Difference between revisions of "Kraków"

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|state = Lesser Poland (Voivodeship)
 
|state = Lesser Poland (Voivodeship)
 
|map = <map lat='50.05405277962895' lng='19.955291748046875' zoom='10' view='0' float='right'/>
 
|map = <map lat='50.05405277962895' lng='19.955291748046875' zoom='10' view='0' float='right'/>
|pop = 754 624
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|pop = 762,500
|plate = KR
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|plate = KR, KK
 
|motorways = {{Apl|4}}
 
|motorways = {{Apl|4}}
 
|expressways =  
 
|expressways =  
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=== West towards [[Katowice]], [[Wrocław]] {{Apl|4}} {{E|40}} ===
 
=== West towards [[Katowice]], [[Wrocław]] {{Apl|4}} {{E|40}} ===
* '''From bus stop behind junction with traffic lights'''
 
From city center take tram 4, 8, 13 direction ''Bronowice Małe'' and get off at '''''Balicka Wiadukt''''' (one before the last one). Turn right (north), go down the stairs from the bridge and continue walking for about 700m till you get to the roundabout. Turn left (west) and hitch at the bus stop just behind the roundabout.
 
You can get to the spot also by many buses e.g 172, 238 and get off at '''''Motel Krak'''''.
 
There are streetlights which allow to hitchhike at night. It's better to write Katowice on your sign, not Wroclaw, seems to be easier to start. There are [[Toll station|toll booths]] and [[Petrol station hitchhiking|petrol stations]] on the way to continue in the direction Wrocław/Dresden/Cottbus.
 
  
** '''Recent development:'''
+
'''Note:''' Don't go towards Katowice if your destination is the Czech Republic. You risk getting stuck in Katowice's large urban agglomeration. Instead, follow the instructions below for [[Bielsko-Biała]].
For quite a few months now, the formerly excellent spot near Motel Krak, is undergoing extensive road reconstruction, which according to plans will lead to a giant sort of cloverleaf being constructed here. Although this would be a bad development for hitchhiking here, there is still very little known about how the buses are going to be rerouted, and considering it won't be upgraded to motorway standards, probably not even expressway standards, pedestrian access will likely still be possible, and it could very well be that there will be still some bus stops near this site after the reconstruction. For the time being, however, this site should be downgraded to {{bad}}/{{senseless}} in terms of hitchhiking.
 
  
* '''From [[Petrol station hitchhiking|petrol station]] in city suburbs'''
+
: I contest this above note. Heading in that direction is the quickest for getting to places such as Brno. Going to the service station mentioned near bus stop Winna Gora and having a sign for Brno can get you into CZ, and then one can continue to Prague or Bratislava, for example. (9/2015)
From bus stop ''Motel Krak'' (see above) you can walk down the road for about 1.5km or take any bus in that direction and get off at the second stop called '''''Pasternik Cmentarz''''' (you have to press the stop button otherwise the bus won't stop). There's petrol station and small parking for trucks.
+
 
 +
: I agree, I decided on going the katowice direction after talking with the cs hosts who also were hitchhikers. I went to the orlen petrol station in alexandrowice, easily reachable by bus 209 from salwator. From there the first car took me past katowice. I will add that it is best to go to the petrol station at ruda slanska past the main area of katowice. From there I picked another ride to near gliwice. Then a truck driver picked me up and took me to Czech. If you choose the rights petrol stations to get off on, this route is very hikeable (07/2016).
 +
 
 +
: The Shell [https://goo.gl/maps/EpCid3yHRbYdRQRU8 petrol station at Ruda Śląska] is an excellent location if headed towards Brno/Vienna. I was stuck waiting at the petrol station at Winna Góra for 2.5 hours, asking for people headed towards Czechia (I was going to Vienna). Everyone was either local or headed towards Wrocław. I decide to start asking to be taken just past Katowice, to the petrol station mentioned above. There were more cars with Austrian/Viennese license plates than locals. Took me less than half an hour to find a car direct to Vienna. (11/2019). -- [[User:Rd|rd]] ([[User talk:Rd|talk]]) 10:28, 18 December 2019 (UTC)
 +
 
