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Poland. Get in, getting around. Electric outlet, phone, post, bank, value

Poland

Warsaw and Krakow: two cities so different, yet so close, symbol of beauty, history and a great past. And above all, testimony of the strength and pride of an entire people. Today, Poland is a truly beautiful land. A place where, next to beautiful cities, you will have ways to admire truly striking landscapes, including lakes, rivers and mountains. The ideal place for a truly magical holiday.

HOW TO GET TO POLAND

The aircraft is the best, and fastest, solution to reach the country and for medium / long-haul distances.
Fryderyk Chopin it is the most important airport in the nation, hub of LOT, the Polish flag carrier. The airport is located about ten kilometers south of Warsaw and is the reference point in international connections.
Not far from Warsaw, the airport of Modlin it is a quasi-exclusive airport of RyanAir and low cost airlines.
Krakow, Gdansk and Katowice have well-connected airports, with direct flights, with many European destinations. The presence of other secondary airports throughout Poland has contributed to the increase in air traffic in the last decades.

The profound renovation of the infrastructure has led to an improvement of the Polish railway network. Berlin, Budapest, Kiev, Moscow, Prague, Vienna are connected daily with Warsaw, from Eurocity, Euronight and Night-Chopin trains.
Good connections from Bratislava, Slovakia, Krakow and Katowice.
From the Czech Republic there are also connections with Krakow, Katowice and Kłodzko.
From here, and from Germany, you can take advantage of super-advantageous rates such as przejściówka; it is a special ticket applied for train travel between Poland and the Czech Republic.

By car, from neighboring Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, you arrive in Poland by crossing the European motorway network. From Berlin, just over 550 kilometers from Warsaw, cross the A2 passing through Poznan, near the border, and Lódz.
The most obvious limits in car connections are with Ukraine and Russia. The streets are particularly busy.

By bus, travel times are particularly high. Prices remain rather competitive. In this regard, Eurolines remains one of the best solutions for value for money. Voyager, Ecolines and Lux ​​Express are other realities to keep in mind.

GETTING AROUND

Poland

The train is the best, and probably cheapest, solution for getting around Poland. In particular, having to move between major cities such as Krakow, Gdansk, Poznan or Warsaw. Long distance connections are managed by PKP Intercity while PolRegio manages regional connections.
On fast trains, the quality standards are quite high; it is in the regional connections, instead, that it decreases the comfort and the frequencies are lengthened.
The prices are quite cheap, especially if you book in advance, you get exclusive rates.

In today’s car, you move with less difficulty than in the past. This was made possible by the process of modernizing the entire network. Many stretches are still under construction but it is possible to move between the main cities, along the over 3000 kilometers of highways and expressways. On the other stretches, especially the internal ones, we need to take into account traffic, and roads that are not particularly efficient.
On certain sections, a toll is payable.
Overall, the car is a great way to get around the country.

To move to Poland, the plane is not ideal. Recommended in the case of particularly advantageous offers with low cost companies.

DOCUMENTS AND CUSTOMS

Poland has joined the Schenghen Agreements; therefore, for the citizens of the European countries adhering to this Agreement, there is no obligation to show documents at the border; you are always required to bring an ID card or passport with you. It is recommended, above all, to bring the CI of their children under age, even if traveling by car or train. See our special section on this subject.
With the exception of citizens of Canada, South Korea, Japan, Israel, and the United States, a visa called VISA is required to enter Poland.

Dogs and cats enter freely, provided they have a health certificate and a recent certificate from the veterinarian of the ASL of residence, attesting to good health. Dogs must be vaccinated against rabies for at least 21 days.
Please note that the appropriate microchip must be applied to the animals. On public transport, animals must travel with a muzzle.
To fly with animals, please refer to the individual section Airline companies.

CURRENCY AND CHANGE

The official currency is the ZLOTY POLISH (zl), indicated as PLN. Groszy are fractions of Zloty; 100 groszy is equivalent to 1zl.
In circulation you will find coins from 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, from 1, 2 and 5 zloty, and banknotes from 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 zl. In October 2018, 1zl is equivalent to about 0.23€ and 0.26$ American.

Almost everywhere, you can pay directly by credit card and withdraw cash at ATMs. Keep in mind, however, that in some small cities, and less touristy places, you may find it difficult to make credit card payments. A cash reserve is always recommended.
Who needs to enter Bank, keep in mind that, in the main cities, it is open from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 16:00; Saturday from 09:00 to 14:00. Schedules may be subject to change; especially in small towns. Everywhere, banks are closed on Saturday afternoons and Sundays.

PRACTICAL INFO

HOUR

In the Country, the clock hands are placed one hour ahead of the Greenwich meridian (UTC/GMT + 1). Daylight saving time starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October, with the hands forward an additional hour compared to Greenwich (UTC/GMT + 2).

ELECTRIC CURRENT

Type-E Socket

Photo ©, Etienne Rastoul

Throughout the country, the voltage is 220-230 volts, with 50Hz frequency. The electrical sockets, in general, are of type E, to 2 poles with female ground contact (picture above). They are the same as in France, Belgium, the Czech Republic. Keep in mind that you can not use the Shuko communes on these sockets. We recommend always using a special adapter. For the more confident, we recommend taking a look at this link.

POST

Poczta Polska, is the company that manages the Polish national mail. Generally, it is identified on the outside by a yellow logo on a red background. The latter, in general, is the color that characterizes the post offices of the country.
The company offers all the common shipping and telecommunication services, as well as financial, insurance and digital services.
Typically, post offices open from Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 18:00. In some large cities, such as Warsaw, and in key areas such as the Central Railway Station, you can find offices open all week, including Sundays, 24 hours on 24.

SHOPS

Store opening hours are from 08:00 to 19:00, without interruption. Many are also open on Sundays until 14. The shopping centers in the capital and in the main Polish cities are open every day of the week.

PHARMACIES AND HOSPITALS

The sign APTEKA outside the building, indicates the presence of a pharmacy. Often, they are identified by the red writing. As a rule, they are open from Monday to Friday, from 08:00 to 18:00.

Before leaving, remember to bring your health card and take out medical insurance, which we recommend. Please consult the information package to find out about costs and coverage. In general, public health is quite efficient, especially in large cities. Hospitalization is carried out only in cases of extreme urgency or particular gravity.

Medical clinics are open from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00. After 18:00, on weekends and during holidays, there is the 24 guaranteed medical service on 24.

PHONE

In Poland, the frequencies Gsm 800/1800 Mhz and W-CDMA 2100 are used, the same of the main European countries. So you can easily use your Italian, French … smartphone.
To call phones in Poland, you need to enter the international code 0048, followed by the telephone number.
The main Polish telephone operators are Polkomtel SA (Plus), Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa (Era), Orange Polska (PTK Centertel),
With the lowering of roaming costs, you can easily call from Poland at your national rate. Alternatively, you can use the classic VoIP calls, or make video calls, using a free WI-FI line.

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