Krakow was the capital of late medieval and Renaissance Poland. The Wawel Hill, rising above the bend of the Vistula River, since centuries housing the Royal Castle and the coronation cathedral of Polish kings as well as the royal necropolis. It was already a political center and the seat of princes in the ninth century. The Gothic cathedral has a Baroque interior design and numerous Renaissance or Baroque chapels. The present, Renaissance appearance of the Royal Castle is the result of works carried out in the sixteenth century by Italian architects. In the Middle Ages, there was a borough around the Wawel hill, and in 1257 a new medieval town was founded under German law, with a perpendicular grid of streets, market squares, surrounded by a city wall with numerous gates. The main shopping square, the Market Square, is the largest urban market of the medieval Europe. It has an area of 4 hectares. Krakow was the seat of the first Polish university, founded in 1364. Nicolaus Copernicus studied here.
The city, miraculously survived and undestroyed during World War II, after the war became a place of intensively developed industry. Today, Krakow is the second largest city in Poland. It is a great academic and scientific center with several universities, research institutes and art schools. It is also a very important cultural center with numerous museums, concert halls and theatres.
It is worth adding that seven of Poland’s existing UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in and around Krakow (the centre of Krakow was first to be added to the list).
/J.W.Mietelski/
Photos by J.W. Mietelski
Thanks to its location, Kraków is perfectly connected with big cities in Poland, Europe, and worldwide.
Local information
City – Kraków, Poland
Local Currency – PLN – polish zloty (For currency exchange, please see this currency converter tool.)
Time Zone – UTC +2 (CEST)
Official language - The official language is Polish. English is widely spoken.
Electricity
Electric power is 230 V, 50 Hz. Outlet plugs are C / E (2-pins: C is not grounded and E is grounded). Most of the European countries use this socket standard (e.g. Germany, France, Belgium). It is compatible with C / F (C / E / F are the most common socket standards in Europe). https://www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/plugs-and-sockets/ Most hotels have adaptors for different plug types. Please ensure that the electrical devices you will be using (computers, mobile phone chargers, electric shavers, etc.) are suitable for this voltage, otherwise, transformers or batteries are advisable.
Emergency Services
Medical services
Kraków has a good network of health centers (primary care services) and hospitals. In the case of an emergency, injury, sudden illness or health deterioration, patients should either call an ambulance or go directly to a hospital, to the A&E department. In such cases, medical transport is free of charge. In hospital, you must present your valid European Health Insurance Card or a replacement certificate or insurance. EU citizens should carry the European Health Insurance Card.
Emergency service phone numbers
112 General emergency number (which is operated in English as well) – dial without any area code
997 Police
998 Fire Brigade
999 Ambulance
Note: Emergency calls are toll-free
Foreign Consulates in Kraków
List of foreign consulates and institutions in Kraków can be find here.
Getting to the Conference Venue
By plane
Krakow Airport is served by major European airlines and has frequent direct flights from and to major European hubs (at least 3 flights a day) such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, as well as Warsaw (at least 5 flights a day) and several direct flights to other cities. Kraków Airport is situated conveniently on the outskirts of Kraków, 15 km west of the city center, by the A4 expressway to Silesia province. One can easily get from Kraków Airport to the conference venue by a shuttle train, a taxi, or public bus lines. Taking a taxi from the airport is the fastest (approx. 20 min) and most comfortable way of getting to the conference venue. Public bus line 208 (direction Dworzec Główny Wschód) will also get you directly to the Novotel Kraków City West (in 30+ min, get off on Przybyszewskiego stop), but since line 208 runs once per hour and serves local passengers on its route, buses are full at times. The international airport in Kraków (KRK) (10 km from the city)
Kraków’s John Paul II International Airport of Balice is situated conveniently on the outskirts of the city, just 15 km (about ten miles) from its center, by the A4 expressway to Silesia province (Śląsk) en route to Germany. One can easily get there by a shuttle train, car (the multilevel car park accommodates 1243 vehicles), taxi, or municipal bus lines.
The Kraków international airport is Poland’s second busiest after Warsaw and may receive nearly eight million passengers a year. Kraków’s John Paul II International Airport has regular direct air connections from and to major European hubs such Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Rome, and Vienna, as well as Barcelona, Belfast, Bergen, Bologna, Cork, Dortmund, Dublin, Edinburgh, Eindhoven, Leeds, Lyon, Milan, Munich, Oslo, Stockholm, Stuttgart, and Trondheim.
Transit connections via Warsaw link Kraków with New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami in the USA, and with Bangkok, Cairo, Damascus, Dubai, Istanbul, Kiev, Larnaca, Lyon, Minsk, Moscow, Nice, Beijing, Riga, St. Petersburg, Vilnius, and many other destinations.
http://www.krakowairport.pl/en
Rent a Car located at the airport
The international airport in Katowice (KTW) (60 km from the city)
http://www.katowice-airport.com/en/index/index/0
By road
Many people arrive to Kraków and leave it by car or coach, thanks to the city’s abundant road connections. Kraków lies at one of the key European crossroads, on the route from the West via Germany to the East via Ukraine and from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean via Austria.
The easiest way to reach Kraków by car is along the A4 freeway bypassing the city to the south. The freeway toll rate varies depending on the size of the vehicle and the section of the route (car toll: around 20.00 – 40.00 PLN or 4.00 – 8.00 EUR). Please bear in mind that there is limited public parking for cars in Kraków, and there are parking meters in the central zone. It is likely to be difficult to park the car once you get there. Typically, hotels have their own parking facilities.
By train
• It takes 15-20 minutes to reach Kraków Main Train Station from Kraków’s airport.
Trains operate 7 days a week.
• Please check the current timetable here.
• The adult fare (‘normal’) is 17.00 PLN (approximately 3.80 EUR).
• Tickets can be purchased from ticket machines (passenger terminal, train station) or from a train conductor once aboard. We suggest getting them from ticket machines.
The biggest railway station in Kraków is the Main Train Station (Dworzec Główny). It is situated close to the Old Town. Kraków has direct railway connections with Poland’s largest cities, as well as with various European capital cities. There are fast train connections with Warsaw (Poland’s capital city) every 1 – 2 hours. The trains are modern, comfortable and the journey takes just 3 hours. Tickets can be bought online. The prices from/to Warsaw, one-way, second class, with the fastest train cost around 170 PLN (approximately 35.00 EUR).
The international train connections search: international train connections
By bus
• Public buses stop near the Kraków airport’s passenger terminal.
• Bus lines 209 and 300 (and 902 during the night) connect the Airport with the city. 300 (Szwedzka, Rondo Grunwaldzkie, Os. Podwawelskie); 209 (Salwator); 902 (Main train station)
• Single adult ticket is 6.00 PLN (approximately 1.35 euros).
The biggest bus station is situated at Bosacka Street, next to the Main Train Station.
The international bus connections search (write Krakow as Cracow): international bus connections
Public Transport in Kraków
Getting around in Kraków is pretty easy. There is no subway in Kraków, nonetheless that nearly million city has a fairly dense public transport system which consists of tramways and bus lines that mostly a municipal company operates and a number of private-owned minibus fleets. And some suburbanites commute by local trains.