 +
: I completely agree with the comment above; this petrol station in Ruda Śląska is called MOP Wirek, you can easily locate it via Google Maps. If your driver's destination is Katowice, ask to be dropped at Trzy Stawy petrol station (people from Katowice know this place well) and from there ask for rides to Ruda Śląska. ~info09 06/2020
 +
 
 +
*'''From Pasternik Cmentarz bus stop'''
 +
Get to the bus stop (roundabout) "Rondo Ofiar Katynia" (for public transformation info use [https://www.jakdojade.pl www.jakdojade.pl]) and from there another 2 stops to "Pasternik Cmantarz". There is a bus stop, petrol station and plenty of space for a car to pull over.
 +
:Generally it is better to have a sign for Katowice and if you're going further ask the driver to take you to some petrol station at the highway. Every time I've ended up on a different one and it was always super easy to push forward. --[[User:Polski Matematyk|Polski Matematyk]]
 +
 
 +
* '''From first petrol station on the highway'''
 +
It's about 1km further than toll booths, but the spot is better than booths. You must take bus [http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0226/0226rw01.htm 226], [http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0209/0209rw01.htm 209] or [http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0258/0258rw01.htm 258] and get off on stop "Winna Góra". You will be already beside the motorway and the petrol station is close by. the best is to check the amazingly helpful page [http://krakow.jakdojade.pl/ jakdojade.pl] because the buses are running once for two hours.
  
 
* '''From [[Toll station|toll booths]]'''
 
* '''From [[Toll station|toll booths]]'''
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[[File:Krakow to ukraine.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Hitching from Krakow to Ukraine]]
 
[[File:Krakow to ukraine.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Hitching from Krakow to Ukraine]]
  
* '''From first gas station on the highway'''
+
* '''Take a train for about 40km to a good spot'''
It's about 1km further than toll booths, but the spot is better than booths. You must take bus [http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0226/0226rw01.htm 226], [http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0209/0209rw01.htm 209] or [http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0258/0258rw01.htm 258] and get off on stop "Winna Góra", you will see the gas station from here. Also check [http://krakow.jakdojade.pl/ jakdojade.pl] because the buses are running once for two hours.
 
  
* '''Take a train for about 40km to a good spot'''
+
For a bit more than 10 ''złoty'' you can take a train from Krakow to the small town of '''Trzebinia'''. An even cheaper option is the minibus from the station behind the shopping mall next to the train station. Leave the train station, turn left, cross the bridge and follow ''road 79'' direction southwest. It's just another 1.5 km to get to the motorway junction and you can try hitching with a sign "Katowice" already, because a lot of traffic goes towards the motorway and you are already outside of Trzebinia. It takes about one hour to get from Krakow main station to Trzebinia.
For about 10-11 Polish Zloty you can take a train from Krakow to the small town of '''Trzebinia''' (As of October 2012 the regional train was 18 Zloty. It will be cheaper if you take a minibus, the station is behind the shopping mall next to the train station). Leave the train station, turn left, cross the bridge and follow ''road 79'' direction southwest. Its just another 1,5 km to get to the motorway junction and you can try hitch hiking with a KATOWICE-sign already, because a lot of traffic goes towards the motorway and you are already outside of Trzebinia. [[User:Cyclebear|Cyclebear]] tried this spot in june 2012 and found it a good alternative to the difficult situation that is now at the ''Motel Krak'' spot. It takes about one hour to travel from Krakow main station to Trzebinia, but compared to the other right now existing options, he found it much more comfortable.
 
