Local information:

Kraków official web site

Please, visit the official web site of Kraków available provided in various languages (English/German/French/Russian), e.g.:

http://www.krakow.pl/english/

 

Krakow in your mobile

You may be interested in the official Android and Apple iOS app.

 

Currency and banking

The Polish national currency unit is “złoty” (abbreviated as “PLN” or “zł”) with its sub-unit “gross” (100 gr=1 zł). Euro is accepted in some places.

To see the notes and coins, please visit National Bank of Poland site.

Foreign currency exchange facilities are available at airports and hotels, as well as in many agencies labeled as “Currency exchange” in English or “Kantor” in Polish. Approximate currency exchange rate (May 2015) are:

1 € = 4.4 PLN
1 $ = 3.6 PLN

For up-to-date official rates, please, refer to http://www.nbp.pl.

 

Credit cards:

Credit cards can be used in many places such as banks, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and most shops. Some shops require a minimal purchase amount for credit card payments (usually around 5-10PLN).

 

Border-crossing:

Poland is a member of the European Union and belongs to the Schengen area.

Be aware that if you are not a citizen of EU country or USA/Canada, you may have to obtain visa prior to entering the territory of Poland.

For visa details visit the web page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

Arrival:

EBCCSP guests will arrive to John Paul II Airport in Balice (KRK airport code) or to Main Railway Station (Kraków Główny) or to Bus Terminal, which is located nearby the Main Railway Station.

 

Arrival by plane:

John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice is located at a distance of 11 km from the city center. Traveling to the city center is possible by TAXI, bus, and train. Taxi prices start from 50 PLN. Credit cards are accepted. Two bus lines (208 and 292) end their routes at the Airport. Both can be used for transferring to the city center. Train leaves the airport for the Main Railway Station. The fare is 8.00 PLN. It takes approximately 17 minutes. For details, please consult – http://www.krakowairport.pl/en/passenger,c70/transport-parking,c76/how-to-get-to-krakow-airport,c77/train,a1756.html

 

Please note that the area around the airport is currently under heavy construction work, which might make it difficult to move around. Feel free to ask airport staff for directions.

 

Arrival by train/coach:

Both Main Railway Station and Regional Coach Terminal are located in the city center and in walking distance to most hotels located in Old Town/Market Square area. However, if you carry a heavy luggage, you may use a taxi service. Taxi stop is located in parking area beyond the railway station platforms (use elevator to reach it).

 

TAXI – there is over dozen of taxi companies operating in the city. Taxis are easy to get and not very expensive. Usually calling a taxi by phone is cheaper. For your information, you can ask a priori how much the service will cost. To be sure, your hotel reception will help you to call a taxi. See information about taxi operators in Kraków.

 

City/Municipal public transport system:

Kraków has convenient public transportation system and using it during the conference is in our opinion a good option. For your convenience, below we shortly present the fare system used by the operator (MPK – Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne) and describe the simplest and most direct public transport connections form the Airport/Central Station to/from conference venue and other important places.

 

Tickets: may be bought newsagents or in special automata close to several bus/tram stops and also in many buses/trams. If there is no machine in the vehicle, driver sells tickets. However note: he usually sells “multiple trip 60 min valid” tickets only, during the stops and against exact change.

Fare system (City Zone)
Single trip ticket – 3,80 zł
Double trip ticket – 7,20 zł (rules same as above, to be validated twice)
Multiple trip tickets (unlimited changes of buses/trams), time-limited to:
20 min – 2,80 zł
60 min – 5,00 zł
90 min – 6,00 zł
24 h – 15,00 zł
48 h – 24,00 zł
72 h – 36,00 zł
7 days – 48,00 zł

Important note concerning students’ discounts: A 50% student discount on all tickets is availiblefor students under the age of 26. One of the following valid cards is required: ISIC, EURO26 Student, EURO<26 Student.

 

Municipal zone – please be aware, that Balice (Airport) belongs to Municipal, not City, zone and an supplementary fare apply for this destination. Single trip ticket in this case costs 3,40. However some timed tickets are also valid for both zones.

For details consult mpk.krakow (general color code: “blue” tickets are valid inside City Zone, while “green” ones are valid in both Zones.

Please note that tickets printed by the machines are different and usually has no specific colors.

 

From Airport to Conference Venue:

Take bus 208 and exit at Kawiory bus stop (it is the 20th stop, after approximately 30  min journey), then walk back about 150 meters to see the Venue. You can see the AGH Center of Informatics on the other side before you leave the bus.

 

From Railway/Coach Station to Conference Venue:

Take bus 208 from Main Railway (East) and exit at Kawiory bus stop (it is the 6th stop after approximately 13 min journey) and Conference Venue is just in front of you.

 

Important bus/tram stops for SIES 2016 participants:

Kawiory – bus stops close to the Conference Venue (note that there are 4 stops holding the same name close to Kawiory street).

Głowackiego (50°4’33″, 19°54’20″), tram stop nearest to Demel Hotel.

Jubilat (50.05645:19.92712), bus stop – you can take 144 bus (direction Prądnik Biały), 173 (direction Azory)  or 194 bus (direction Krowodrza Górka) to get the Conference Venue.

Cracovia (50.05981:19.92518), bus stop – you can take 144 bus (direction Prądnik Biały), 173 (direction Azory)  or 194 bus (direction Krowodrza Górka) to get the Conference Venue.

 

Both Jubilat and Cracovia bus stops are close to trams going from Old Town area (in directions Cichy Kącik or Salwator) so EBCCSP participants residing in the Old Town can change the trams to buses at these places.

 

All routes can be checked on the “JakDojade” web service at http://krakow.jakdojade.pl/?locale=en. The service is also availible ans an app for Apple iOS and Android devices. Bare in mind that the app requires an internet connection to work and mobile data fees may apply.

 

Since bus/tram stops have their names rather than numbers, it is advised to be familiar with the names of the most important stops. Usually the name of the nearest stop is announced (often also in English) via speakers inside the vehicle.

 

Moving around Kraków by bicycle – if you’re a bike fan, see bike rental.