Kraków airport to city centre: train, bus, taxi

Kraków John Paul II airport lies in Balice, about 11 km west of the city centre as the crow flies. The train station is right next to the terminal, so the train is the easiest way into town. The short answer: take the train to Kraków Główny, the main station a few minutes on foot from the old town; take the bus if you want to save money and are not in a hurry; take a taxi if you are a group or land after the last train.

Kraków airport to the city centre: the options

Times: train and bus according to Kraków Airport; taxi as pure driving time to the Main Market Square area based on OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Prices according to Kraków Airport, as of October 2026.

By train: the quickest way

The station Kraków Airport lies directly next to the terminal, behind the multi-storey car park, and is connected to it by a covered footbridge. The trains of Koleje Małopolskie, the regional rail company, run as line SKA1 via Kraków Główny to Wieliczka. According to the airport, the ride to the main station takes about 20 minutes.

• Ticket: PLN 20 to Kraków Główny and PLN 24 to the Wieliczka Salt Mine; luggage travels free (as of October 2026, according to the airport).
• Where to buy: at the ticket machine on the train (cash or card), from the conductor (cash or card), on the Koleje Małopolskie website or in apps such as KOLEO and Jakdojade. At the airport, a ticket desk of Koleje Małopolskie is open from 8:10 to 19:45.
• Good for: hotels in the old town, Kazimierz and around the main station.

From Kraków Główny it is about ten minutes on foot through the Planty park to the Main Market Square. Check the timetable of Koleje Małopolskie for the first and last train if you land very early or late.

City buses 209, 300 and 902

According to the airport, the day lines 209 and 300 and the night line 902 serve Kraków Airport. They are operated as agglomeration lines of MPK, the Kraków transport company, and take about 45 minutes to the centre, stopping often on the way.

• Ticket: a city ticket from the machine in the arrivals hall (level 0) or at the stop; according to the airport a 60-minute ticket costs PLN 8 and a 90-minute ticket PLN 9 (as of October 2026). On the bus, the machine only takes cards. Validate the ticket when you get on.
• Good for: small budgets, and the night line 902 for arrivals at night.

Tickets can only be paid in złoty, not in euros.

Taxi and transfer

The airport runs its own taxi company, Kraków Airport Taxi, which can also be booked in advance. According to the airport, the ride to the centre takes about 25 minutes; without traffic, the 18 km to the Main Market Square area take about 26 minutes. The taxi runs on the meter.

A pre-booked transfer is worth it for families with children who need car seats, for groups, or if you go straight on to Zakopane or Auschwitz-Birkenau. Transfers from Kraków Airport^* can be booked with Kiwitaxi. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off compares the options for ten airports.

Which option suits whom?

• Hotel in the old town, Kazimierz or near the main station: the train to Kraków Główny.
• Visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine first: the same train, which runs on to Wieliczka.
• Small budget, no hurry: bus 209 or 300.
• Arrival at night: the night bus 902 or a taxi.
• Family with small children, group: a taxi or a pre-booked transfer.

If you come from outside the EU, for example from the UK, set up mobile data before you land so you can buy the ticket in an app straight away – a travel eSIM for Poland^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

On the day you leave

The airport train leaves from Kraków Główny; plan with the 20 minutes plus a buffer and check the timetable, as the trains do not run every few minutes. If you have already checked out and fly in the evening, you can use luggage storage in central Kraków^* (Radical Storage) while you walk through Kazimierz one last time.

How long to stay and what to see is in our article how many days in Kraków.

Kraków trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps you plan

In YesTrip you add your flight and hotel to your trip and plan each day around them, with a map of your places in Kraków and the weather for your travel days. The ready-made plans for Kraków can be copied into your trip with one tap. With the offline package you have the map without a connection, already on the train from the airport. YesTrip is free.

The same rail line continues to Wieliczka; see our day trips from Krakow.

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