7 days: 24 zl
The fare for (large) luggage is equal to the price of a normal ticket (2 zl
40 gr). 24-hour, 3-day and one week tickets are also valid on night lines.
Detailed fare information is available in English from ZTM Web pages (choose Ticket tarifs). Timetables are
there too, unfortunately only in Polish (click "Rozklady").
Check schematic maps of the
areas of ETAPS'03 venues, hotels, and other important places, with brief
description of typical public transportation routes between them.
Taxis
It is advisable to book a taxi by telephone.
If you pick a taxi on the street or a taxi stand, be sure you choose one from a
licensed company. Several licensed taxi companies are listed below.
ELE Taxi 811 11 11
Euro Taxi 822 22 22
Lux Taxi 96 66
MPT 919
Nowa Taxi 96 87
Sawa Taxi 644 44 44
Super Taxi 96 22
Volfra Taxi
96 25
Wawa Taxi 96 44
Maximum rates per kilometer vary from 3 zl (city area between 6:00-22:00) to
9 zl (Saturday night far from the center). Additional start fee is always
charged which is no more than 6 zl. These are maximum fares and most companies
charge up to 2 zl per 1 km in the city during workdays. A ride from the airport
to the city center should not cost much more than 30 zl. The driver should give
you a receipt on demand.
Car rental
The following major companies have their offices in Warsaw:
Avis, Hotel
Marriott 6307316
Auto
Plaza 8632700 exe 119
Europcar 853066077
Hertz
Prices
range from 200 to 1000 zl per day.
Practical Information
Climate
Weather in April is always impredictable. It might be sunny and
warm as well as cold and rainy. Average temperature in Warsaw is 7.7 degrees
Celsius. You can get a recent weather forecast at ICM or CNN
Currency
Polish currency unit is called "zloty" (abbr. PLN or zl) and it
is divided into 100 groszy (abbr. gr) (More information about banknotes and
coins). You can change cash in banks, hotels and exchanges called "Kantor".
The rates are always listed outside and may slightly vary between different
exchange offices. Please do not accept exchange offers from strangers. Here you
can find current exchange rates (Click "Exchange rate table").
Most restaurants, hotels, travel agencies and shops accept credit cards. The
most popular are Visa (also Visa Electron), Master Card (also Maestro and
Eurocard) but many others are accepted, e.g., American Express, Diners Club,
JCB.
Cash dispensers (ATMs) accept major credit cards and are easily accesible in
many places.
Hotels
Over 20000 beds in about 100 various hotels in
Warsaw await tourists. Everyone will find something suitable. But Warsaw is a
busy city, and the hotels can get crowded, so book early. See our hotel
page for more hints.
Shops
Most shops in Poland are open from 9.00 to 19.00, Monday-Friday,
and from 9.00 to 14.00 on Saturdays. Many supermarkets are open also on Sundays.
Electricity
Poland's electricity supply is 230 volts (50Hz), and typical
(continental) European outlets are in use.
Post office
You can easily buy and send postcards almost everwhere in Warsaw.
If you want to send the postcard you should put it into one of the post office red boxes. The name of the post office
is Poczta Polska (page is only in Polish).
The stamp for an "economical" postcard or letter (i.e. up to 6 days for Europe) costs 2.10zl and it does not depend on the destination. See detailed info
and choose przesylki listowe ekonomiczne.
The stamp for an "proritaire" postcard (i.e. up to 3 days for Europe, up to 6 days for the rest of the world)
costs 2.60zl for zone (pl.: Strefa) A (European countries, Russia and Israel),
2.80zl for zone B (Africa and United States),
3.00zl for zone C (South America and Asia) and 3.60zl for zone D (Australia, New Zeland).
See detailed info -
and choose przesylki listowe priorytetowe.
The costs apply only for postcards and letters up to 20g - choose the links above for more information.
Prices in restaurants
There are roughly four types of eating places in
Warsaw. There are:
- Restaurants: you can get a meal for no less than 30 zl for one.
Expect to pay from 80-100 zl for a "normal dinner". Most of them accept credit
cards.
- Small restaurants, ethnic bars: for 30 zl you can have a small
feast especially in Vietnamese bars, but you can get an edible meal spending
only 10 zl.
- "Milk bars" are the cheapest alternative for having meal. You can
not expect wonders but you will fill your stomach even for only 5 zl.
- Fast foods: in most cases you will pay something between 5-15 zl.
A cake in a Warsaw cafe will cost you 3-8 zl, a cup of coffe 4-10 zl. A beer
in a pub 5-10 zl (drinking alcohol in public places is prohibited in Poland). In
general, food is more expensive in the city center.
Other information
Mobile phones
All Polish GSM operators use GSM 900/1800 network type.
Time zone
The time zone is GMT+1 (so, for instance: the same as in
Germany and France, 1 hour ahead of Portugal).
Dial-up Internet connection
There are several access numbers you can
use, for instance 0202122, 0202422 (Telekomunikacja Polska) 0209568 (Aster City
Cable). The login name is ppp and the password is ppp. The cost is the same as
that of a local call.
A few useful words
Personal data: Imie - First name; Nazwisko -
Last name; Data urodzenia - Birthdate; Miejsce urodzenia - Birthplace; Kraj -
Country; Obywatelstwo - Citizenship.
Week days: Poniedzialek -
Monday, Wtorek - Tuesday, Sroda - Wednesday, Czwartek - Thursday, Piatek -
Friday, Sobota - Saturday, Niedziela - Sunday.
Months: Styczen -
January, Luty - February, Marzec - March, Kwiecien - April, Maj - May, Czerwiec
- June, Lipiec - July, Sierpien - August, Wrzesien - September, Pazdziernik -
October, Listopad - November, Grudzien - December.
Greetings and others: Czesc - Hello, Dzien dobry - Good morning, Dobry wieczor - Good evening,
Dziekuje - Thank you, Do widzenia - Goodbye, Przepraszam - Excuse me.
Miscellaneous: Tak - Yes, Nie - No, Otwarty - Open, Zamkniety - Closed,
Haslo - Password, Bilet - Ticket, Cena - Price,
Minuta - Minute, Godzina - Hour, Dzien - Day,
Dworzec autobusowy - Bus station, Przystanek autobusowy - Bus stop,
Dworzec kolejowy - Train station,
Lotnisko - Airport, Pociag - Train, Autobus - Bus, Samochod - Car, Tramwaj - Tram,
Restauracja - Restaurant,
Sklep - Shop, Adres - Adress, Ulica - Street, Uniwersytet - University, Centrum - Center,
Kino - Cinema, Teatr - Theatre, Poczta - post office, Kartka pocztowa - Postcard,
Znaczek pocztowy - Stamp, Telefon - Phone, Toaleta - Toilet.
Useful links