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

 

If your mobile runs under Android OS you may be interested in dowloading a dedicated applications for visitors and inhabitants.

 

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 (July 2012) are:

 

    1 € = 4.3 PLN
    1 $ = 3.4 PLN

 

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

 

Credit cards can be used in many places such as banks, hotels, restaurants, and large shops.

 

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 en.poland.gov.pl page 

 

ETFA 2012 guests will arrive to John Paul II Airport in Balice or to Main Railway Station (Kraków Główny), eventually to Bus Terminal, which is located nearby (see ETFA 2012 Mapfor details).

 

Arrival by plane: John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice is located at a distance of 11 km from the city center. Three different ways may be used for transfer between the airport and city center:

 

By regional train: Regular rail services to Kraków city center operated by PKP Przewozy Regionalne. 

Advantages & drawbacks: moderate convenience (free shuttle bus service between domestic and international terminals and the railway stop, but you can also get there after 5 min. walk), relatively short travel time (15 minutes). Fare: 19 PLN (4.5 Euro). See the timetable.

 

By taxi: Despite several taxi operators operate in the city, the official Kraków Airport partner taxi company is RadioTaxi19191. Prices starts from 50 PLN. Credit cards are accepted.

 

By public transport: Two bus lines (208 and 292) end their routes at the Airport. Both can be used for transferring to the city center. See public transport section for details.

 

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.

 

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 (see location) 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 - 3,20 zł 
Double trip ticket - 6,00 zł (rules same as above, to be validated twice) 
Multiple trip tickets (unlimited changes of buses/trams), time-limited to: 
15 min - 2,00 zł 
60 min - 4,00 zł 
90 min - 5,20 zł 
24 h - 12,00 zł 
48 h - 20,00 zł 
72 h - 30,00 zł 
7 days - 40,00 zł 

Important note concerning students' discount: only those who are studying at Polish higher education institutions are eligible for reduced fares.

 

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.

 

Take bus 208 and exit at Kawiory bus stop (it is the 20^th 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.

 

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 ETFA 2012 participants:

 

Kawiory - bus stops close to the Conference Venue (note that there are 4 stops holding the same name close to Kawiory street, see Etfa 2012 Map).

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 ETFA 2012 participants residing in the Old Town can change the trams to buses at these places.

 

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.

 

Another routes, please check http://krakow.jakdojade.pl/?locale=en.

Moving around Kraków by bicycle - if you a bike fan, see bike rental.

Ambulance 999
Fire Brigade 998
Police 997
General emergency phone 112