  
 
=== North towards [[Warsaw|Warszawa]], [[Gdańsk]] {{National Road Number Poland|7}} {{E|77}} ===
 
=== North towards [[Warsaw|Warszawa]], [[Gdańsk]] {{National Road Number Poland|7}} {{E|77}} ===
Line 40: Line 45:
 
There are two common places: Start to hitchhike after the inner bypass on ''Opolska'' street - you can get there by buses number 139,132,172,105,102,207 - bus stop name is '''''Opolska estakada''''', but it is quite a busy spot. Magda and Ron decided to try to hitch while waiting for the bus in Opolska estakada and it worked! They found a ride with a truck driver all the way to Warszawa. Although, Nina_Unexia followed their example twice, and it wasn't the luckiest place.
 
There are two common places: Start to hitchhike after the inner bypass on ''Opolska'' street - you can get there by buses number 139,132,172,105,102,207 - bus stop name is '''''Opolska estakada''''', but it is quite a busy spot. Magda and Ron decided to try to hitch while waiting for the bus in Opolska estakada and it worked! They found a ride with a truck driver all the way to Warszawa. Although, Nina_Unexia followed their example twice, and it wasn't the luckiest place.
 
   
 
   
A better option is to take the bus number 217,247,277 until the stop '''''Kuźnicy Kołłątajowskiej'''''.
+
A better option is to take the bus number 217,247,277 until the stop '''''Kuźnicy Kołłątajowskiej'''''. Here there is a lot of space for cars to pull over and many cars are going even all the way to Warsaw.
  
All these busses are avaible from the station '''''Nowy Kleparz''''' which you reach by bus from the center or walk, it is about 2km north of the old town. If you go there by bus you might get off at a station where only the busses to '''''Opolska estakada''''' stop. The bus terminal where the busses 217,247,277 leave is about 100m further north from the crossroads at ''Plac Nowy Kleparz''.
+
All these buses are avaible from the station '''''Nowy Kleparz''''' which you reach by bus from the center or walking. It is about 2&nbsp;km north of the old town. If you go there by bus you might get off at a station where only the busses to '''''Opolska estakada''''' stop. The bus terminal where the buses 217,247,277 leave is about 100m further north from the crossroads at ''Plac Nowy Kleparz''.
  
 
Watch out because the bus does not stop at the last stop but drives on so you want to know when to get off. There is a lot of space on deceleration lane going to the petrol station and cars are going extremely slow because there is a traffic light just ahead.
 
Watch out because the bus does not stop at the last stop but drives on so you want to know when to get off. There is a lot of space on deceleration lane going to the petrol station and cars are going extremely slow because there is a traffic light just ahead.
Line 50: Line 55:
 
50.097929,19.961807 - I believe this is the bus stop Kuźnicy Kołłątajowskiej
 
50.097929,19.961807 - I believe this is the bus stop Kuźnicy Kołłątajowskiej
  
=== East towards [[Rzeszów]], [[Przemyśl]], [[Lviv]] ([[Ukraine|UA]]) {{National Road Number Poland|4}} {{E|40}} ===
+
You can also go to bus stop '''''Belwederczyków''''' (buses 257, 277, 280 from '''''Nowy Kleparz''''')  and hitch directly from it, it's just outside the city, there is some place for a car to stop and You're visible from far away, my experience (as of 2017) shows that bypass on ''Opolska'' street or any areas before '''''Kuźnicy Kołłątajowskiej''''' bus stop are just too busy for anyone to notice a single hitchhiker in the constant flow of cars, let alone stopping for them (getting a ride there is doable, but hardly, i've never ever been successful)
 +
GPS 50°06'21.9"N 19°57'53.1"E, use https://krakow.jakdojade.pl/ for getting info on how to get there with public transportation.
 +
 
 +
=== East towards [[Sandomierz]], [[Rzeszów]], [[Przemyśl]], [[Lviv]] ([[Ukraine|UA]]) {{National Road Number Poland|4}} {{E|40}} ===
  
 
* The best option , is to take a minibus to the town of '''''Bochnia''''', 25 km east from Krakow (costs 5 PLN). The highway doesn't go further than this town. Just stand on the E40, and hitch rides (waiting times should not exceed 15-20 minutes). (more expensive though, since it's actually possible to get a normal bus ride without ticket and not a minibus ride)
 
