Thematic in Kraków
Krakow Airport to City Centre: Train, Bus and Taxi Prices
The train is the quickest way from Krakow Airport into town, bus 300 is the cheapest and runs most often, and the official taxi charges a fixed fare by zone.
By ViewPoland Editorial
7 min read
Updated October 2026
The short answer
Take the train. The airport station is joined to the terminal by a covered footbridge, and trains to Kraków Główny, the city's main station, take 17 minutes and cost 20 PLN. Bus 300 costs 6 PLN and leaves every 10 minutes for most of the day, and the official airport taxi charges a fixed fare by distance zone.
Kraków Airport is at Balice, west of the city, about 10 km from Kraków Główny station in a straight line. Three public options link it with the centre: a regional train, city buses and the official taxi. Which one suits you depends on the hour you land, how much luggage you carry and where you are staying.
How do you get from Krakow Airport to the city centre by train?
The train is run by Koleje Małopolskie, the regional rail company, as line SKA1. According to the airport, the station sits directly next to the terminal, behind the multi-storey car park, and a covered footbridge connects the two, so you walk to the platform under cover. The trains are air-conditioned and have power sockets, Wi-Fi and ticket machines on board.
In the timetable valid to 12 December 2026, from 2 November trains leave the airport at 17 and 47 minutes past the hour from 6:17 am to 10:17 pm, with earlier departures at 4:17 and 5:17 am and later ones at 11:17 pm, 12:07 am and 12:57 am; until 1 November there is also a 1:47 am train. The ride to Kraków Główny takes 17 minutes. In the other direction, trains leave Kraków Główny at 6 and 36 minutes past the hour from 6:06 am to 9:36 pm, then at 10:36 and 11:36 pm, with early trains at 3:26, 4:36 and 5:36 am; until 1 November there is also a 12:46 am train.
Most trains continue through Kraków Główny to Wieliczka, so you can ride from the airport straight to the stop for the salt mine; the 9:47 pm, 12:07 am and 12:57 am departures (and, until 1 November, the 1:47 am) end at Kraków Główny. If the mine is on your list, our Wieliczka salt mine practical questions cover booking, the stairs and what to bring.
How much is the Krakow Airport train and where do you buy a ticket?
Kraków Airport lists the fare to Kraków Główny as 20 PLN and to the Wieliczka salt mine as 24 PLN. Luggage travels free, and a dog costs 3 PLN.
You can buy the ticket from the machine on the train, which takes cash and cards, from the conductor, also by cash or card, on the Koleje Małopolskie website, or in apps such as KOLEO and Jakdojade. Koleje Małopolskie also runs a ticket point at the airport, open from 8:10 am to 7:45 pm. Paying on board matters for the early trains, which leave before the ticket point opens. Long-distance trains work differently, as how to buy train tickets in Poland explains.
Which bus goes from Krakow Airport to the city centre?
The airport is served by two daytime lines, 209 and 300, and one night line, 902. All three are agglomeration lines operated by MPK, the Kraków public transport company, so they take agglomeration tickets.
Bus 300 is the useful one. On the MPK timetable it leaves the airport every 10 minutes from 6 am to 11:10 pm, on weekdays and at weekends alike. Earlier buses leave at 4:33, 5:00, 5:30 and 5:45 am, and the last one at 11:42 pm. It reaches the Muzeum Narodowe stop, by the National Museum, after 19 minutes, Jubilat after 20 and Rondo Grunwaldzkie after 24, before ending at Os. Podwawelskie.
Bus 209 is of less use to most visitors. It runs about a dozen times a day on weekdays, slightly fewer at weekends, between the Salwator terminus and villages beyond the airport, and the ride from the airport to Salwator takes about 22 minutes. Check the timetable before relying on it.
Agglomeration tickets cost 4 PLN for 15 minutes, 6 PLN for a single trip or 30 minutes, 8 PLN for 60 minutes and 9 PLN for 90 minutes. There is a ticket machine in the arrivals hall on level 0 and another at the bus stop, which takes cash and cards. Validate the ticket as soon as you board. Bus 300 is timetabled to reach Rondo Grunwaldzkie in 24 minutes, so a 30-minute ticket covers the scheduled ride and a 60-minute ticket leaves room for traffic. How the zones and validation work in the rest of the city is set out in Krakow trams and buses.
How do you get from Krakow Airport to the city at night?
Night bus 902 covers the hours after bus 300 stops. On the current MPK timetable it leaves the airport seven times a night, between 11:21 pm and 4:51 am, and takes 32 minutes to Dworzec Główny Wschód, the stop on the east side of the main station. On the way it calls at Muzeum Narodowe, Teatr Bagatela, Stary Kleparz and Teatr Słowackiego.
