Poland is well connected with the rest of the world. International flights from
about 50 cities in 30 countries arrive in Warsaw. Polish airports also have
connections with almost all the capitals of Western Europe as well as Prague,
Budapest, Sofia, Bucharest, Vilnius and Riga on the Baltic, Mińsk and Kiev
further east.

Warsaw Okęcie airport is used by about 25 airlines, including British Airways,
Air France and Lufthansa. Warsaw has direct international connections with such
countries as Canada, the USA and Israel.

The airports at Gdańsk, Katowice, Szczecin, Poznań, Wrocław and Cracow also have
regular international flights. There are flights from London, Copenhagen,
Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt to Gdańsk Rębiechowo airport. Regular connections
link London, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Zurich, Dortmund, Frankfurt and Copenhagen as
well as Chicago and New York with Cracow Balice airport. It is possible to fly
direct from Dortmund, Munich, London, Hanover, Frankfurt and Copenhagen to
Poznań Ławica airport, and from Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Munich and London to
Wrocław Strachowice airport. To reach Katowice it is usually necessary to fly
via Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, London, Paris or Rome. Szczecin can be reached from
Copenhagen.

Szymany international airport in the Great Mazurian Lakes region is served by
charter flights. There are also a number of domestic airports including
Bydgoszcz, Łódź and Rzeszów, which are served by Eurolot planes.

Warsaw airport, at Okęcie, 6 km (4 miles) from the city centre, opened for
business in 1933. The present passenger terminal, which opened in 1992, has both
a national and an international section, with an arrivals hall on the lower
level and departure lounge on the upper level. Although the airport is not a
particularly large one, it does provide everything that passengers are likely to
need, from duty-free shops and a bureau de change on the one hand to a good
restaurant and a coffee bar on the other.

A bus service runs between the airport and the city centre. Route 175 goes to the
very centre of Warsaw; route 188 serves the eastern part of the city, on the
right bank of the Vistula. Tickets can be bought at newsagents in town and at
the airport, or they can be purchased directly from the bus driver – although in
this case the exact fare, including a small handling charge, is required.

Taxi services also run to and from the airport. Visitors should exercise a degree
of caution when booking a taxi. Information stands in the arrivals hall of the
airport give the details of several taxi companies that are contracted directly
by the airport. Although it is quite possible to order a taxi from another
company by telephone, it is generally not advisable to use private taxis as the
fare may be very high.

The international airports in Wrocław, Gdańsk and Cracow all have modern and
comfortable terminals. They are well equipped, with restaurants, bureaux de
change and car hire agencies. There are duty-free shops at Wrocław and Cracow.
All these airports have regular bus connections with the city centre. From
Gdańsk airport, at Rębiechowo, 14 km (9 miles) west of the city, bus B goes to
Gdańsk Drunia, S70 to Gdynia and 110 to the Wrzeszcz district, where passengers
can make other connections.

Cracow airport, at Balice, 12 km (7 miles) west of the city, is served by bus 208
every 60 or 90 minutes, 292 every 20 minutes, and train every 30 minutes. Poznań
airport, at Ławica, 7 km (4 miles) west of the city, is connected with the
centre by bus 59.

Connections between Wrocław airport, at Strachowice, and the city centre are by
bus 406 and a LOT minibus. Note that there is a railway crossing with barriers
on the access road to this airport; passengers who have cut their travelling
time too fine may be late for check-in.

Passengers travelling to and from central Szczecin and the airport are
transported by a special LOT bus.

The cheapest air fares to Poland are APEX-type tickets with a set return date.
They have to be booked in advance and paid for two weeks before departure. In
accordance with international agreements, most airlines operate a system of
reduced rates for children, students, pensioners and tourist groups.

Three Polish ferry ports have connections with Scandinavia. A service runs
between Gdańsk and Nymäshamn in Sweden, and between Gdynia and Karlskrona in
Denmark. Świnoujście has a regular connection with Ystadt in Sweden, and with
Copenhagen and Rønne in Denmark.