How to arrive to ECOSTAT meeting in Warsaw
First, you need some Polish currency.
It is złoty (pronounced ‘zwoti’, abbreviated to “zł” or PLN). However, you can use bank/credit card in most Polish shops, restaurants, taxis etc. There’s no fixed rate in exchanging currencies (it fluctuates about 1 EUR=4,3 PLN). However it is not recommended to buy zlotys at Warsaw Airport, the exchange rate there is unfavourable. Exchange offices a(‘Kantor’ in Polish) re placed in many places in Warsaw, most densely at the main railway station (and the rate there is more reasonable than at the airport and its vicinities, if you need zlotys at the airport already, I’d advise to use an ATM).
Second, you have to get to Warsaw.
You can try by coach (Eco-Lines, EuroLines, PolskiBus etc.), but we discourage this – it will take all day, even from neighbour countries, however, the route from Berlin is better than from Prague or Riga. Eg. it takes 12,5 hrs for PolskiBus to get to Warsaw from Riga, while 8,5 hrs from Berlin.
Travel by train is faster : direct train from Berlin needs about 5:30 hrs to get to Warsaw Central, while from Prague it takes about 8 h (no direct line from Riga).
By car: There is a direct motorway to Warsaw from Berlin and almost completed highways and motorway from PL/Cz border which is the best option for car drivers from Prague, Bratislava and Vienna (via Brno). Beware: the motorway from Germany is payable (the one from Czech republic is free of charge).
By air: There are two airports in Warsaw – the main is Warsaw Chopin Airport (Lotnisko Chopina), the other one is Modlin (located 40 km to the north from Warsaw; only Ryanair flights serviced). Getting to the city centre from Chopin Airport is trivial, from Modlin is not (not very difficult, though). If you are flying to Warsaw Modlin, we can give you more info about buses/trains to Warsaw, just do not hesitate to e-mail us.
When you are at Chopin Airport, you can go to the city centre by bus, train (see maps below) or taxi (see a separate passage below). Whatever you chose you will find your way to the station, taxi rank or a bus stop easily as it is clearly marked on the floor of the Terminal:
Third, you will have to travel in the city
The Chopin Airport is serviced by city-buses andtrains. There are two operators of train routes: SKM (municipal railway; routes numbered with S) and Koleje Mazowieckie (Masovian Railways; regional railways with routes numbered with R or KM).
1
1 SKM trains are more or less red
2 Koleje Mazowieckie (KM) trains are more or less green (some are older than this one)
3. Buses and trams are yellow-red
1
Detailed information on routes operated from the Airport can be found at warsaw public transport websitebut surely you will use one of below:
Bus 175 – direct route to the city centre (passing by the Ecostat meeting place),
Bus 188 – direct route to M1 metro line and passing by the Ecostat meeting place,
Train S2, S3 or RL – direct connection to the city centre.
4.Train services operating from the Chopin Airport – a scheme
Trains operate every 15 minutes and give direct service to the centre (Warszawa Centralna station or adjacent Warszawa Śródmieście station). The price of a ticket is the same for trains and buses (see the passage below).
More information on the airport trains: here
More information on the public transport: here
There is a public transport passenger service centre in the Airport Terminal (arrivals hall) where you can be given detailed information and fitted with a free map of public transport routes.
5. Passenger service centre and Warsaw tourist information points in the arrival hall of the Chopin Airport Terminal.
Tickets for public transport
There’s a common ticket system for city buses, trains, trams, metro (underground) and a light railway (which you’ll most unlikely use). The system is coordinated by ZTM (Municipal Transport Authority).The ticket systemis not very complicated. Weadvise you to buy one day tickets(15,00 PLN; valid for unlimited number of journeys within 24 hrs after validation) or use single-fare tickets (4,40 PLN; valid for unlimited number of journeys within 75 minutes after their validation or one travel with no time limit).For short-distance trip 20-minutes ticket (3,40 PLN) is the best offer. Hence, you can use it travelling from your hotel to the meeting but it surely is not enough for a trip from the airport to the centre.
