:: Practical :: Transportation ::
Practical information
Currency and exchange
The currency in Poland is złoty (zł, PLN). Although some places accept Euro, in general it is not possible to pay in Euro in shops or restaurants. It is quite easy and safe to exchange currency in many exchange (pol. kantor, kantor wymiany walut) offices located in main streets. Most of exchange offices accept Euro, American dollar, pound and Swiss franc. At the time of publishing this material the exchange rate is 1 euro = 4.18 złoty (zł, PLN), 1 USD = 3,22 złoty. You can check the current exchange rate for example here.
At the airport foreign exchange office is located next to main entrance to the terminal and also on the mezzanine in the main hall. On the mezzanine there is also PKO S.A. bank. There are two cash machines near the main entrance to the terminal.
Electricity
The electricity standard in Poland is 230 Volts AC, 50Hz. Standard European appliances do not need any adaptors. In Poland plug and socket Type E is used. You can learn about different types of plugs and sockets here.
The kind of power sockets that will be provided in meeting halls is presented on a photograph below.
Telephones
The international access code to Poland is +48, and the prefix number for Poznań is 61. To dial an international number from Poland you need to precede your country number with 00 (double zero).
Cellular telephones in Poland are generally divided between three operators: Era GSM, Plus GSM and Idea. All three operators use dualband system: GSM 900/DCS 1800. DCS 1900 is not available.
Time
The time in Poland is the same as in the whole Central Europe, i.e. GMT +1. In July summer daylight saving time adds 1 more hour.
Shopping
The opening hours depend on the owner of the shop. Most of the shops are open from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 or 2 p.m. Grocer’s shops are open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. am to 2 p.m. Some grocer’s shops are open also on Sunday. Supermarkets are usually open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., all the week.
Weather
The climate in Poland is transient, of the mild warm zone. A characteristic feature of this kind of climate is that there are often changes in weather. July is the warmest month during the year and its average temperature ranges between 16-19°C (61-66F) with the maximum that may exceed 30°C (86F). There are possible showers. Some lighter and some warmer wardrobe parts are recommended as well as a raincoat or an umbrella. You can check the current weather forecast here.
Local transportation services
City trams and buses:
Trams operate from very early morning till about 10:30 or 11:00 PM. From Monday to Friday, between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM, they operate in summer mostly in 12-minutes intervals. After about 7:00 PM 20-minutes’ intervals apply. Early in the morning, as well on Saturdays before 4:00 PM 15-minutes intervals apply. On Sundays and Saturday afternoon and evening you have 20-minutes intervals again.
Due to construction works on Śródka (behind the cathedral) there is only provisional service provided in this area (see section “Construction works” further in this booklet). There are pendular lines (W1, W2 and W3) going to Śródka. Your 7-day ticket is valid for those lines as well. In this area, usual tram lines are modified or service is even suspended.
City buses: They are signed by MPK logo. Your 7-day ticket is valid for MPK city buses that have line numbers 51-99 (daytime lines), T1-T3 (provisional bus lines in construction-work areas), 230-252 (night buses) or A for an express line. There are also suburban bus lines served by MPK and other operators with their own ticketing systems – your 7-day ticket is NOT valid for such buses even they are signed by MPK logo. In summer, the basic city lines operate with 15-minutes intervals Monday to Saturday until about 7:00 PM. On evenings and Sundays 20-minutes intervals apply. Nevertheless many city bus lines have schedules with longer intervals.
Trams as well as standard city buses are served by the main operator MPK and signed by its logo MPK. In principle, you find timetables at each tram and bus stop. There are maps in vehicles. Day's timetable is valid till 11PM in Poznań public transport. From that moment until the morning only night buses (denoted with numbers above 200) run throughout the city, and all of them cross the Kaponiera Circus (close to the Mercure hotel), so that you can change without problems. The night buses depart from Kaponiera in the intervals mostly of half an hour.
