Cracow City Guide - Getting There By Road

Poland uses standard international traffic signs. Major routes have the prefix ‘E' and motorways ‘A'. Speed limits are 130kph (81mph) on the motorways, 100-110kph (62-68mph) on main roads and 60kph (37mph) in built-up areas. Traffic drives on the right. Seat belts must be worn. Vehicles should be equipped with a first-aid kit, fire extinguisher and warning triangle, and headlights must be on at all times from 1 October to 1 March. The legal maximum alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.02%.

The legal driving age in Poland is 17 years. International Driving Permits and European and US national driving licences are accepted for the first six months in Poland. Drivers should carry their vehicle registration documents and Green Card insurance.

Information about road travel can be obtained at border crossings and from the Polish Motoring Association (PZM) (tel: (022) 849 9361/2; website: www.pzm.pl).

Emergency breakdown service:
The emergency number for ambulance and the police is 112.
Cracow garages with 24 hour breakdown service include Pomoc Drogowa Auto Hol 24H Andrzej Papiez, ulica Bednarska 15 (tel: (012) 657 9578); Pomoc Drogowa Auto Hol Autoserwis 24H, ulica Ksiecia Józefa 11 (tel: (012) 427 2135); Pomoc Drogowa Auto Hol ‘Saska 24H', ulica Saska 4 (tel: (012) 656 0142) and Pomoc Drogowa Auto Hol ‘Auto Dan 24H', ulica Rumiana 1 (tel: (012) 648 3046).

Routes to the city: The north-south E77 links Cracow with Warsaw and Gdansk in the north and Zakopane and the Slovak border in the south. The east-west E40 arrives from Lviv in Ukraine in the east and then goes west through Wroclaw and Katowice to Dresden in Germany (partly the A4 motorway). To the southwest, the Czech Republic is easily reached via the E75.

Approximate driving times to Cracow: From Wroclaw - 4 hours 30 minutes; Warsaw - 5 hours 15 minutes; and Prague - 9 hours.

Coach services: The Dworzec PKS (Central Bus Station) (tel: (012) 300 300 120) is on ulica Worcella, opposite the main railway station, northeast of the Old Town. The main carrier is the state-owned PKS (tel: (012) 411 7022; website: www.pks.pl or www.pks.krakow.pl). Coach services connect Cracow to the rest of Poland and to many European destinations, such as Berlin, Kiev, Lviv, Prague and Vienna.