Prices of railway tickets in Poland depend on the kind of train and length of the journey. The Polish State Railways offer various options of reduced and promotional prices.

General information

Tickets for regional trains and express trains are not expensive. However, when traveling by an intercity train or couchette you pay a supplement on top of the normal fare. Children, young people, students, the elderly, pensioners, the disabled, large families and other categories, much like in the rest of the European Union, are entitled to discounts.

Tickets are available at the ticket windows at railway stations or in travel agents in the city.There are separate ticket windows to serve customers wishing to buy international tickets. A ticket can also be bought on the train from the conductor however, there is a small charge for this service and you are advised to inform the conductor that you have no ticket when you board the train. The lack of a valid ticket can lead to the paying of a fine which means paying twice.

Polish State Railways also offer different kinds of promotional tickets, e.g. excursion tickets (lower price when traveling at weekends), group tickets (for organized groups of more than 10 people tickets are half price) family tickets (when traveling with a family there are discounts). The price of a ticket also depends on the type of train, distance and the class.

Examples of ticket prices

Traveling from Warsaw to Wrocław, an adult passenger pays - depending on the train - from PLN 90-110 traveling first class or PLN 45-60 second class. The fare from Warsaw to Krakow is from PLN 60-100 first class or PLN 45-70 second class. Tickets from Warsaw to Gdańsk cost PLN 70-100 first class or PLN 45-70 second class.

International tickets

To save money on international travel it is advisable to buy Inter-rail tickets that entitle you to any number of journeys by train within the zones you have purchased. Zone A. Great Britain and Ireland. Zone D. Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, second class, in all types of trains (however if you take any ‛special’ trains you will have to pay the difference for the higher standard). These tickets are not obligatory in the country of your residence.
Another solution can be the Euro Domino ticket which entitles the holder to travel on the European network of railway connections. Euro Domino is a personal ticket and with it you can have as many train trips in a specified country over a period of 3 to 8 days during the period of the ticket’s validity. The fee for reserving a seat is about 3 Euro, and the Euro Domino price depends on the number of days and the countries you intend to travel in.

Transporting animals and bicycles

Animals
To transport an animal by train you must fulfill the following conditions:
- an animal must have his health carnet with vaccinations against rabies indicated and a valid ticket with a note of the species of animal;
- dogs must wear muzzles, small animals should be transported in cages or in baskets;
- animals can only be transported by adults.
The fare does not depend on the number of kilometres, but on the route and the class of train.

Bicycles
A bicycle should be transported in the luggage-carriage. Not all trains however, have special places to transport bicycles. According to the regulations in this situation a bicycle can be transported in the first entrance doorway of the first carriage or in the last entrance doorway of the last carriage. It is most important not to block passageways or the doors of the train with the bicycle. To transport a bicycle by train you need to buy a special ticket.