YOU WILL BE PROVIDED BY A ONE-WEEK TICKET THAT ENTITLES YOU TO UNLIMITED FREE TRAVELS WITH MPK TRAMS (i.e. all day- and night-time tram lines) AND MPK CITY BUSES (including express line A and night buses) IN DAY- AND NIGHTTIME (excluding special and suburban bus lines). You will find the ticket in your registration package. The ticket must be validated ONLY when you enter a bus or tram for the very first time. Do not validate it again by the next rides. Validation is provided in a red or yellow machine that prints the date and time of validation. You have to have your ticket always with you when traveling by tram or bus (the tickets may be checked by the officers with special ID cards). The ticket is valid for seven consecutive days including the day of validation. Luggage must be paid in addition.
For the first ride to the Conference Center, and if you plan to stay longer than one week in Poznań, you should learn about the fares in public transportation. We have a time ticket system in Poznań, which means that you buy tickets for the defined time of journey, and not for a particular distance. This allows you to change with the same tickets, and without using another ticket for the next bus or tram, unless you are beyond the time limit of the ticket. The starting time of the journey is printed on the ticket by the ticket-puncher. There are tickets available for 10, 30, 60 and 90 minutes. The 10-minutes’ ticket costs 1.30 złoty (PLN), 30-minutes’ ticket costs 2.60 PLN. Traffic jams do NOT extend validity period of a ticket. If you plan a long journey throughout the city, and you do not wish to waste your time thinking about the tickets all over again, you are recommended to buy a 24-hours’ ticket for 11,40 PLN (valid for 24 hours).
There are no special night tickets in Poznań, the fares are the same for the whole 24 hours. Express buses (lines B and P) have special fares however, equal to double normal fares.
You have to purchase your ticket BEFORE you enter the vehicle. You can buy tickets in many kiosks (most newspaper and tobacco sellers as well as some shops). If you plan to use tram or bus in late evening or weekend, please buy your ticket in advance. You have to validate your ticket in a validate printing machine (a plastic red or yellow box) IMMEDIATELY after entering the vehicle.
One more advice about the time tickets: if you validate e.g. two 10-minutes’ tickets simultaneously, it is equivalent to validate one half-hour ticket. But as you validate one 10-minutes’ ticket, and after those 10 minutes - another 10-minutes’ ticket, the other one will be valid for the next 10 minutes’ only. Therefore it is recommended to check out time schedules at tram- and bus-stops.
LUGGAGE fare must be paid in addition to the person fare. For each piece of luggage you have to pay the same fare as for one person. The bags smaller than 65 x 45 x 25 cm are free of charge. Bags exceeding 90 x 75 x 40 cm are not allowed.
Taxi:
Taxis are easy to get and not expensive. Several taxi companies operate in the city. They are identified by their phone numbers. These numbers are also displayed on the roof of each car, just next to the word TAXI. Some good examples are: 9622, 9191 and 9625.
Please note that different taxi companies have different fares in Poznań. The prices are displayed on the window of the rear right door. The first number means the price for the first kilometre (usually 5 PLN). The second number is the price of the each consecutive kilometre (usually 1.60 (9625) to 2.00 PLN (9191)). This price is valid from Monday to Saturday between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. (fare type 1). Otherwise, the price is higher by 50% (fare type 2). The fare type is displayed on the taxi-meter together with the amount to be paid.
To be sure, your hotel reception will help you to call a taxi. The official maximum fares are substantially higher as compared to those offered by big companies. Please avoid independent taxi drivers (no company phone number or some long 7- or 9-digit numbers only) who charge you mostly the maximum price.
In front of the railway station, there wait mostly expensive independent taxis. To get a cheaper taxi you have to call. Inside of the railway station, there are points at kiosks which display the sign: "Tu możesz zamówić radio taxi" meaning "Here you can order a radio taxi". All taxis, under law, must have a tariff card on the window so that you can check the rates that apply. You do NOT have to enter the first cab in the rank.
The taxi driver has to print a bill. Tipping is not common.