* The best option , is to take a minibus to the town of '''''Bochnia''''', 25 km east from Krakow (costs 5 PLN). The highway doesn't go further than this town. Just stand on the E40, and hitch rides (waiting times should not exceed 15-20 minutes). (more expensive though, since it's actually possible to get a normal bus ride without ticket and not a minibus ride)
* Since 2011, people usualy take the newly built highway in direction of the east. Take the [http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0304/0304rw01.htm bus 304] and get off at '''''"Prokocim CPN"'''''. There is a bus stop and plenty of space to stop even for a truck.
+
* Since 2011, people usualy take the newly built highway in direction of the east. Take the [http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0304/0304rw01.htm bus 304] and get off at '''Jerzmanowskiego''' (old ''Prokocim CPN''). There is a bus stop and plenty of space to stop even for a truck. You can also walk like 500m along the road and try straight from the highway entrance - there is enough space and you can be easily seen. But now (March 2016) it isn't a good place. From the northern entrance to highway there are the fence hindering drivers from seeing you and the road sign forbidding you to walk. From the southern entrance traffic is VERY poor and mostly going to Katowice, not to Rzeszów.
 +
 
 +
To Ukraine you can't cross the border by foot in Korczowa, but in Medyka. At '''Radymno''' hitchhike {{National Road Number Poland|77}} South to Przemyśl and from there hitchhike ''Lwowska'' / {{National Road Number Poland|28}} to the border. In Korczowa you can wait for 3 hours because there are a lot of cars!
  
To Ukraine you can't cross the border by foot in Korczowa, but in Medyka! In Korczowa you can wait for 3 hours because there are a lot of cars!
+
For '''Sandomierz''' take tram number 10 or 21 till the last stop ''Pleszow''. From there you can start hitching along national road 79.
  
=== South and southwest towards [[Rabka Zdrój]], [[Ružomberok]] ([[Slovakia|SK]]) {{National Road Number Poland|7}} {{E|77}}, [[Zakopane]] {{National Road Number Poland|47}} and [[Bielsko-Biała]] {{National Road Number Poland|52}} ===
+
* 2017 - Another option is an unused bus stop on Tadeusza Śliwaka street, right before the road junction leading to {{National Road Number Poland|4}} {{E|40}} going east, the GPS coordinates are: 50°02'15.0"N 20°03'34.0"E. Use https://krakow.jakdojade.pl/ to check the buses going near that spot, preferably use a connection that will end up at bus stop '''Przewóz''' (Bus 158), as it's the nearest one to the spot. This bus stop is right behind the traffic lights, with a lot of space for even a big truck to stop and You will be easily visible. It is not the most popular road leading out of Cracow to the east however, so waiting times may vary.
 +
If You are going to Ukraine, bear in mind that recently finished {{National Road Number Poland|4}} {{E|40}} highway leads to '''Korczowa-Krakovets''' border crossing, where You '''cannot''' cross the border on foot (it is permitted only '''Medyka-Shehyni'''). Also there are very, very few cars stopping at the gas stations and rest areas on highway east of [[Rzeszów]], so before You pass it, either enter a car going straight to Korczowa border crossing (and wait a long time in the car queue), or go straight to Przemyśl, where You can easily access Medyka-Shehyni crossing, avoid rides to towns like Łańcut or Przeworsk, as most likely You will get stuck there.
  
Take tram no. 8, 19, 22, 23, 40(operating only on Sundays and day offs) from center or bus no. 141, 145, 151, 201, 204, 214, 215, 225, 244, 265, 451, 608(night) from suburbs in direction ''Zakopiańska'' and get off at the last stop (''Borek Fałęcki''). There is a small bus station. Walk south on ''Zakopiańska'' street for a few hundred meters, then you will see a traffic lights after which is a bus stop where you can hitch. Cars drive here slowly, but you also get too much urban traffic. If you don't get a ride in 30 min, it's better to take one of the local buses (175, 235, 245, 255, 275, 285) till after the highway crossing (stop ''Opatkowice''), where you get much better traffic heading your way.
+
=== South and southwest towards [[Rabka-Zdrój]], [[Ružomberok]] ([[Slovakia|SK]]) {{National Road Number Poland|7}} {{E|77}}, [[Zakopane]] {{National Road Number Poland|47}} and [[Bielsko-Biała]] {{National Road Number Poland|52}} ===
  
