruguay, Vatican and Venezuela. Citizens of all other countries must obtain a visa in order to enter and stay in Poland legally. Always check with the local Polish Embassy or on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for updates as this can change.
Regular Visas are issued for travelers going to Poland for tourism and business purposes. Regular visas allow for one or multiple entries into Polish territory and stay in Poland for maximum up to 90 days and are issued for the definite period of stay. When applying for a visa, please indicate the number of days you plan to spend in Poland and a date of intended arrival. Holders of regular visas are not authorized to work.
By plane
Most of Europes major airlines fly to and from Poland. Polands national carriers are LOT Polish Airlines, and a low cost airlines.
Apart from direct air connections from many European cities there are also direct flights from United States and Canada. LOT operates direct flights from Toronto, New York and Chicago, however tickets for those flights are far from cheap and most people with limited budgets fly with other airlines which stopover in major European airports.
International airlines fly mainly to Warsaw's Frederic Chopin Airport (WAW) in Okęcie. Other major airports in Poland are: Kraków-Balice (KRK), Katowice-Pyrzowice (KTW), Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (GDN), Wrocław Copernicus Airport (WRO), Poznań-Ławica (POZ), Szczecin-Goleniów (SZZ), Rzeszów-Jasionka (RZE), Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport (BZG) and Łódź-Lublinek (LCJ).
Domestic flights operated by LOT (under Eurolot brand) connect Warsaw with Bydgoszcz, Katowice, Kraków, Gdańsk, Poznań, Łódź, Szczecin and Wrocław. Other smaller cities don't have airports with facilities that would allow commercial airlines to operate internationally, however there are often charter flights available - of course, these are for people with thick wallets.
As the number of flights and passengers has significantly increased since 1990, a new terminal is being built at the Okęcie airport which will significantly increase the airport's capacity. Also airports in Kraków and Poznań have been expanded to increase their standards and capacity.
By train
Direct connections with:
- Berlin, EuroCity "Berlin-Warszawa-Express (BWE)", 6 hours, EuroCity "Wawel", everyday, 10 hours
- Hamburg, InterCity "Wawel", 13 hours
- Frankfurt, EuroNight "Jan Kiepura", 15 hours
- Vilnius, Nighat Train "Balti", 10 hours
- Kiev, Night Train "Józef Chełmoński", 16 hours
- Vienna, Night Train "Chopin", 9 hours, EuroCity "Sobieski", 6 hours, EuroCity "Polonia", 8 hours
- Prague, Night Train "Chopin", EuroCity "Praha", 9.5 hours
- Moscow, Night Train "Ost-West", 20.5 hours
By car
You can enter Poland by one of many roads linking Poland with the neighbouring countries. Since Poland's entry to the EU, queues on border crossings with other EU countries have been greatly reduced. In most cases, it doesn't take more than a few minutes to cross the border.
By bus
There are many international bus lines that connect major Polish cities, with most of major European ones.
- PEKAES part of Eurolines (from: A, BY, B, HR, CZ, DK, GB, EST, F, D, GR, NL, I, LV, LT, N, RUS, E, S, CH, UA), +48 22 6269352, +48 22 6522321, online reservation
- Orbis (from: B, BG, F, GR, E, NL, D, CH, GB), +48 22 6227356, +48 22 5001500, +48 22 5001550
- Polka Service (from: F), +48 22 8275050
- Gullivers (from: D), D +49 30 31102110, Intl +80048554837
- Visitor from London (their buses feature numbered seats)
- PPKS Warszawa +48 22 7208383 (from: BG, D, LT, S, UA)
- Certain routes are operated under the EuroLines brand
By boat
- From Sweden: Ystad by Unity Line; Karlskrona by Stena Line; Nynäshamn, Visby, Ystad by Polferries
- From Denmark: Copenhagen, Bornholm/Ronne by Polferries