You can buy tickets in vending machines at the airport (located at the bus stop and at the entrance to the railway station. Ticket vending machines accept cards and cash. If you prefer face to face contact, tickets can be bought in many newspaper agents (kiosk).
Bus/tram drivers sometimes also sell single-fare tickets, but they often don’t have any. There are also vending machines inside some buses, but some accept only cards, other accept only coins.You don’t show tickets bus/tram drivers (sometimes you can encounter controllers), so you don’t have to enter the front door.
Tickets must be validated in a validator once you are on-board. There is neither special tariff for night buses nor separate tickets so your validated one-day ticket is still valid there. When travelling with bus/tram/train/metro service you do not have to pay for your luggage.
Once you have validated your 24-hour ticket inside a tram/bus or a train (in a yellow validator), you can take any city transport vehicle you like marked with:
for the next 24 hours and Koleje Mazowieckie trains (regional trains; see below) as well. If you have a single-fare ticket you are not entitled for Koleje Mazowieckie except the RL line between the Chopin Airport and Warszawa Centralna station.
Beware, there are no ticket validators on some Koleje Mazowieckie trains. Once you have jumped in you should advice to the train chief (you’ll find him in a head-part of the train) so to have your ticket validated.
The Chopin Airport is located inside city limits, so you need 1-zone tickets. Additional rules are applicable for Modlin Airport-Warsaw transit.
6. Ticket machines in Warsaw - both are suitable for city transport
7.The green machines sells tickets both for Koleje Mazowieckie and Warsaw public transport. We do not recommend them but if you decide to use them remember to choose ‘ZTM tickets’ option.
8. You HAVE TO put your ticket inside this red hole (black magnetic strap downside). The machine makes bzzzz and prints expiration date. You validate your ticket only once, if you try to put a validated ticket inside, the red light will appear.
9. Do not confuse ZTM, ie. city bus stops with "Bus teminal" near the airport - this one is a long distance bus
Maps and schemas of the public transport routes in Warsaw can be seen and downloaded from here.
It might be worth noting that in Poland it is standard etiquette to give deference to the elderly, as well as to women. If you take a seat near the door or next to an aisle, be ready to give it up to an older passenger (while this is voluntary, you risk being given dirty looks by other passengers if you hog the seat). Certain seats are marked as priority seating for the disabled, elderly or for those with small children. If you are a woman travelling alone, don’t be surprised (or offended) if a man offers you his seat – just smile and take advantage of the offer.
However, you do not have to bother with public transport and use a taxi. Normal fare in Warsaw is about half euro per kilometre (2-3 zł), but you have to pay the initial fare and night routes are more expensive. However, a single ride from Chopin Airport to the city centre should be about 10-15 euro. There are some recommended taxi companies at the airport (you’ll see information on the walls of the arrival hall), but there are also other companies. Some companies are cheaper, as they use some legal tricks (not being official taxi). But, as in every European airport and railway station, you can also encounter cheaters, who use very expensive fares (Police don’t help because a deal is a deal, even if misunderstood). We strongly recommend not to take any of those ‘not recommended’ taxis when travelling from or to the airport. Legal taxis have large labels at the window with fares printed with large numbers – typically from 1,80 to 3,00 per kilometre and 8,00 as an initial fare.
10. Official taxi signs
11. Warsaw taxi
Fourth, you need to get to the meeting
Our meeting is organisedby The Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection (Główny Inspektorat Ochrony Środowiska - GIOŚ) and National Water Management Authority (Krajowy Zarząd Gospodarki Wodnej – KZGW). In fact it is located in a room belonged to Ministerstwo Środowiska (Ministry of Environment) and GIOŚ. The address of the building is 52/54 Wawelska Street.
Generally, the builidng is located near the city centre, but not in the very centre – in Ochota district. There are several hotels nearby, some of them located near plac Zawiszy (Zawiszy Square) are in 15 minute walk distance. Some of them are relatively cheap (eg. Premiere Classe Varsovie), some relatively expensive but acceptable (eg. Radisson Blu Sobieski). More luxurious hotels you can find in centre, as well as cheap places in hostels etc.
