Wiesz KiedyPublic transport in Poland for visitors: tickets, validators and request stops
A short guide to public transport in Polish cities for tourists and newcomers: ticket types, validating, request stops, night lines and how to check departures in English, German or Ukrainian.
Trams and buses in Polish cities are cheap, frequent and usually on time. A few rules, though, differ from what visitors from other countries, or even other Polish cities, are used to. Here are the main ones.
Tickets: mostly time-based
In most cities you buy a ticket for a set time, e.g. 20, 60 or 90 minutes, and can change as often as you like within it. There are also single, 24-hour and weekly tickets. In metropolitan areas prices depend on zones: a city-zone ticket does not always cover the airport or the next town.
You usually buy a ticket:
- from a machine at the stop or on board (often by contactless card),
- in a mobile app that sells tickets in that city,
- at a kiosk.
The Wiesz Kiedy planner tells you which ticket is enough for a trip and what it costs, in cities where we have the fare table; see which ticket is enough.
Validate your ticket
A paper ticket must be validated in the machine (the “kasownik”) as soon as you board. A ticket bought from the machine on board or in an app is usually valid at once, but the rules differ between cities, so check the ticket or the machine. Ticket inspectors are common, and riding without a valid ticket means a penalty fare.
Request stops
At many stops, especially on the outskirts, the vehicle only stops on request (“na żądanie”). Want to get off? Press the STOP button before the stop. Want to get on? Wave to the driver. Wiesz Kiedy marks these stops on the route and reminds you about them during guidance.
Night and replacement lines
Big cities have night lines, often numbered from 200 or with the letter N. During roadworks there are replacement lines, e.g. buses instead of trams. Their timetables and routes change more often, so check them in the app before you set off.
Departures in your language
Wiesz Kiedy works in English, Polish, German and Ukrainian. Stop names stay in the original, as on the signs; everything else is translated:
- the browser planner: choose the language at the bottom of the panel,
- timetables for 32 cities with lines and punctuality,
- the Android app, with the language in Settings → Appearance.
A few practical tips
- People do not usually queue at stops: everyone boards through all doors.
- On many vehicles you open the doors with a button, trams included.
- A line's first and last departures are on its page in the timetables.
Have a good trip!
See when it comes
Planner and departures in 32 cities, most with live vehicles. Free, no account.
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