By plane

Warsaw has two airports: Chopin (WAW IATA) is the main one 8 km south, while Modlin (WMI IATA) 40 km north is only used by low-cost carriers.

Warsaw Chopin Airport

1 Chopin Airport (Lotnisko Chopina w Warszawie, WAW IATA). This was upgraded in 2015 and now has a single Terminal A; it's easy to navigate and has the usual facilities including car hire. It's 8 km south of city centre in Okęcie, Włochy district. It has both budget and full-service flights to most major European cities. Intercontinental destinations are New York JFK and Newark, Chicago O'Hare, Toronto, Seoul, Beijing, Tel Aviv and the Gulf states. Domestic flights are reducing as the trains speed up, but include Poznań, Kraków, Katowice, Rzeszów, Gdańsk and Wrocław. (updated Nov 2021)

To and from Chopin Airport

By train: Lotnisko Chopina station is next to Arrivals. Szybka Kolej Miejska (SKM) train Line S2 runs downtown every 30 min, taking 25 min via Służewiec, Zachodnia (West) station, Śródmieście station (for Centralna bus and railway stations), Stadion, Wschodnia (East) station and Sulejówek. It runs to the city 06:00-23:30 and outward 05:00-23:30. Line S3 runs downtown hourly through Warszawa Zachodnia (West), Warszawa Centralna and Warszawa Wschodnia (East) to Legionowo Piaski / Radzymin.

Regular Warsaw transport tickets issued by ZTM (the local transport operator which runs city buses, trams and the metro) are valid on SKM train services between the airport and Warsaw. The airport is in fare zone 1 so a single adult ride is 3.40 zł. If you need a bus at the other end, get a one-transfer ticket (valid 75 min) for 4.40 zł. Buy tickets from the machines near the platforms - you shouldn't need to validate them as they're stamped on issue.

Koleje Mazowieckie (Mazovian Railways or KML, the provincial local train operator) also operates direct connections (RL) between Modlin, Warszawa Centralna and Chopin Airport hourly. Single transfer tickets and timed tickets of ZTM are also accepted on RL airport trains operated by KM on the section Warszawa Płudy – Warszawa Lotnisko Chopina.

By bus: Four daytime bus lines and one night bus ply to and from the airport. Single-fare tickets for the bus cost 4.40 zł (as of May 2023) from any kiosk. There is a ticket machine (which accepts coins, notes and credit cards) near the bus stop. You need to validate the ticket when you board the bus. There are also ticket machines in most of the buses, please note that they only accept cards. Drivers do not sell tickets anymore.

- Bus 175 runs from Plac Piłsudskiego near Old Town via Centralna station and Metro Centrum, Nowy Świat and the University. It runs 04:30-23:00 every 20 min and takes 30-45 min.

- Bus 188 runs from Gocławek Wschodni in Praga Południe, via Śródmieście and Politechnika metro station. It runs 05:00-23:00.

- Bus 148 runs from Rondo Wiatraczna in Praga Południe, east side of the city, via Ursynów, Mokotów and Imielin metro station.

- Bus 331 only runs in peak hours from Wilanowska metro station in Mokotów, where many inter-city buses stop.

- Night Bus N32 runs from Centralna bus station, 23:00-05:00.

By taxi: The airport recommends Ele Taxi +48 22 811 11 11; a reasonable fare from city centre might be 40 zł. There's a taxi kiosk within Arrivals. Other operators can only pick you up from outside Departures. Have nothing to do with the touts and sharks lurking outside Arrivals: see Warsaw#Taxis for more info.

Warsaw Modlin International Airport

2 Modlin Airport (WMI IATA). In Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, 40 km north of Warsaw, the airport fields flights from low-cost carriers like Ryanair, Wizz Air and Air Arabia. The airport is modern and simple but has the basics. (updated Nov 2021)

To and from Modlin Airport

By train: Modlin town railway station is 2 km east of the airport, so you take the shuttle bus to Modlin then a regional train to Warsaw. Get a combined airport ticket (Bilet Lotniskowy) for 19 zł, which also lets you use public transport in Warsaw's Zone 1 for 75 min. Total travel time is up to 90 min.

By bus: Contibus runs from the airport to the city centre, tickets can be bought at arrivals or on the bus with cash or card. They also run to the airport, tickets can be bought on board or online. If buying online you must separately download the ticket from their website once payment clears.

Flixbus also run via the airport to other cities such as Gdańsk.

By train

Intercity trains are run by PKP. These nominally require reservations, but outside busy times you can walk up and get a ticket for immediate travel.

From Berlin trains run every two hours, taking 6 hr via Frankfurt (Oder), Rzepin, Świebodzin, Zbąszynek, Poznań, Konin and Kutno. From Poznań trains take around 2 hr 30 min.

From Kraków trains run non-stop every two hours, taking under 3 hr. From Ukraine via Lviv and Przemyśl you usually change at Kraków, but the nightly sleeper from Kyiv runs via Chełm and Lublin, taking 15 hr 30 min to Warsaw.

From Gdynia and Gdańsk trains run non-stop hourly, taking 2 hr 40 min.

From Budapest one daytime and one overnight train runs via Visegrad, Bratislava, Ostrava and Katowice, taking 10-14 hr. From Katowice they run every hour or two, taking 2 hr 30 min.

