Warsaw

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Warsaw
<map lat='52.232005085482086' lng='21.085853576660156' zoom='9' view='0' float='right' />
Information
Country:
Flag of Poland
Poland
Voivodeship:
Coat of arms of Masovian (Voivodeship).png
Masovian (Voivodeship)
Population: 1 709 781
Licence plate: WA, WB, WD, WE, WF, WH, WI,

WJ, WK, WN, WT, WU, WW, WX, WY

Major roads: A 2S8, S2, S79
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Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa) is the capital and largest city of Poland. While hitching out, in or just passing through during rush hour can take a bit longer, because there are traffic jams everywhere.

You can cross city very fast by using public transport. Check public transport lines at bus and tram stations.

'Due to ongoing constructions for the 2nd metro line all over the city many tram lines have changed their routes. Check if the lines mentioned below really exist and go where they are supposed to go to.'

Hitching out

West towards Poznań, Berlin, (Germany) 2 E 30

There are several options to hitch out of Warsaw in western direction, and the option you choose depends on your location in the city and your personal preferences.

  • Option #1: On-ramp Warszawa-Zachód on the S8

This option involves the least walking and is quite close to the city centre and the western districts. To get there you have two different possibilities:

E77 road E77.

#1:Take the tram 8, 10, 26 direction Os. Górczewska and get off at Ciepłownia Wola. There you can get in the bus 713 and get off at Mory (The first stop on public transport zone 2 (strefa II)). Walk back around 200m in the direction your bus came from, until the on-ramp of the new A2. Go up by the ramp to highway E77 , little bit further there wil be separate zone where cars can stop. Highroad patrol won’t disturb you because here the bahn A2 doesn’t start yet.


#2: Especially during rush hour, there is a faster way to get to the on-ramp at the A2: Take the KM3 (short for Kolej Mazowieckie) train in direction of Łowicz or Sochaczew (sometimes only going to Błonie) and get of at the station Gołąbki. From the pedestrian crossing over the tracks you can already spot the highway's noise barrier to the north-west. Follow the road on the northern side of the train station to the north, turn right at the next crossing and the road should lead you through an under-bridge under the highway after a couple of minutes. After, you cross the road and arrive at the on-ramp described under #1. The whole walk is around 1,5km.

You can take the trains from platform #3 at Warszawa Śródmieście which is next to the Central Station, but not the same! It is more East of the Central Station and South to the Palace of Culture and Science. Have a look at the timetables and different stations from where to take the trains on the website, since they run often just one or two times in an hour. Tickets cost probably a few zlotys, make sure you buy one before entering the train (alternatively you can buy one in the train in the first car).

  • Option #2: On-Ramp Warszawa-Powązkowska

This option is best when you have to get from the northern districts of the city to a good spot. There's no walking involved, you'll be able to get out of the bus and start hitching right away!

Take bus 103, 122, 180, 186 or 409 and get off at Gen. Maczka (Note: bus stops only on request here!). Hitch right from the bus stop where bus 186 in direction Szczęśliwice stops. Holding a sign with A2 might help to avoid inner city traffic. The S8 starts here and eventually changes into the A2 to Poznań. Streetview here.

  • Option #3: The (unfinished) toll plaza Pruszków on A2

If you're close to the main railway line in the city and don't mind a bit of walking if that gives you a 100% perfect spot, then you should choose this option.

From the Central Station or one of the other stations on the main line (Wschodnia, Śródmieście, Zachodnia, Ochota, etc.), take train KM1 towards Skierniewice or Żyrardów (both are good). Occasionally also KM7 goes there. Get off at station Brwinów after around 30min.

Now you have to walk for around 3km to reach the toll plaza. From the station, walk in northern direction to the square. Make sure to take the right road from here, you have to take the northeastern road called Powstańców Warszawy. Follow that one all the way out of the city. At some point you'll be able to see the highway and toll plaza on your left. Keep walking just a bit more, then when the road bends slightly right you'll see a crossing and a dead-end street going left straight towards the highway. When arriving from Brwinow, you'll be on the side of the highway in the direction of Warsaw. There is a bridge if you continue following the road after which the service street starts which brings you to the toll plaza

Update 2014.04.21: at the moment there is a fence which can not be crossed between the service road and highway, it's not possible to get to the toll plaza

Update 2014.04.21 #2: the parking at which cars would be able to stop is blocked by concrete blocks it is not possible for cars to stop there at the moment (ie until the removal of these blocks, the toll plaza is not usable as a place to start hitchhiking)

  • Option #4: The old road

If you wish to take the old main road DK92 (not advisable if you want to travel fast...) you can use a place which takes a bit more time to reach:

Like in Option #1.2 take the KM3 (short for Kolej Mazowieckie) train in direction of Łowicz or Sochaczew, but get out one station further at Ożarów Mazowiecki.