If your are heading to Slovakia, the road splits towards SK is Rabka. On the split itself there is a good spot to hitchhike, although still a lot of local traffic. You can also take the bus from the main bus station to Rabka. It is 10PLZ. Make sure you tell the driver exactly where to drop you off.
+
Take tram no. 8, 19, 22, 23, 40 (operating only on Sundays and day offs) from the centre to the last stop ''Borek Fałęcki''. There is a small bus station here. You can either walk south for a couple of kilometres until you go under the highway overpass, or take bus 175, 235, 245, 255, 275, 285 and get out at the stop ''Opatkowice'' immediately after the highway overpass. You can hitch from the ''Opatkowice'' bus stop.
  
=== Route to [[Prague]] ===
+
Alternatively if you start out early in the morning, you can take the above mentioned bus '''285''' much farther away from the city to a much better spot. Get off at Mogilany Ośrodek Zdrowia. This is a bus stop on the highway, hitch from here. Excellent spot! <br/>
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(In case nobody speaks English and you don't know where to get off, if you are in the front of the bus near the driver, you will see a red bridge from the distance, this one: [https://www.google.com/maps/@49.939466,19.894601,3a,75y,172.78h,92.74t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sG-2qOxM2yscYZqcBJ-67hg!2e0 Mogilany Wiadukt]
 +
As soon as you see the bridge in the distance, get off immediately. In case you miss it, no worries, you can get off after the bridge and walk back maybe one kilometer) <br/>
 +
'''WARNING''': the bus operates very rarely (and '''doesn't''' go on Sundays!), so you should check the timetable here:
 +
[http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/aktualne/0285/0285t001.htm 285 bus timetable]
  
Google Maps recommends to go to Prague via Katowice - Gliwice - Chalupki (near the Polish-Czech border) - Bohuman - Ostrava. But: nobody goes from here to Prague, and getting a hitch hike is almost impossible. [[User:Vidhiraj|Vidhi Raj]] was stuck here in Chalupki and then on the Czech border in Bohuman before giving up and heading to Ostrava Central station to catch a train to Prague for 18 Euros.  
+
If you are going towards [[Bielsko-Biała]], tell your driver immediately so that he knows to leave you at the fork in the road a few kilometres south of Krakow.
  
Instead: Go Southward. Take a bus in direction of Myslenice and reach the bus stop at Glogoczow. There is a split in the road and you choose the road towards the right hand side. This is a country road and not a highway. The road leads to Wadowice and Bielsko-Biala and further on to Cieszyn. Remember that you have to head to Cieszyn which is a border town between Czech Republic and Poland on the Polish side and then go via Ostrava or Frydek-Mistek in Czech Republic to Prague. Here you will find lots of cars and trucks heading towards Prague via [[Brno]]. The journey takes up to ten hours. Best of luck! :)
+
If your are heading to Slovakia, the road splits towards SK in [[Rabka-Zdrój]]. At the fork in the road itself there is a good spot to hitchhike, though there is mainly local traffic and it may require a couple of lifts to reach the Slovak border. Alternatively, if you don't want to hitchhike in Krakow or save some time, you can take a bus to this spot for 9 PLN, which is not that pricier from what would you pay for public transport in Krakow. Bus stop is called ''Skomielna Biała, skrzyżowanie''. You can use [http://www.busy-krk.pl/en/rabka-zdroj-krakow.php this site] to check timetables. You can also take a similar mini-bus to Jabłonka (which is right at the border) for about 20 PLN.
  
