Transportation in Wroclaw is organized by buses and trams. There is neither a subway nor a large network of suburban trains in Wroclaw. Yet, there are some regional trains connecting Wroclaw with cities in proximity. The tram network is quite extensive and is the most important means of transport in the city center. Buses are serving the routes which are not operated by trams.
Train connections never played an important role in Poland. Due to that, there are only few direct connections from Wroclaw. You may reach cities like Warsaw and Krakow without changing the train, but since mid-2015, there is no direct connection to Germany anymore.
Beforehand, there was a regional train to Dresden and an express train to Berlin. Both were cancelled. Anyway, there are several regional trains departing from Wroclaw to the nearby cities that may be used to see the countryside around Wroclaw.
The backbone of public transportation in Wroclaw are the trams. Currently, there are 20 lines operating on 250 rail kilometers. The tram is one of the oldest trams in Poland and is also one of the most extensive still existing ones in the country. There are several different cars with only a few being accessible.
Something that’s great for tourists is the fact that all trams got ticket machines, making it easy to buy tickets on board (credit and payment cards only). Most tram lines have stops in the city center where several lines also use the same tracks. Galeria Dominikanska is one of the most important interchange stations close to the old town.
Selected tram lines in Wroclaw:
Wroclaw has more than 60 bus lines that are operating on a daily basis. There are several bus lines in the city center, but mostly on the routes that are not operated by trams. The bus system is a little complicated as there are several different types of buses. Regular bus lines got the numbers 100 to 149, while night buses got numbers from 250 to 259.
There are also special numbers for express and suburban buses. All buses got signs with both, the number and the direction of the bus, on the front of the vehicle. Tickets may be either bought at selected shops, at vending machines which can be found at several stops and inside the buses (card payment only).
Taxis in Poland are generally quite cheap compared to what you pay in other European countries. Wroclaw is no exception in this regard. The base fare for taxis is 6 Zloty (~ 1.45 Euro / 1.60 US-Dollar) and every kilometer is charged 2.55 Zloty (~ 0.60 Euro / 0.70 US-Dollar).
Nevertheless, you shouldn’t expect to only get luxurious cars when boarding a taxi. Several of the taxis operating in Wroclaw are very old and not in the best condition. There are exceptions, too, so make sure to have a look on the “quality” of the taxi you board.
Even though Wroclaw is one of the biggest cities in Poland, there are not many alternative means of transport. There are city bikes available in the center, but there are not many stations throughout the city.
You may also hop on one of the horse carriages in the city center, but neither look the horses happy or healthy nor are the prices fair. Instead, it definitely makes more sense to just rely on the public transportation network.
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