Riding the Train from Krakow to Warsaw & More Polish Train Tips

During our monthlong stay in Poland, we used the Polish train system to get us from city to city. Our itinerary included stops in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Gdansk, and Krakow. We depended exclusively on trains to get us to each of these locations, and had a good general experience traveling on the Polish rails. Since the train from Krakow to Warsaw is one of the most popular Polish train routes, let me highlight our experience on that particular journey in this post. But, I’ll also give you some additional insight from our other train rides in Poland, which may be helpful for your own itinerary in this wonderful country.

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How to Plan Your Journey

Whether you are traveling by train from Krakow to Warsaw, or any other destination in Poland, you will certainly want to research your routes, times, and prices ahead of time.

The official website for the Polish rail system is PKP Intercity. You’ll find a lot of info on this site. Every possible connection between your two cities, pricing, train types, and a seat map. And for certain trains, the ability to take a virtual walk through all its cars (which as The Thorough Tripper, I loved!)

In addition to its website, PKP Intercity also has a phone App which I found easier to navigate than the sometimes-glitchy website. I would recommend downloading it prior to your trip. I consulted the PKP Intercity App frequently during my trip planning, and it always functioned smoothly.

You can also find most of the same information via an independent Polish train booking website called Koleo. Koleo also has an App, and for reasons I will explain below, I ended up booking all of my Polish train travel through the Koleo App.

Polish Train Types

As you research your train options from Krakow to Warsaw, you’ll see that there are several different types of trains to choose from, depending on the time of departure. Two of most common train types used by tourists in Poland are the EIP trains and the IC trains.

EIP stands for Express Intercity Premium and refers to high-speed Italian-made Pendolino trains. These are the nicest, fastest, and most direct trains you can choose. They will also cost you the most. These trains are only available on the most popular routes within the country. We rode the EIP train from Krakow to Warsaw. We also rode this type of train from Gdansk to Krakow.

IC stands for Intercity. These trains are still pretty nice, though they don’t go quite as fast and make several more stops along the route. But the IC fare is quite a bit less than the EIP fare.

Both types of trains offer First and Second class seating. The seats in the EIP trains are a bit more comfortable. Both have dining cars.

You may also come across a type of train called the EIC or Express Intercity train in your planning. These fall somewhere in between EIP and IC. While they don’t use the fastest Pendolino trains, they do offer fewer stops and quicker routes than the IC trains. They also fall in between the two others on price.

Purchasing Your Polish Train Tickets

Once you’ve determined which train you’ll be taking from Krakow to Warsaw or elsewhere, you should definitely consider purchasing your tickets ahead of time…for a couple of reasons.

First, as you’ll discover below, these trains can get very crowded, and you want to ensure that you have a seat on the train.

Second, prices can increase as you get closer to the actual travel date. Plus, I found that discounted tickets were often available immediately upon release….but, these sold out quickly. (Tickets for the Polish trains are available for online purchase 30 days prior to the travel date.)

I ended up booking all of my tickets via the Koleo App. The PKP site struggled to process my US-based card. I didn’t have this problem with Koleo. Koleo offers all the same discounts and promotions as PKP Intercity, with no additional surcharges. And I was able to select my seats with either App.

Once I purchased my tickets, they were stored digitally within the Koleo App. Then I simply had to show the QR code to the conductor after the journey had started. (Note that some type of ID was also required by the conductor on the EIP trains.)

Train Station Protocol

Train station protocol in Poland is very straightforward. The main train station in Krakow is located on the northern edge of Old Town, and is attached to both a large shopping mall and the central bus station.

The Krakow station was the largest train station we came across in Poland – even bigger than Warsaw’s main station. But it’s still pretty easy to find your platform. As with any large train station, you’ll find Departure boards throughout the station, indicating your platform assignment. The Koleo App also shows your platform number when you pull up your ticket.

When preparing to board a Polish train there isn’t a gate, ticket check, or luggage scan (unlike our high speed train experience from Madrid to Malaga Spain). You simply find your platform and get on your train when it arrives. This is comparable to what we’ve found in other Central European countries (like when we rode the Railjet train between Vienna and Budapest).

Each car is clearly marked with the train number, final destination, and major stops along the way.