 
== Public Transport ==
 
== Public Transport ==
  
There is a good [http://jakdojade.pl/Welcome.jsp?locale=en website] showing you how to get from one point to another by public transport in major Polish cities (in Polish and English).
+
There is a very useful and simple to use [http://krakow.jakdojade.pl/?locale=en website] showing you how to get from one point to another by public transport in major Polish cities (in Polish and English).
  
 
== Sleeping ==  
 
== Sleeping ==  
  
The central station (Dworzec Główny) is open during the night. Guards will wake you up quite early around 5am but won't bother you at all during the night.
+
The central station (Dworzec Główny) is open during the night, but guards patrol the station constantly and wake up anyone who tries to sleep (even people waiting for trains). Better to find a host from a hospitality exchange service or camp outside the city.
 +
 
 +
You can sleep in "student academic" which is on Czarnowiejska/Reymonta street and there are sleeping students from AGH ( Academy of Science and Technology ). It's like 30 zloty ( ~8 euro ) for one night.
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== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
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{{nomadwiki}}
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__NOTOC__
 
  
 
[[Category:Poland]]
 
[[Category:Poland]]

Revision as of 08:46, 23 October 2020

Kraków
<map lat='50.05405277962895' lng='19.955291748046875' zoom='10' view='0' float='right'/>
Information
Country:
Flag of Poland
Poland
Voivodeship:
Coat of arms of Lesser Poland (Voivodeship).png
Lesser Poland (Voivodeship)
Population: 762,500
Licence plate: KR, KK
Major roads: A 4
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots

Kraków is a city in the south of Poland.

Hitchhiking out

West towards Katowice, Wrocław A 4 E 40

Note: Don't go towards Katowice if your destination is the Czech Republic. You risk getting stuck in Katowice's large urban agglomeration. Instead, follow the instructions below for Bielsko-Biała.

I contest this above note. Heading in that direction is the quickest for getting to places such as Brno. Going to the service station mentioned near bus stop Winna Gora and having a sign for Brno can get you into CZ, and then one can continue to Prague or Bratislava, for example. (9/2015)
I agree, I decided on going the katowice direction after talking with the cs hosts who also were hitchhikers. I went to the orlen petrol station in alexandrowice, easily reachable by bus 209 from salwator. From there the first car took me past katowice. I will add that it is best to go to the petrol station at ruda slanska past the main area of katowice. From there I picked another ride to near gliwice. Then a truck driver picked me up and took me to Czech. If you choose the rights petrol stations to get off on, this route is very hikeable (07/2016).
The Shell petrol station at Ruda Śląska is an excellent location if headed towards Brno/Vienna. I was stuck waiting at the petrol station at Winna Góra for 2.5 hours, asking for people headed towards Czechia (I was going to Vienna). Everyone was either local or headed towards Wrocław. I decide to start asking to be taken just past Katowice, to the petrol station mentioned above. There were more cars with Austrian/Viennese license plates than locals. Took me less than half an hour to find a car direct to Vienna. (11/2019). -- rd (talk) 10:28, 18 December 2019 (UTC)
I completely agree with the comment above; this petrol station in Ruda Śląska is called MOP Wirek, you can easily locate it via Google Maps. If your driver's destination is Katowice, ask to be dropped at Trzy Stawy petrol station (people from Katowice know this place well) and from there ask for rides to Ruda Śląska. ~info09 06/2020
  • From Pasternik Cmentarz bus stop

Get to the bus stop (roundabout) "Rondo Ofiar Katynia" (for public transformation info use www.jakdojade.pl) and from there another 2 stops to "Pasternik Cmantarz". There is a bus stop, petrol station and plenty of space for a car to pull over.

Generally it is better to have a sign for Katowice and if you're going further ask the driver to take you to some petrol station at the highway. Every time I've ended up on a different one and it was always super easy to push forward. --Polski Matematyk
  • From first petrol station on the highway

It's about 1km further than toll booths, but the spot is better than booths. You must take bus 226, 209 or 258 and get off on stop "Winna Góra". You will be already beside the motorway and the petrol station is close by. the best is to check the amazingly helpful page jakdojade.pl because the buses are running once for two hours.