The train runs late too. From 2 November the last departures from the airport are at 11:17 pm, 12:07 am and 12:57 am (until 1 November also 1:47 am), and the first in the morning leaves at 4:17 am. Koleje Małopolskie occasionally replaces the late trains with buses on nights when engineering work closes the line, so if you land after 11 pm, check its website for replacement buses on your date; they take longer than the train.
How much is a taxi from Krakow Airport?
The airport describes Krakow Airport Taxi as the only official taxi service at the airport. Its fares are flat rates by distance zone and do not change with the duration of the ride, the day of the week or the time of day. The flat fare covers one destination; extra drop-offs are charged by the meter.
| Zone | Distance from the airport | Fixed fare |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | up to 2.9 km | 29 PLN |
| 2 | 3 to 4.9 km | 49 PLN |
| 3 | 5 to 7.9 km | 69 PLN |
| 4 | 8 to 11.9 km | 89 PLN |
| 5 | 12 to 14.9 km | 109 PLN |
| 6 | 15 to 18.9 km | 129 PLN |
| 7 | 19 to 22.9 km | 149 PLN |
| 8 | 23 to 27 km | 169 PLN |
Beyond 27 km the fare is agreed with the driver before the ride, at no more than 8 PLN per kilometre. Waiting costs 35 PLN per hour, all payment cards are accepted and drivers issue an invoice on request. You can book online or by phone on +48 12 258 0 258, and the call centre is open from 6 am to 10 pm. The zone depends on the distance from the airport to your address, so ask for the price when you book. Ride apps are a separate question, covered in taxis and ride apps in Krakow.
If you would rather be met inside the terminal, a private transfer is booked before you fly. YourKrakow's airport transfer has the driver waiting in the arrivals hall with a name sign, at a fixed price per vehicle agreed in advance.
Do long-distance coaches leave from Krakow Airport?
Yes. Coaches stop at shelter number 2, by the terminal footbridge. The airport lists several FlixBus routes that call there, including line 1392 from Kraków Airport via the MDA coach station to Zakopane, and Neobus line N3 runs west to Katowice and Wrocław and east towards Rzeszów and Przemyśl. For the mountains, how to get to Zakopane from Krakow compares the buses, trains and roads from the city.
Train, bus or taxi: which is best from Krakow Airport?
With a suitcase and a hotel near the main station or in the Old Town, the train is the simplest choice: 17 minutes, a covered walk to the platform and a fixed 20 PLN fare. Bus 300 costs less and suits hotels near its stops, such as around the National Museum or Rondo Grunwaldzkie. A taxi makes sense for a group sharing the fare, for an address far from both, or after the last train.
Once you are in, the city is compact. Walking distances in Krakow shows how far the main sights are from one another, where to stay in Krakow compares the districts, and the Kraków travel guide covers the rest of your stay. Flying into the capital instead? See Warsaw airport to city centre.
Sources
Kraków Airport, train for the station, fares, luggage and where to buy tickets. Kraków Airport, public buses for lines 209, 300 and 902, ticket prices and machines. Kraków Airport, taxi service for the zone fares and booking; the hourly waiting charge is on the operator's own taxi page. Koleje Małopolskie timetable data for train times, valid to 12 December 2026. MPK Kraków timetable data for bus times and stops. Coach routes come from the airport's private transport page. Timetables change in mid-December, so check before you travel. Cover photo: Kraków's Main Market Square, Ввласенко / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Written by ViewPoland Editorial for ViewPoland, an independent English-language guide to Poland. Published 25 October 2026. Last updated 25 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
17 minutes to Kraków Główny in the timetable valid to 12 December 2026. For most of the day there are two trains an hour; replacement buses on engineering nights take longer.
No line ends in the Old Town itself. Bus 300 stops by the National Museum after 19 minutes, and at night bus 902 calls at Teatr Bagatela, Stary Kleparz and Teatr Słowackiego on its way to the main station.
Yes. Kraków Airport says both the ticket machine on the train and the conductor accept cards as well as cash.
No. In the timetable valid to 12 December 2026 the last train leaves the airport at 12:57 am (1:47 am until 1 November) and the first at 4:17 am. In between, night bus 902 runs, with its last departure from the airport at 4:51 am.
No. The airport lists luggage as free of charge on the train. A dog costs 3 PLN.
Yes, within 27 km. Krakow Airport Taxi charges a flat rate for each distance zone, from 29 PLN to 169 PLN, whatever the traffic or the time of day.