The final destination for our train from Krakow to Warsaw was the city of Gdynia on Poland’s northern Baltic coast. It is probably a good idea to research your train’s final destination to avoid confusion. But if you are paying attention to all the details on both the platform and on-train signage, it would be difficult to get on the wrong train.

As I mentioned previously, you will show your ticket to a conductor at some point after departure.

If you would like to read more about visiting Krakow then check out my post How Many Days in Krakow: 3, 4, or More For Your Itinerary.

And while you are in Krakow, don’t miss visiting Auschwitz. Check out my guide on How to Visit Auschwitz from Krakow – 11 Helpful Tips.

On Board the EIP Train from Krakow to Warsaw

Once onboard our train from Krakow, here’s what we experienced…

Punctuality

I’d heard from some Polish friends, prior to our trip, that Polish trains are known to experience a lot of delays. However, we did not have any significant issues on any of our Polish train journeys. We left Krakow about 10 minutes late, but arrived in Warsaw on time. All of our other trains departed at their exact scheduled times. Arrival times were a little less precise, but generally not too far off (with one exception that I’ll describe below.)

Seats

On our train ride from Krakow to Warsaw, we sat in a second class car. You’ll find two second class seating arrangements on these trains. We sat in a car with a 2+2 arrangement (two seats on each side of an aisle). Some seats in these cars face each other, with a table in the middle, for group seating.

The other type of second class cars consist of a series of partitioned compartments, each with 3 seats facing each other (6 seats per compartment). Each compartment has a door, and the aisle runs along the edge of the car, passing by all the doors. This seating arrangement offers far less privacy for couples like us. So I avoided these when booking any of our trains rides in Poland.

The first class car on the EIP Polish train features 1+2 seating and slightly larger seats. A meal is included with the first class ticket.

I thought our second class seats were quite comfortable. A little cushier than the IC trains, with better lumbar support. They also recline (the IC seats don’t). Plenty of leg room too. Each seat does feature a power outlet. And there is Wifi onboard, though I never used it.

Our tickets cost around $23 USD each and I did get an early booking discount. Our mid-morning train was about 60% full (mid-September)

Luggage

I was pleased with the luggage storage options on our EIP train from Krakow to Warsaw. The overhead rack provided plenty of space from rack to ceiling. Our carryon luggage fit up there without any issues, and we could have also fit our medium-sized piece on top if needed.

But we didn’t need to. The train provided several racks for larger pieces on each car, and those racks were never full (even on the more crowded trains).

The luggage storage on the IC trains was similarly adequate.

There isn’t a defined luggage limit on Polish trains. Theoretically you can be charged a small fee if you have a really large piece that doesn’t fit in the designated areas (according to the PKP website), but I personally never witnessed any sort of luggage-size issues during our train travels in Poland.

Food

Both the EIP and IC trains do have a dining car as I previously mentioned. And they always seemed busy. They featured a few tables for eating onsite and a full kitchen. The menu is quite varied with a good selection of snacks, drinks, sandwiches, and hot entrees (mostly Polish classics). The menus on the EIP and IC trains were very similar, though the EIP menu had a few more options.

We didn’t eat while riding the train from Krakow to Warsaw, but we did eat lunch on all our other Polish train journeys. And the food was surprisingly good.

Here’s a photo of a Pork Schnitzel meal I ordered on one of our other trips. It only cost $9. You have the option of eating in the restaurant car, or having the food brought to your seat once it’s ready.

You can also bring food onto the trains. Alternatively, you can find various eating establishments at all the major train stations (especially at Krakow’s large station).

The Journey Itself

Our train ride from Krakow to Warsaw lasted a little under 2.5 hours. It was direct without any stops, except at one suburban Warsaw station prior to Warsaw’s main station (which is called Warszawa Centralna when booking.)

I can’t say for sure how fast this high speed train traveled. When we rode the IC trains, the overhead monitors in each car would tell us our speed. The EIP overhead monitors didn’t seem to be working on either of our high speed trips. I’ve read that the EIP trains can reach speeds up to 125 mph. This is far less high speed than the 190-200 mph we would reach in Spain or on the bullet trains in Japan.

We did have an attendant who came through at the beginning of the journey and offered a bottle of water. And there was also a trash attendant who regularly patrolled the aisles gathering our trash – which was nice. The IC trains didn’t have attendants.

