Transport

Warsaw is Poland’s most navigable city by far. | Photo: Adobe Stock

Metro-Morphosis

Tentative construction of a Warsaw metro system first began in 1938 and was spearheaded by the forward thinking mayor Stefan Starzyński, however, the first line finally opened for business a whopping sixty years later! To be fair, engineers and designers had a lot to deal with in the interim, namely the ravages of the second world war and the perils of communism� The Cold War brought a change in priorities� City planners were called to create a super-deep underground system, primarily to allow for swift troop movements below the city� By 1953 over 700 metres of tunnels had been carved underground but the death of Comrade Stalin saw all works abandoned� In 1995, the North-South M1 line opened and eventually grew to 21 stations� The east-west M2 line, intersecting at Metro Świętokrzyska, opened in 2015, originally consisting of 7 stations - 3 more were added in 2019, and a further 3 in 2020� There are plans to have 21 by 2022� The metro is key to any visit in Warsaw�QF-8. Travel within Warsaw using buses, trams and the underground metro is efficient, fast and cheap; driving a car through the centre, on the other hand, can be confusing indeed, and the capital is best negotiated on foot, by public transport or taxi� For detailed information about Warsaw's airports and train stations, visit our website: iyp.me/26ch

Public Transport

Warsaw has an extensive bus and tram system, as well as a good metro system with the M1 line running north-south and M2 running east-west� Over 1,500 buses operate in and around the city, and run 05:0023:00� After that night buses run on most routes twice every hour� All night buses display the letter N� ‘Fast buses’ (marked with red digits) skip the smaller stops�

Standardised tickets are valid for use on the metro, buses and trams, and can be bought from machines with instructions in English at all metro stations, and some bus and tram stops� Tickets can also be purchased from machines on the actual buses and trams, where you can pay by card, or using exact change only�

A standard single fare costs 4.40zł, or 3.40zł for a 20min ticket. If you’re travelling to the further reaches of Warsaw you’ll need a 7zł ticket that covers both zones 1 and 2 (note that the airport

is still in Zone 1)� Tickets valid for 24-hours, 3 days and a special 'weekend' ticket might also be worth considering� Those over 70 ride for free, as do children up until the end of September of the year they turn 7, but you must have photo ID (those who ride free still need a ticket/'wejściówka' to get through the gates of the metro - find dispensers next to the gates)� Everyone else pays full fare, unless you have an ISIC card which entitles you to a reduced fare ('ulgowy' ticket)�

Once you’re through the electronic gates of the metro, you're ready to ride� For buses and trams, however, there's one extra step - validating your ticket immediately once you're on board in the small 'kasownik' boxes on trams and buses� Plain clothes ticket inspectors stalk the lines, dishing out hefty fines for those without valid tickets� They often don’t look very official and you are within your rights to request identification.Qwww.ztm.waw.pl.

Car & Bike Share

Traficar

Want your own car, but just for a short while? Download the Traficar app, find an empty vehicle scan the QR code and you’re in� You can leave the car in any legal parking space within their service zone, and you don't have to pay for gas! Everything is done through their easy-to-use app (in Polish only)� In terms of cost versus a taxi, it comes out about the same, but as an alternative to car rental, Traficar is a wonder� You can rent a vehicle for 24 hours for only 59zł and even drop it off in another city where Traficar operates� As such, this is a great option for day and weekend trips, big shopping trips, or simply picking up friends at the airport� Note that you need to have a valid driver’s license that is recognised in PL�Qwww.traficar.pl.

Veturilo

Warsaw has cemented its big-city credentials with a fleet of 4,500+ bikes at over 300 stations (including 11 electric bike stations)� Veturilo is ridiculously easy: once you’ve registered online and paid the initial 10zł fee, you can visit any of the stations, select your ride, scan the bike’s QR code and you’re off! For standard bikes the first 20mins are free, and from there you pay 1zł for 21-60 minutes, 3zł for the second hour, 5zł for the third, and 7zł for each hour after that up to 12 hours; electric bikes are more expensive� When you’re done, pop your bike back into the stand at any of the stations, or if the stands are full, confirm your return via the station’s machine and use the bike chain to secure it to another bike�Qwww.veturilo.waw.pl.

Useful Transport Tools

E-podroznik

Travelling around Poland is becoming easier! With a host of services available to ease your travel woes, one of the best is e-podroznik (e-traveller)� This is your one stop shop for trip planning and buying tickets for all major cross-country travel in Poland, whether it be by bus or train� You can search timetables and buy tickets online by visiting en.e-podroznik.pl, or download their app�

Jakdojade

Warsaw’s metro, bus and tram network is incredibly easy to use; and it's made easier with the skeleton key to unlocking public transport: the Warszawa.jakdojade.pl site and app� The former is a great tool for advance planning, but the app is more practical for figuring out how to get from A to B once you’re out in town� Just type in your starting address (the app does this automatically), destination, departure time, and Jakdojade magically churns out the best method for you to get there�

Scooter Rental

Love them or loathe them, scooters are everywhere across Warsaw, even if the service providers don’t necessarily play by the rules and inform city authorities of their arrival� Now that they’re here, scooters are offered by Bird.co, CityBee.pl, RideHive.com and Li.me, and all you need to do is download their apps, register your personal data and payment details, find their locations via the app, scan the QR code and away you go� Each company has its own pricing policies, so best check their sites for more info� Wherever you go with your scooter, don’t be that guy weaving between people and cars saying ‘sorry, dude!’ to everyone� Once done, park neatly to avoid angering locals�

Uber

If you’re already an Uber user (uber.com), you’ll find that the alternative taxi service - whose free mobile app offers cheap one-tap, no cash, no tip rides from local drivers - has good coverage across Warsaw and all of Poland, however there are some drawbacks� Specifically, Uber drivers don’t have the same permissions as regular cabbies and may not be able to take you as close to your destination, or get you there as directly; such is the trade-off for slightly cheaper rates