From main railway station (Dworzec Główny Wschód) take bus 208 or 292 direction Port Lotniczy (Airport). If you take bus 208 get off at Balice Autostrada (NŻ) (you have to press the stop button otherwise the bus won't stop). Walk back for about 30m and turn left (west). Continue walking, go over the motorway by the bridge from which you will see the toll booths. Here's the route It's a bout 1.5km walk. If you take the bus 292 you have to walk a bit more (about 3km). Get off at the airport and follow this route. There is also local train going to the airport from main railway station.

Hitching from Krakow to Ukraine
  • Take a train for about 40km to a good spot

For a bit more than 10 złoty you can take a train from Krakow to the small town of Trzebinia. An even cheaper option is the minibus from the station behind the shopping mall next to the train station. Leave the train station, turn left, cross the bridge and follow road 79 direction southwest. It's just another 1.5 km to get to the motorway junction and you can try hitching with a sign "Katowice" already, because a lot of traffic goes towards the motorway and you are already outside of Trzebinia. It takes about one hour to get from Krakow main station to Trzebinia.

North towards Warszawa, Gdańsk 7 E 77

There are two common places: Start to hitchhike after the inner bypass on Opolska street - you can get there by buses number 139,132,172,105,102,207 - bus stop name is Opolska estakada, but it is quite a busy spot. Magda and Ron decided to try to hitch while waiting for the bus in Opolska estakada and it worked! They found a ride with a truck driver all the way to Warszawa. Although, Nina_Unexia followed their example twice, and it wasn't the luckiest place.

A better option is to take the bus number 217,247,277 until the stop Kuźnicy Kołłątajowskiej. Here there is a lot of space for cars to pull over and many cars are going even all the way to Warsaw.

All these buses are avaible from the station Nowy Kleparz which you reach by bus from the center or walking. It is about 2 km north of the old town. If you go there by bus you might get off at a station where only the busses to Opolska estakada stop. The bus terminal where the buses 217,247,277 leave is about 100m further north from the crossroads at Plac Nowy Kleparz.

Watch out because the bus does not stop at the last stop but drives on so you want to know when to get off. There is a lot of space on deceleration lane going to the petrol station and cars are going extremely slow because there is a traffic light just ahead.

50.095057,19.961504 - put this to google maps, that's the location of the petrol station.

50.097929,19.961807 - I believe this is the bus stop Kuźnicy Kołłątajowskiej

You can also go to bus stop Belwederczyków (buses 257, 277, 280 from Nowy Kleparz) and hitch directly from it, it's just outside the city, there is some place for a car to stop and You're visible from far away, my experience (as of 2017) shows that bypass on Opolska street or any areas before Kuźnicy Kołłątajowskiej bus stop are just too busy for anyone to notice a single hitchhiker in the constant flow of cars, let alone stopping for them (getting a ride there is doable, but hardly, i've never ever been successful) GPS 50°06'21.9"N 19°57'53.1"E, use https://krakow.jakdojade.pl/ for getting info on how to get there with public transportation.

East towards Sandomierz, Rzeszów, Przemyśl, Lviv (UA) 4 E 40

  • The best option , is to take a minibus to the town of Bochnia, 25 km east from Krakow (costs 5 PLN). The highway doesn't go further than this town. Just stand on the E40, and hitch rides (waiting times should not exceed 15-20 minutes). (more expensive though, since it's actually possible to get a normal bus ride without ticket and not a minibus ride)
  • Since 2011, people usualy take the newly built highway in direction of the east. Take the bus 304 and get off at Jerzmanowskiego (old Prokocim CPN). There is a bus stop and plenty of space to stop even for a truck. You can also walk like 500m along the road and try straight from the highway entrance - there is enough space and you can be easily seen. But now (March 2016) it isn't a good place. From the northern entrance to highway there are the fence hindering drivers from seeing you and the road sign forbidding you to walk. From the southern entrance traffic is VERY poor and mostly going to Katowice, not to Rzeszów.

