How to get around - your ultimate guide to public transport

I live in Warsaw for almost 7 years and there are days when public transport can still surprise me. An unexpected accident or a break down is enough to make commuting a disaster. There are more than 1600 buses and 400 trams on the streets and that are being used by 3,1 million passengers every day.

The city has a fantastic public transport network but the plethora of choice can be a bit overwhelming for the first time visitor so I’m going to share with you my advice on how to get around Warsaw. If you want to know what ZTM,  SKM or a request stop are, why the bus doesn’t stop everywhere and why you should not push the open button - keep reading and you won’t get lost in this city jungle. Let’s get started!

SCHEDULES

 The first thing you need to know is that transport in Warsaw is operated by ZTM, which stands for Zarząd Transportu Miejskiego. Visit the official website if you want to download all the public transport maps and timetables (however I don’t think you’ll be needing them). The schedules are changed quite often, so make sure you look it up regularly if needed.

Public transport consists of metro, buses, trams and local trains. Main transport lines operate between 5.00 am and 23.00 pm. Later it might be difficult to catch the bus or a train because they run twice an hour. Of course, all means of transport are really crowded during rush hours - starting around 7.00 am till 9.00 am and 3.30 pm till 6.30 pm Monday to Friday.

BUS, TRAM OR METRO?

METRO

Warsaw’s metro is one of the most modern networks in Europe. It is built completely underground across both lines (it even runs under the river), which is uncommon for most of other European cities. Most of the stations are quite spacious and clean, and even some of them (i.e. Wilanowska, Dworzec Gdanski, Ratusz) are used as art or history exhibitions. The stations on the second line are probably one of the prettiest you’ll ever see as each one of them has one distinctive color assigned and has a huge graffiti-like writing of the station name that looks really impressive.

I already wrote a post about metro so here’s just a quick reminder. The first metro line M1 runs from the southern district Ursynów Kabaty to Młociny in the north via the city center Centrum. It takes around 20 min to reach the city center from opposite station. The second line M2 is an east-west line running from Rondo Daszyńskiego in Wola to Dworzec Wileński in Praga. There are plans to extend the second line in both directions in the coming years. Świętokrzyska station is the one with the intersection where you can change the line.

You’ll find the entrances to the metro hard to miss as they are marked with a yellow sigh of the big letter ‘M’. The entrances to the second line are exceptionally nice because each resembles a giant letter 'M' made from colored glass.

Riding the Metro, you use the same tickets as on trams and buses, but validate the ticket at the entrance to the platform and NOT inside the vehicle. I think I’ll prepare a separate post about the ticketing system to help you better understand how it all works here.

The metro lines operate from 5.00 am until 1.00 am during the week and until around 3.00 am on weekend nights. It leaves every 2-3 minutes during peak hours up to 5-7 minutes during the rest of the day and every 15 min after midnight.

Metro is definitely the fastest way of communication but because there are only two lines, quite often you will be forced to use another mean of transport to get to the place. Traveling in rush hours can be a bit tricky as it’s really crowded and sometimes you’ll need to wait for the second train to get on. Using the metro can be a little bit uncomfortable during winter because the heating is always on inside the trains so people are always sweating a lot in their warm winter jackets and everyone is complaining about it.

Metro is definitely the most reliable transport. In the event of some interruptions, the routes might be shortened but don’t worry, extra buses are always available to make up for it (marked with ‘Z’ letter).

BUSES

Warsaw has around 300 different bus routes but they’re not numbered one by one which might be a bit confusing. There are also different kinds of lines and generally traveling by bus can be a bit tricky so let me give you a short inside on how to use them.

Regular buses that stop at all stops along the way are mostly numbered between 100 and 399 and function just like one would expect any bus line to operated. However, there are also ‘special’ lines like those numbered between 400-599 that quicker lines that do not stop at low traffic areas, and between 700 to 899 that go outside of the Warsaw main zone.

Also, there are express buses that focus on the main transport line. These buses can be easily identified by the ‘E’ letter that follows the number, e.g. E-11. They make it easier to get from outer parts of Warsaw to the city center.

Of course there are also night buses with a letter ‘N’ in front of their two digit number. The night-service hub is at Emilii Plater street, next to the Palace of Culture & Science, from where buses depart every half-hour.

Like everywhere else also in Warsaw buses can be late. In rush hours timetables are bearly a slight suggestion when the bus might come, but except that they tend to be quite punctual.

 TRAMS

Currently, there are 25 tram routes numbered between 1 and 79. Trams are definitely the slowest way of commuting (they have many stops), however, they have a lot of advantages. First of all, they tend to be faster (especially in rush hours) as they have their own lanes and lines through the city so they are quite punctual and hardly stuck in traffics. You can do some sightseeing on the way and in my opinion, it’s one of the nicest ways to move around the city. What’s more, the zero-emission trams are environmentally friendly for those concerned about their carbon footprint (but there are some ancient-looking trams that were probably produced when our grannies were born).

WHAT ABOUT SKM?

SKM stands for Szybka Kolej Miejska, which means Urban Rapid Rail. This network is the newest mean of public transportation in Warsaw opened in 2005. The trains are very modern, fully air-conditioned and really comfortable to travel. SKM are lines above ground marked with letter ‘S’. The trains always cross two zones and are used mainly by people living in the suburbs. This way of transport is especially convenient for those landing at the Chopin airport as it takes only 20 minutes to get to the city center using the SKM train.

…AND YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND!

Here’s the icing on the cake - one app to rules them all. The best route planner you’ll ever find – Jakdojade.pl (meaning: How do I get to). It provides detailed directions for the major cities and towns in Poland. You can download the app or simply use the internet. Just type the stop, a specific place or the address in the search bar, set an hour and the app will show you all the best connections with very accurate timing. This app is way better than Google Maps and honestly I can’t imagine living in Warsaw without it.

HOW TO SURVIVE - BEST TIPS EVER

1. Newer vehicles are equipped with electronic boards with routes on it so that the passengers would know what the next stop is. Quite often there are also automatic voice announcements in Polish and in English. Nevertheless stay alert, because they cannot function properly and it’s easy to confuse the stop so make sure you know where to get off.

2. Some stops are so-called ‘Request stops’ (‘Na żądanie’) meaning the bus will stop only if you wave so that the bus driver can see you or press the ‘stop’ button if you’re in the bus. Otherwise, the bus will simply skip that stop.

3. Luggage and animals may be transported without additional charge on all public transport lines.

4. In Poland, it is polite to give up a sit to elderly passengers and women (especially pregnant ones). It’s absolutely voluntary so it’s ok if you don’t want to do this. However, you risk getting a stink eye from other passengers if you decide to keep the seat.

5. If you are a woman traveling alone don’t be surprised (or worse - offended), if a man offers you his seat. He’s not hitting up with you and you don’t need to feel threatened because like I said before it’s simply a nice thing to do.  

6. Do not push the open button at metro lines. Everyone knows all door open automatically so pressing the button just makes no sense.

7. ALWAYS stay on the right side of escalator unless you want to walk. People will eat you if you stand on the left side, trust me.

I hope that after reading today's post, you will find it easier to move around the city. If after reading this article you have any questions, feel free to ask them in a comment below!