And of course, there are plenty of toilets.

The scenery on our train ride between Krakow and Warsaw wasn’t really anything special. Prettier near Krakow, quite flat thoughout the entire course, lots of farmland, and the occasional forest.

Overall it was a pleasant journey.

Our Other Poland Train Experiences

What about some of our other Polish train trips?

Well, here’s a few potential useful tips I gathered from each of those.

EIP Train From Gdansk to Krakow

This was nearly identical to our experience riding the train from Krakow to Warsaw. Just longer.

It took about 5 hours with stops at a few different Warsaw stations half-way through.

This train ride from Gdansk to Krakow also cost more because of the distance. Plus, I didn’t get the discounted fare this time (I’d recommend you book on the day the tickets become available to get that). My cost was around $56 USD each way for second class.

And our late-morning train was about 90% full – with a big exchange of riders in Warsaw (early September)

IC Train from Warsaw to Wroclaw

This was our first Polish train experience – near the beginning of our trip. While there is a direct EIP train that connects Warsaw to Wroclaw, it’s a later-in-the-day route. So we opted for the IC train.

And honestly, there isn’t a huge difference in comfort between the EIC and IC. I think the biggest disadvantage of the IC trains is travel time. They do travel at slower speeds and they do make multiple stops. (But ours did reach peak speeds of 100 mph, so not a lot slower than the EIPs. It’s the multiple stops that really slows it down.)

The IC trains offer all the same types of seating arrangements as those found through the EIP cars. Here’s a peek inside of a second class car…

We rode First Class for this trip, since those tickets only cost $17 each for our particular train ride between Warsaw and Wroclaw. Yes, the IC train is much less expensive than the EIP!

Our first class car was 2+1 and we sat on the 1 side. Food is not included in the first class ticket on IC trains.

The train as a whole was mostly full (in late August). Only a few empty seats here and there.

This journey was the one time we experienced a delayed more than a few minutes. We departed Warsaw on time, but we arrived in Wroclaw thirty minutes late. Our entire train ride lasted about 5 hours.

If you would like to learn about Wroclaw, then be sure to check out my post All The Reasons You Should Consider Visiting Wroclaw Poland.

IC Train from Wroclaw to Gdansk

This was also a 5 hour train ride. And this time we sat in second class. Our tickets only cost $13 USD each. The first class cars in this train had those 3 facing 3 compartments…and that doesn’t seem like first class comfort to me.

Our second class 2+2 seats were fine though. Not quite as comfortable as the EIP trains, but similar to other trains we’ve taking in Central Europe.

This train ride from Wroclaw to Gdansk was the most crowded of any of our trains rides in Poland. Here’s what the platform looked like as we were awaiting its arrival in Wroclaw!

Then it progressively filled at each subsequent stop. Ultimately it was standing room only (a late-morning departure the end of August). Passengers stood in the passageways between cars. Some stood in the aisles. And in those cars with the 3×3 compartments, there were pull down seats in the aisle, extending from the lateral wall. These were all filled as well. Making my own way through all of this to the dining car was quite the adventure.

Also, our train’s final destination was Gdynia, not Gdansk. When it stopped in Gdansk, it stopped much briefer than we expected – especially given its lengthy stop in Poznan. We almost didn’t make it off the train by the time we had gathered our luggage. So pay attention to your approach to Gdansk, and start to prepare early.

If you would like to learn more about Gdnask, then be sure to read my posts 12 Things You Shouldn’t Miss When Visiting Gdansk and A Perfect Day Trip from Gdansk to Malbork Castle.

Final Thoughts on Polish Train Travel

Traveling by train in Poland was easy and comfortable. I don’t have any hesitation recommending it as a convenient and inexpensive way to get around the country.

Plus, every train station in each city we visited was centrally located. We were able to take a quick Uber ride from each of them to our lodging. (Yes, Uber is available in the bigger Polish cities. It was quite inexpensive too. Most of our train station Uber rides cost around $5 USD)

When putting a trip of this extent together, I do worry about the logistics of getting from place to place. You really do depend on things like this to go relatively smoothly. And traveling around Poland by train worked out perfectly for us.

I hope you enjoy your travels in Poland as much as we did.