12. Ministry/GIOŚ building location.
The nearest bus stop to GIOŚ (Ministerstwo Środowiska building) is Pomnik Lotnika. In 10 minut walk distatnce there is a stop Plac Narutowicza with many other buses and trams, and in 15 minut distance there are stops Plac Zawiszy or GUS. The nearest metro stop are Politechnika and Pole Mokotowskie, but they’re a bit farther. Next to Plac Zawiszy there’s urban railway station Warszawa Ochota.
13. City transport lines. Purple - bus, red - tram, green - train, blue - metro
There’s no special parking place for GIOŚ guests and parking places are scarce in the area. The ministerial building is located at the borderline of paid/free parking areas.
14.‘Pomnik Lotnika’ means 'Aviator's monument', when you see it, you are just in the place.
Fifth, attend the meeting
As it is a governemental building, you have to show ID card/passport at the lobby (we’ll need to prepare a list). The meeting is in room 324 (third floor, if you remember, that in Poland we start counting from 0). There’s a canteen on the 0 floor, but this is the place where you need złotys in cash (however, there’s an ATM in the building). More information on lunch possibilties will be given during the meeting.
Sixth, other activities
Well,March is not the most beautiful month in Warsaw, nevertheless we believe you may still find strength for sightseeing. You can find some touristic suggestions at city’s website. As mentioned above, the public transportroutes are mapped at ZTM website.
Drinks and food? There are plenty of pubs and restaurants in the city centre, mainly located in area surrounded by streets: Marszałkowska, Żurawia, Nowy Świat, Świętokrzyska. If you stay near the meeting venue, the best option for dinner and/or beer/wine (or tea/coffee) is Grójecka street, where you can find several places to eat – from the simplest kebab points, through mid-standard restaurants (we advise Ukrainian one Babooshka or Italian Non Solo), to some more fancy ones (eg. Zest by Kibart with Polish/fusion cuisine).
Especially for the Radisson Blu Sobieski Hotel guests
There are many good hotels in the centre of Warsaw but you might have decided to use the special offer given to our Ecostat guests by the Radisson Blu (the special registration form should be attached to the e-mail). If you have, these are just additional information on public transportation to and from the hotel.
There is a direct connection from the Chopin Airport to the hotel:
-Bus 175 (get off at Plac Zawiszy stop; you’ll see the hotel from the bus on the left hand side)
-Train S2 (get off at Warszawa Ochota station; the hotel is immediately visible when you climb the street level up from the platform)
15.Train S2 route scheme
From the hotel to the meeting: get on any bus from the bus stop located just at the entrance to the hotel (128, 175, 504); get off at Pomnik Lotnika bus-stop (one or two stops from the hotel, depending on a route number).
From the hotel to the Centre: get on any tram from the tram stop Plac Zawiszy 05 (trams: 7, 9, 22, 24, 25) and get off after 3 stops (tram-stop Centrum).
From the hotel to the Royal Route and the Old Town:
-get tram no 1 from a tram stop Plac Zawiszy 14 (direction: Annopol) and after one stop change for M2 metro line (Rondo Daszyńskiego stop/station); ride M2 to Nowy Świat Uniwersytet station (three stations); use exit leading to Nowy Świat Street, when you enter the left stretch of this street it will lead you directly to the Old Town;
-get on any tram from a tram stop Plac Zawiszy 05 (trams: 7, 9, 22, 24, 25) and get off after 5 stops (tram-stop Muzeum Narodowe). On the left hand side there will be Nowy Świat Street (New World if translated into English) that is a full of cafes and restaurants part of the Royal Route and leads directly to the Old Town;
-take bus 175 (direction: Pl. Piłsudskiego Pilsudski Square) and get off at the terminus. You’ll have 5-minutes’ walk from there to the Old Town. Going back to the hotel you can get on your 175 bus just from the Castle Square.
Any questions:
, +48/606904158,
, +48/669986518
15.Rail public transport scheme – train routes and the metro lines (note: the Koleje Mazowieckie routes marked with ‘KM’ code instead of ‘R’)
16.Rail public transport scheme – trams and the metro
1