© Tomasz Tomal・Unsplash License

Poland

Kraków

A medieval old town preserved whole, with trams circling just outside it. There are no ticket gates anywhere.

Kraków Airport (KRK, Balice)

Train SKA1 and buses 209/300 serve the airport, but their tickets barely mix - a KMK city ticket won't work at the airport station. The buses take ordinary city tickets, but zone-I-only versions won't reach zone II.

Updated on August 19, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    Decide first - train or bus
    A KMK city ticket does not work at the airport station; the buses take the ordinary agglomeration ticket.
  2. 2
    For the train, buy on the platform or on board
    The sales point on the airport platform opens daily 08:10-19:45; outside those hours buy from the machine on the train.
  3. 3
    Coming back, buy before you board at the main station
    Buying on board adds 5 zł while the ticket office is open; with no ticket, board by the front door and find the conductor.
  4. 4
    For the bus, buy at the stop before boarding
    The machine at the MPK stop takes cash or a card; the machines inside the buses are card-only.
  5. 5
    Buying on board? Keep that same card
    The ticket binds to the card or phone you paid with - show that same one to the inspector.
  6. 6
    Validate a paper ticket the moment you board
    Push it into the validator inside the vehicle - the bylaw calls this the first thing you do after boarding.
  7. 7
    After midnight take a train first, then night bus 902
    The 00:07, 00:57 and 01:47 trains reach the main station in 17 minutes; after that it is bus 902 (35 min) until the 04:17 train.

Fares

Single fares6

Train SKA1, airport to Kraków Główny (one way)
An airport-only special fare; the lower figure is the 30% Senior discount for anyone aged 60 or over.
14〜20 PLN ≈ $4–5
Train SKA1, airport to Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia (one way)
Forty-four minutes from the airport to the stop for the salt mine; the lower figure is the 60-plus discount.
16.8〜24 PLN ≈ $4–6
Bus, 30-minute ticket (zones I+II+III)
Bus 300 runs 24 minutes to its terminus, so this leaves only six minutes of slack if it is late.
3〜6 PLN ≈ $0.8–2
Bus, 60-minute ticket (zones I+II+III)
The lower figure is the reduced fare; 60 minutes is enough to reach the centre from the airport.
4〜8 PLN ≈ $1–2
Bus, 90-minute ticket (zones I+II+III)
Unlimited changes while it is valid - the one to take if you expect to transfer with luggage.
4.5〜9 PLN ≈ $1–2
Official airport taxi (fixed price by distance band)
Eight fixed distance bands, the same whatever the day or hour; over 27 km the price is agreed in advance.
29〜169 PLN ≈ $7–43

Passes & multi-ride3

Bus, 24-hour ticket (zones I+II+III)
The cheaper zone-I version covers the city only and does not reach the airport, which lies in zone II.
12.5〜25 PLN ≈ $3–6
Bus, 72-hour ticket (zones I+II+III)
For a three-day stay; this one has no cheaper zone-I version.
27.5〜55 PLN ≈ $7–14
Bilet Metropolitalny, 24 hours (zones I+II+III + airport)
The only ticket valid on both the buses and the airport train; the train crew sells it on board.
35〜50 PLN ≈ $9–13

Estimates use exchange rates as of November 3, 2026

Payment

Card payment at machines
The operator does not name the brands it accepts
Cards work at the stop and terminal machines and at the rail sales point.
Card payment on board
On the bus you tap to buy, and the ticket binds to that card or phone.
IC card
The city's smartcards only hold season passes - not something a visitor needs.
App tickets
iMKAKOLEO
Apps such as iMKA and jakdojade sell the bus tickets.
Paper tickets
The train and the stop machines issue paper; the on-bus machines print nothing.
Cash
The machines inside the buses take no cash.
At machines: The machine at the airport bus stop and the rail sales point both take cash. On board: The machine on the train takes cash.

Quick facts

Hours
Train 04:17-01:47 + night bus
Frequency
Train every 30 min, bus every 10
Fares from
14 PLN+

Heads-up

  • Three tickets have a zone-I version that will not reach the airport

    Lines 209, 300 and 902 to the airport are agglomeration lines that run beyond the city boundary. Three tickets come in a cheaper zone-I version - the 24-hour (20.00 zł), the 7-day (65.00 zł) and the single-ride group ticket for up to 20 people (50.00 zł) - and the airport is in zone II, so none of them is enough. Buy the I+II+III version of each instead (25.00, 80.00 and 60.00 zł). The group ticket is the easiest one to get wrong, since that is what a family or a small party reaches for. The time tickets - 15, 30, 60 and 90 minutes - are all valid across I+II+III, but bus 300 takes 24 minutes to its terminus, so the 15-minute one will not get you there.

  • A ticket bought on board is the card itself

    The machines inside the buses print nothing. The ticket you buy is bound to the card, phone or watch you paid with, and at an inspection you prove it by tapping that same item on the inspector's reader. If you bought tickets for your group on one card, stay with whoever is carrying it until you all get off.

  • On the bus, paying the penalty early halves it

    If an inspector on a bus (ZTP) finds you without a valid ticket, paying on the spot or within the deadline cuts the 400 zł extra charge by half - though the fare part itself is never reduced. ZTP's own pages disagree on when the clock starts, giving the date of travel, the date the demand was issued and the date it was received, so act on the shortest reading, seven days from the day you travelled. The train is a different operator, with different amounts and a different starting date - see the next note.

  • On the train the penalty amounts and deadline are different

    The SKA1 train runs under KMŁ's rules, and although the penalty for riding without a ticket is also 400 zł, the reductions work differently: 100 zł if you pay the inspector on the train there and then, or 200 zł within seven days of the date the payment demand was issued - counted from the demand, not from the day you travelled. The fare is charged on top. Bringing luggage or an animal that needs its own ticket without one is a separate charge of 160 zł (30 zł paid on the spot, 80 zł within seven days).

Timetable

Operating hours Train 04:17-01:47 + night bus
Typical duration The train runs airport to Kraków Główny in 17 minutes; bus 300 takes about 20 minutes to the western edge of the centre
Check the official site for the latest times and service status
Leaving the airport, the train shows Wieliczka - its far terminus, not Kraków. Taken Jun 2024 © Phil Richards from London, UK・CC BY-SA 2.0
Editor Naotaka