How to Get Around Lesser Poland

Krakow is compact and best walked; the historic core is largely pedestrian. Trams and buses cover the rest cheaply on one ticket, and Nowa Huta is worth the tram ride.

Getting in: Krakow Balice airport connects to the main station by train in about twenty minutes. Trains from Warsaw take under two and a half hours.

To Auschwitz: buses and trains run from Krakow to Oswiecim in about ninety minutes; organised tours include transport and a guide and are the simpler option for most.

To Wieliczka: a short train or bus from Krakow, about half an hour.

To Zakopane: buses are faster than the train, around two hours, and run frequently. Traffic on the Zakopianka road is notorious on winter weekends.

A car helps for the wooden churches, the Beskids and the Eagles’ Nests trail, and is a liability in Krakow itself.