To Ukraine you can't cross the border by foot in Korczowa, but in Medyka. At Radymno hitchhike 77 South to Przemyśl and from there hitchhike Lwowska / 28 to the border. In Korczowa you can wait for 3 hours because there are a lot of cars!

For Sandomierz take tram number 10 or 21 till the last stop Pleszow. From there you can start hitching along national road 79.

  • 2017 - Another option is an unused bus stop on Tadeusza Śliwaka street, right before the road junction leading to 4 E 40 going east, the GPS coordinates are: 50°02'15.0"N 20°03'34.0"E. Use https://krakow.jakdojade.pl/ to check the buses going near that spot, preferably use a connection that will end up at bus stop Przewóz (Bus 158), as it's the nearest one to the spot. This bus stop is right behind the traffic lights, with a lot of space for even a big truck to stop and You will be easily visible. It is not the most popular road leading out of Cracow to the east however, so waiting times may vary.

If You are going to Ukraine, bear in mind that recently finished 4 E 40 highway leads to Korczowa-Krakovets border crossing, where You cannot cross the border on foot (it is permitted only Medyka-Shehyni). Also there are very, very few cars stopping at the gas stations and rest areas on highway east of Rzeszów, so before You pass it, either enter a car going straight to Korczowa border crossing (and wait a long time in the car queue), or go straight to Przemyśl, where You can easily access Medyka-Shehyni crossing, avoid rides to towns like Łańcut or Przeworsk, as most likely You will get stuck there.

South and southwest towards Rabka-Zdrój, Ružomberok (SK) 7 E 77, Zakopane 47 and Bielsko-Biała 52

Take tram no. 8, 19, 22, 23, 40 (operating only on Sundays and day offs) from the centre to the last stop Borek Fałęcki. There is a small bus station here. You can either walk south for a couple of kilometres until you go under the highway overpass, or take bus 175, 235, 245, 255, 275, 285 and get out at the stop Opatkowice immediately after the highway overpass. You can hitch from the Opatkowice bus stop.

Alternatively if you start out early in the morning, you can take the above mentioned bus 285 much farther away from the city to a much better spot. Get off at Mogilany Ośrodek Zdrowia. This is a bus stop on the highway, hitch from here. Excellent spot!
(In case nobody speaks English and you don't know where to get off, if you are in the front of the bus near the driver, you will see a red bridge from the distance, this one: Mogilany Wiadukt As soon as you see the bridge in the distance, get off immediately. In case you miss it, no worries, you can get off after the bridge and walk back maybe one kilometer)
WARNING: the bus operates very rarely (and doesn't go on Sundays!), so you should check the timetable here: 285 bus timetable

If you are going towards Bielsko-Biała, tell your driver immediately so that he knows to leave you at the fork in the road a few kilometres south of Krakow.

If your are heading to Slovakia, the road splits towards SK in Rabka-Zdrój. At the fork in the road itself there is a good spot to hitchhike, though there is mainly local traffic and it may require a couple of lifts to reach the Slovak border. Alternatively, if you don't want to hitchhike in Krakow or save some time, you can take a bus to this spot for 9 PLN, which is not that pricier from what would you pay for public transport in Krakow. Bus stop is called Skomielna Biała, skrzyżowanie. You can use this site to check timetables. You can also take a similar mini-bus to Jabłonka (which is right at the border) for about 20 PLN.

Public Transport

There is a very useful and simple to use website showing you how to get from one point to another by public transport in major Polish cities (in Polish and English).

Sleeping

The central station (Dworzec Główny) is open during the night, but guards patrol the station constantly and wake up anyone who tries to sleep (even people waiting for trains). Better to find a host from a hospitality exchange service or camp outside the city.

You can sleep in "student academic" which is on Czarnowiejska/Reymonta street and there are sleeping students from AGH ( Academy of Science and Technology ). It's like 30 zloty ( ~8 euro ) for one night.


Nomadwiki & Trashwiki

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)