File:Ożarów Mazowiecki.jpg
The bus stop on Poznańska

When you get out at the station in Ożarów Mazowiecki (make sure you keep an eye out for the correct station, Ożarów Mazowiecki only has one sign at the end of the station) just leave the station to the right (facing away from Warsaw) and follow Marii Konopnickiej Street until you reach a bigger street, Poznańska (about 500m). Another few hundred meters to the East you will find a bus stop with plenty of space to stop (it's across the street from the church). It's just one lane, cars are going quite slow and you avoid a great deal of local traffic out of Warsaw. Even though this is the old main road to the West and some drivers (especially trucks) take it to avoid the highway fees, it will probably take longer than using the highway.

South towards Radom, Kielce, Kraków 7 E 77

Get tram 7, 9, 35 from the city centre e.g Aleje Jerozolimskie, Warszawa Centralna (Main Train Station), Centrum (Warsaw Metro station) going in the direction of Okęcie and get off at the last stop. Then, take bus 707, 728, 807 (not 715) to Janki, or bus N88, 706 or 807 to Plac Szwedzki (a stop near Janki and in front of an IKEA store) and walk back to the stop Janki.

From the stop Janki, note that the road splits. The road going east (left) is national road 7 (E77) where you can hitch towards Kielce, Radom and Kraków. Using a large sign can be very effective.

Southwest towards Wrocław 8 E 67, Łódź 72, Katowice 1 E 75

Get tram 7, 9, 35 from the city centre e.g Aleje Jerozolimskie, Warszawa Centralna (Main Train Station), Centrum (Warsaw Metro station) going in the direction of Okęcie and get off at the last stop. Then, take bus 707, 728, 807 (not 715) to Janki, or bus N88, 706 or 807 to Plac Szwedzki (a stop near Janki and in front of an IKEA store) and walk back to the stop Janki.

From the stop Janki, note that the road splits. The road going west (to your right) is national road 8 (E67). Further down the road there is a wide shoulder where you can hitch, but cars go quite fast here. If you find it hard hitchhiking there, you can walk about 3 km down the road to a McDonalds. There's also a petrol station, it may be effective to hitchhike from there, as many drivers stop there before longer journeys.

North and northwest towards Gdańsk 7 E 77, Olsztyn 51 and Toruń, Bydgoszcz 10

Spot to Wrocław (in front of Festo building)

A good place to hitch from near the bus stop Dzierżoniowska. To get here, either take bus 114 from metro Młociny in the direction Młociny-UKSW, or take bus 181 from the metro station Plac Wilson in the direction Cmentarz Północny. Once you get off the bus at Dzierżoniowska, you can see the main road going north and there are several places to stand.

Northeast towards Białystok, Kaunas (Lithuania) 8 E 67

Warsaw out W.

Go to the metro station Ratusz Arsenał and from there take bus #738 towards Os. Victoria or bus #718 towards Czarna Struga. The buses also stop at Dworzec Wileński at the bus stop beside the big clock on the commercial building next to the Carrefour super market. The buses require a 2-zone ticket. The ride takes about one hour, get out at the stop Struga. The bus #718 turns left there and you have to walk back to the main road where you can hitch at the bus stop. The bus #738 continues straight so you have to pay more attention to get out at the right stop. The suburbs of the city end here and it’s a perfect place for hitchhiking: a bus stop behind traffic lights.

Southeast towards Lublin, Lviv (Ukraine) 17 E 372

From Central Railway Station (Dworzec Główny) get on tram 9, 24 direction Gocławek and get off at Plac Szembeka stop, from there, go trough the street, and bus stop in this same direction (east) is on the second side of the street. Get bus 704, 720, 722, 730 and get off at the Szosa Lubelska. Hitch right from the bus stop at Szosa Lubelska street.

Or from Central Railway Station (Dworzec Główny) or from metro station Politechnika, take bus 502 to the last station, Stara Miłosna. From here walk to the intersection Szosa Brzeska, then turn right and walk 500 m to the aforementioned stop Szosa Lubelska.

East towards Siedlce, Brest (Belarus) 2 E 30

Get to the station Szosa Lubelska (see above). Try to hitch right from the bus stop at Szosa Brzeska. trash:Warsaw nomad:Warsaw