From Vienna there's likewise one daytime and one overnight train via Breclav, Ostrava and Katowice, taking 8 hr to Warsaw.

From Prague trains run via Olomouc, Ostrava and Katowice, with the daytime train taking 8 hr 30 min to Warsaw and the overnight train 11 hr.

From Szczecin trains take 7 hours via Poznań (where you may have to change), Konin and Kutno, with five services per day.

From Vilnius and Kaunas two trains run daily via Mockava on the border (where you change gauge and train) and Białystok. The midday arrival continues to Poznań and Szczecin, the evening train is for Kraków. The domestic section from Białystok runs every two hours and takes 2 hr. The eastbound train may be shown as for Mockava, but it's a seamless through-service.

All trains from Belarus and connections to Russia remain suspended in 2025.

Warsaw has three long-distance railway stations: 3 Warszawa Zachodnia (West), 4 Warszawa Centralna and 5 Warszawa Wschodnia (East).

Most trains cross the city, thus the train from Berlin stops at West and Central then terminates at East, while the train from Gdansk stops at East, Central and West then continues to Kraków. So it's similar to Brussels, where trains cross the city north-south, and the central station is served by all trains but is never the terminus.

Centralna Station is the closest to the main tourist sites and facilities. It's a slabby communist-era building of 1975, but it's functional and easy to navigate. The ticket offices are in the main hall, with platforms below (and the suburban station of Śródmieście deeper still in the bowels of the Earth). As trains are running through and not terminating, they stay only a few minutes here, so head for your platform as soon as it's shown on the departure board. Lots of cafes in the subways here. The bus platforms are north side (just local buses), with other stops in the adjacent streets, the trams run west side, and the Metro is a short walk.

Suburban trains: see "Get around" for local services including the airport trains, mostly running through Warszawa Śródmieście beneath Centralna.

By bus

Long-distance bus companies and stations in Poland are often called PKS, a legacy of the communist monopoly Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Samochodowej (meaning "motor transport company"). After liberalisation in 1989 PKS was fractured into 176 local companies, which have variously failed, thrived or been taken over.

6 Dworzec PKS Warszawa Zachodnia, Al. Jerozolimskie, Śródmieście (south side of Zachodnia railway station). Most inter-city and international buses arrive here. To get elsewhere in the city, use a local train, or centre-bound buses (south side of Al. Jerozolimskie) 127, 158 or 517. Night buses N35 and N85 run to Dworzec Centralny every 30 min from midnight. (updated Nov 2021)

Dworzec Centralny is not the "central bus station" but the bus platforms north side of Centralna railway station in Śródmieście. These are just local buses, but include the night buses. Lots more bus stops in the adjacent streets, and trams stop west side on Al Jana Pawła II.

7 Metro Wilanowska is an interchange in the south district of Mokotów. Several intercity buses stop here, though Flixbus no longer do.

8 Metro Młociny is a transport hub at the north edge of the city, with a metro station, tram terminus (lines 2, 6, 11 and 33), and a large bus station used by city lines and suburban buses towards Łomianki. Flixbus stops here and at Modlin Airport on its way to Gdańsk.

By car

Four European "E-roads" lead to Warsaw: (), (), under the unofficial name of Via Baltica, (), and (). The E-numbers are usually displayed on signs but it is best to know the national road numbers too, which are the numbers in parentheses.

What follows is a list of streets you will find yourself on when approaching the city from different directions:

North-west: ul. Wybrzeże Gdyńskie or "Wisłostrada" in Bielany and then in Żoliborz (along the left bank): – Gdańsk (DK) (RU) (S)

North-east: ul. Radzymińska in Targówek and then al. Solidarności in Praga Północ – Białystok (BY) (LT)

East and south-east: ul. Płowiecka and ul. Czecha in Praga Południe – Terespol (BY); – Lublin (UA)

West: ul. Wolska and ul. Połczyńska in Bemowo and then in Wola – Poznań (D)

South-west: al. Krakowska in Włochy and then ul. Grójecka in Ochota – Kraków (SK); – Katowice (CZ)

The cities listed above are the ones displayed on signs in the city. The abbreviations in (parentheses) show you which neighboring countries can be reached with a road. If you are coming to the city, follow the blue-on-white Centrum signs. One exception is when you are coming from the north-east: follow the Praga sign unless you are driving a lorry.

Driving distances

In Poland –

Białystok 190 km (120 mi);

Gdańsk 390 km (240 mi);

Kielce 180 km (110 mi);

Kraków 290 km (180 mi);

Olsztyn 210 km (130 mi);

Poznań 310 km (190 mi);

Siedlce 100 km (62 mi);

Toruń 210 km (130 mi)

In other countries –

Berlin (D) 570 km (350 mi);

Budapest (H) 700 km (430 mi);

Kaliningrad (RU) 350 km (220 mi)

Car hire

Most international car rental companies (including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Europcar, Hertz, National, Sixt and Thrifty) are present in Warsaw, there are also many local companies. The usual pick-up and return places are the airport, the Warszawa Centralna railway station or major hotels in the city centre, most companies offer to arrange for pick-up and return at other locations at a fee. The regular caveats and requirements as in other European Union countries apply.

It is a legal requirement for you to carry your driving license, insurance documents and the vehicle registration documents at all times when driving the car. If the police stop you without any of them, they are likely to impose a fine.