John Paul II International Airport Krakow-Balice
John Paul II International Airport Krakow-Balice is located in the village of Balice in
the vicinity of Krakow. In regard of the number of checked-in passengers and the number of
flights, this is the second Polish airport. In the first place is Warsaw Chopin Airport. Initially,
the airport was designated only for military purposes, but since 1964 it has served civil flights
as well. The first name of the airport was Kraków-Balice Airport, but in 1995 the name was
changed in a bid to pay an honor to Polish Pope John Paul II. The distance from the airport to
the city center is quite short – 11 km west. That is the reason why transfer to and from the
airport is easy and convenient. See an Official Krakow airport page here.
The cheapest option is to go by regular day bus lines: 208 and 292. Number 292 can
take you from the city center – Train Main Station directly to the airport. It takes about 35
minutes, but it may be a little bit longer or shorter depending on traffic jam. Bus 292 goes
quite often – every 20 minutes. In addition, if you need to travel at night, there is also possible
to use public transport – night line number 902. This line as number 292 goes directly to the
city center. Daytime and nighttime tickets’ prices are as following: the cheapest so-called any
journey ticket costs PLN 4 and half-rate only PLN 2.
Tickets can be purchased from: the ticket machine from the at the passenger terminal,
the ticket machine from the bus stop, the authorized machines on buses, the bus driver but
only in case of ticket machine failure.
The other way of getting to/from the airport is train. The train station Krakow Airport
operates 7 days a week, every 20 or 30 minutes depending on time of the day. The price of
single ticket from the Main Train station is PLN 8. The journey is faster and more convenient
than by bus, as it takes about 17 minutes, and our trains are equipped with such facilities as air
conditioning or power outlets. Travelers can purchase tickets from ticket machine (located at
main station), ticket machine on train, train conductor on board, or passenger terminal. It
should be added that passengers with disabilities might be provided with train crew assistance
in taking a seat in a plane. What is more, if necessary, everyone can ask airport ground crew
for their assistance.
Thanks to such a short distance, traveling by car is also really comfortable. If you
have your own vehicle and you are not leaving for a long time, you can leave your vehicle at a
terminal car park. Nevertheless, it is quite expensive: 1 hour costs PLN 9, each next started is
PLN 10. The most economical option is payment for the whole week – PLN 249.
You can also use a private transport buses, but their tickets’ prices are more
expensive and do not go as often as agglomeration transport does.
And a last mean of transport – probably the most comfortable, but expensive at the
same time, is taxi. Krakow airport taxi ranks are located in front of the new terminal, but you
can also order a taxi online. The price for one ride depends on duration, time of the day and
day of a week. Usually, for distance up to 5 km, you can pay about PLN 30.
Featured image from Official Krakow Airport Page – http://www.krakowairport.pl/pl/lotnisko,c94/media,c106/multimedia,c107/galeria,c228/krakow-airport,c230/
