michaelhhh

Can anyone give me advice? In 3 weeks time I fly to Krakow from Gatwick. I am staying in Krakow for 3 nights and then I need to get a train from Krakow to Wroclaw where I will stay for 2 nights and then fly from Wroclaw to Bournemouth.
What I need to know is, do the trains have to be pre booked or will it be easy to just get on the train on the day as I am worried if I cant make this connection I could miss my flight and also I have a hotel booked in Wroclaw.
I am probably worrying over nothing but if anyone has any experience of this I would appreciate it. I am planning to go to the train station on my first day in Krakow and get the train ticket to make sure I have it booked.
I have been to Poland before but this is my first time using the trains.

adrienne

You can buy your ticket when you arrive in Krakow - no need to prebook. Polish trains are very cheap. It's a long ride between Krakow and Wroclaw - about 5 hours. And I will warn you that the toilets are not very pleasant, even in 1st class.

The train station is about a 10 minute walk from Rynek Glowny so very easy to access.

Enjoy Krakow and Wroclaw - I loved them both but especially Krakow.

PalenQ

I've ridden that train a few times and adrienne has it right - never a problem getting on those trains and if rare time 2nd class is full - you can still always board - first class will be mainly empty. And yes it is kind of an old-style European train the kind we once saw in western Europe years ago - maybe pay the bit extra for first class.

For lots of great info on European trains check out these superb IMO sites - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

michaelhhh

Thanks for your replies, will probably go 1st class, I have noticed there are 2 different services each day as well, one was called "reg" one was intercity, maybe different class of trains but both take the same amount of time. I considered taking the linkbus but 3 hours without a toilet doesn't appeal to me.

adrienne

I refused to use the toilets on Polish trains.

Take the 9:24 train as it has no changes and has the shortest train time.

The long distance bus should have a toilet on board.

The bus station is just outside the train station in Krakow. The train station was under renovation for the Eurocup so I can't advise on the exits as they had moved from my previous trip. But the bus station was a white building with no marking on it (taxis were outside so look for taxis and you'll see the bus station). You entered through a door and inside it was all brand new and lovely with ticket window, a help desk, concession, and wonderfully clean toilets. Buses entered through the back of the station.

You can ask about the buses to Wroclaw and if there are toilets I would take the bus and save 2 hours. If not then just walk to the train station (about a 30 second walk around the corner) and buy your train ticket.

PalenQ

IC or InterCity should normally be better comfort-wise than a regional train - regional trains are often slower because they stop more (not in this case perhaps). But the fare is so cheap a few extra zlotys for first class may be well worth it.

PalenQ

Buses make more sense on that route if they are two hours quicker - the regional train I rode - one of them - had no seats remaining when I boarded it and I had to sit in the baggage car with lots of locals just off work in some heavy industry who were drinking beer and eating sun flower seeds, spitting the kernels out on the floor.

Now I love local color but that was a bit too much of it!

At least take the IC train if going by train.

Christina

I took that train and other than it being real slow, I don't remember any horrors. It was kind of old, but nothing else unusual other than being slow. Maybe it was an IC, I don't remember and don't remember if I used the bathroom or not. I did buy first class.

Michael

The train was particularly slow for the first 40 miles. It then speeded up. The first class compartment was fine, the toilet something else.

Michael

I forgot one thing: we purchased the tickets one hour before departure. The first class car was pretty empty.