Cracow
School of
Theoretical Physics
Travel tips (
2004)
We recommend that you take one of the flights to Krakow (see the Krakow Airport web
page). You can also fly to Warszawa (Warsaw) and then continue by
plane or by train to
Krakow. You can also take a direct train to Zakopane
(preferably for those who arrive in Warsaw in the evening and wish to
take an overnight train (sleeping or couchette) to Zakopane).
We will provide a conference bus
from Krakow to Zakopane on May 28 in the evening.
Flight to Krakow
There are now quite a few regular and charter flights between Krakow
and several European cities.
Please consult your travel agent for details.
From the Krakow airport you can take the city bus 208
or 192
to the train/bus station (3/4 hour).
You have to purchase bus
tickets in advance in newsstands called "Kiosk RUCH"
(located on the 1-st floor of Krakow Airport) and punch them on the
bus right after boarding.
Alternatively you may take a taxi. The price for a ride to the
train/bus station should not exceed 50 zloty.
You may also try to negotiate an attractive price for a ride directly
to Zakopane with taxi drivers at the airport.
From Krakow to Zakopane
From Krakow train/bus station you may go to Zakopane either by the
conference bus, by regular bus,
by train or you may try to negotiate an attractive price for a ride
directly to Zakopane with taxi drivers.
The conference
bus will be provided on May 28 in the evening.
Consult the city map;
the train station=DWORZEC GLOWNY and the bus station=DWOREZEC PKS are
located in the
right upper corner
Regular bus connections between Krakow
and Zakopane are quite frequent (see PKS
or Szwagropol
timetables).
Bus station is located next to the train station (see the city map;
the train station=DWORZEC GLOWNY and the
bus station=DWOREZEC PKS are located in the right
upper corner of the map). The ride to Zakopane will take about
2.5 hrs.
Train connections between
Krakow and Zakopane are not so convenient, because regular trains are
rather slow (4 hrs.),
they mostly leave not from the main station but from Krakow-Plaszow,
and there are not so many of them.
From Warsaw to Krakow
The Warsaw airport and the central train station have got recently
bad reputation due to a number of pickpocket robberies.
In this respect a provincial city of Krakow is relatively safe. The
most convenient connection between the Warsaw airport
and the central train station is provided by the City-Airport
yellow bus service. The bus stop is right at the exit from
the arrival hall. Get off at the Warszawa Centralna train
station, which is just opposite to the Warsaw Marriot Hotel.
Alternatively you can take the regular city bus 175. Taxis have a tendency to overcharge
the
foreigners.
There is a number of Express and Intercity trains from Warsaw to Krakow. Look
up the timetable.
IMPORTANT: to avoid queues purchase the
train ticket at the airport "ORBIS" (Polish Travel Agency) office
located at the exit from the arrival hall.
By car
Zakopane can be easily reached from Krakow by car (2 hours). Take
international road E77 (local
road number is 7 ).
See the schematic map
of Poland.
In Zakopane
Zakopane is a small town located in the footsteps of the Tatra
Mountains.
Train station (PKP) and bus depot (PKS)
are located in the lower, Northern part of the city (see the map). Hotel "Geovita" is located at 4
Wierchowa street
(number 8 on the map). Although
the distance between the train/bus station and the hotel is not very
large
one has to walk uphill, therefore it is recommended that you take a
taxi, unless your luggage is not too heavy.
Weather
in Zakopane in May/June is very
unstable. In the 43 year history of the School there were cases when
people
did ski during the School. If you want to hike it is absolutely
necessary that you take good trecking shoes.
Click here
to see what is the weather in Zakopane or here for weather forecast
for
Poland.
See on-line view
of the Tatras.
In Krakow
Prices and other practical information
Polish currency
called ZLOTY (PLN) divides into 100 GROSZ.
Currency rates are
approximately as follows: US$ 1 =
PLN 4.00, Euro 1 = PLN 4.70.
Some typical prices (in PLN):
- bus Krakow-Zakopane: 10 PLN,
- hotels in
Krakow: prices vary from approximately PLN 200 for a single room to
even PLN 500. Note that in the tourist season (May to September) it is
difficult to find vacancies, therefore early reservation is advised.
The University can offer a few rooms in the Guesthouses
located in the city
center for approximately PLN 220 (single room) PLN 350 (double
room)
incl. breakfast.
- Restaurants:
typical price for a 2 course dinner PLN 50-80. Beer PLN 5-8.
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