Posted by Many tourists come from Germany to Krakow by car. Others come by plane, some also by train.
How to get to Krakow by car
There are now also some highways in Poland. So the trip from Germany to Krakow is faster than it used to be. But it is quite far.
From Berlin to Krakow the distance is about 650 km, pure driving time about 7 hours. Almost everything is highway.
From Dresden to Krakow via Wroclaw is about 520 kilometers, driving time about 5 1/2 hours.
It is far from Munich to Krakow, the distance is about 900 km, it takes almost 10 hours by car. The shortest way is via the Czech Republic (Prague).
From Vienna it is a good 450 km, about 5 hours driving time (via Czech Republic, Brno).
In Poland there are smaller highway tolls. On the described routes you can pay on the spot. If you drive through the Czech Republic you need a vignette.
By plane to Krakow
Krakow Airport is located only about 10 kilometers from the Old Town (west of the city). The airport is named after the former Polish Pope John Paul II.
There are trains between Krakow Airport and the city center (travel time 18 minutes, only about 2 euros fare).
But you can also take a cab. With Bolt or Uber by cell phone not expensive, cheaper than normal cab.
There are direct flights to Krakow, for example from Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart and Dortmund. Some flights with cheap airlines like Ryanair often cost well under 50 euros one way.
Getting to Krakow by train
This is partly not very easy, you have to change trains several times, the travel time is long.
A great exception is the daily direct train from Berlin to Krakow. Departure Berlin Hbf. 10:39, arrival 18:10. fare easy, if you book a few days in advance firmly, often under 50 euros. Train number EC 56. return similar from Krakow to Berlin (10:02 to 17:16). Status year 2023
From Dresden you have to change trains 2-4 times to get to Krakow by train. The only exception is if you travel via Prague at night. Then you only have to change trains in Prague.
From Vienna there are several train connections daily with one change in different cities (travel time from just under 6 hours).
What is the best means of transportation to Krakow?
If you travel by car, you will of course have a vehicle on site in Krakow. However, you don’t necessarily need a car in Krakow. The old town is small, if you have a central hotel you can walk everything. In addition, we paid around 13 euros per day for a parking space in the center of Krakow. The local transport in Krakow is good and cheap. We often went very cheap with Bolt (most trips under 5 euros, according to our impression about 40% less than in Germany).
Krakow’s main train station is very central, right next to the old town. From Krakow airport, you can quickly get to the city center by train.
