Orientation and Getting Around
Krakow is bisected by the River Wisla , though virtually everything of interest is concentrated on the north bank. At the heart of things, enclosed by the Planty - a green belt following the course of the old ramparts - is the Stare Miasto , the Old Town, with its great central square, the Rynek Glowny . Just south of the Stare Miasto, looming above the riverbank, is Wawel , the royal castle hill, beyond which lies the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz . This whole central area is compact enough to get around on foot ; recently introduced restrictions mean that much of the Stare Miasto - including the Rynek - is virtually car-free. Exploring further afield, the inner suburbs have more character than usual thanks to the lack of wartime damage, the modern apartment blocks being interspersed with the odd villa and nineteenth-century residential area. Coming in from the east, you'll see and smell the steelworks at Nowa Huta , the chimneys mercifully working rather less hard on acid rain production these days thanks to the installation of effective filter systems. Trams in and out of these areas are plentiful, start early and run till late at night - routes radiate out from the Planty to the suburbs, and useful services are detailed in the text. Buses , which complement the trams and keep similarly long hours (with night buses taking over from around 11pm to 5am), provide the main links with outer suburbs and local towns such as Wieliczka. Tickets are purchased at kiosks and shops displaying the MPK symbol, or from the driver, for a 0.50zl surcharge. You can buy single tickets valid for one journey (2.20zl); tickets valid for one hour and allowing for any number of changes in that time (2.80zl); day tickets ( bilet dzienny ; 9zl); or week tickets ( bilet tygodniowy ; 22zl). Unless you have one of the latter, you'll need a separate ticket to travel on night buses (5zl). There are also a range of group tickets , of which the one-day, four-person family ticket ( bilet rodzinny ; 9zl) is probably the most useful. Students with ID travel half-price in Krakow. Bear in mind that public transport is subject to regular price hikes, so expect changes. Remember to punch your ticket at both ends on entering the bus or tram - if you're caught without a valid ticket, you'll be fined 40zl on the spot. Annoyingly, large pieces of luggage (including backpacks) require their own individual ticket (holders of day or week tickets are exempt from this): failure to follow this arcane regulation will incur a 20zl fine. Taxis are still affordable for visitors, though as elsewhere in the country they are highly priced for the local economy. Remember to make sure the driver turns on the meter, and that from 11pm to 5am, rates go up by half. There are ranks around the centre of town at plac sw. Ducha, Maly Rynek, plac Dominikanski, plac Szczepanski, plac Wszystkich Swietych, ul. Sienna (by the main post office) and at the main train station. Calling a radio taxi, such as Wawel Taxi (tel 9666) or ExpresTaxi (tel 9629), can work out significantly cheaper. There's a special subsidized taxi service for people with disabilities, using a small fleet of minibuses adapted for wheelchair access (6am-10pm; tel 9633 or 644 5555). Local train services can be handy for trips out of the city centre, such as to Plaszow - we've given details of whenever these come in useful.
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