The Ultimate Guide on Travelling from Gdansk to Krakow

Getting from Gdansk to Krakow means travelling from the beautiful Baltic port city in the north to the former capital and residence of the monarchy in the south. However, you will almost have to cover the length of Poland to get between these two exciting cities. Luckily, there are plenty of transport options on this route, so it’s not as difficult as it may seem.

This guide to travel from Gdansk to Krakow will outline all available ways to get between the cities. You will learn about the fastest, cheapest and most comfortable transport options on this route. So, let’s take a look at the best ways for getting from the length of Poland north to south.

Time: 1h10m -1h20m

Cost: From 52 PLN

Comfort: 5/5

Gone are the days when you have to spend hours and hours travelling the length of Poland from north to south. These days, you can reach Krakow from the Pomeranian region’s largest city in a little over an hour thanks to direct flight connections on this route. This is one of only two domestic flight connections in Poland that doesn’t involve Warsaw.

Flying from Gdansk to Krakow is the quickest and often the cheapest way to travel between these two Polish cities. The prices on this route start from as little as 52 PLN and rarely cost more than 150 PLN, although you should expect big fluctuations in the summer. You’ve got a choice of two airlines that offer direct flights between these destinations, Ryanair, and LOT. The former tends to be cheaper, but the latter usually has more convenient flight times and more comfortable seats. Neither of the airlines includes baggage in their lowest-fare tickets, though.

Gdansk to Krakow s only a seasonal route for LOT, so you’ll only find their daily direct connections between April and October. Ryanair on the other hand reduces their flights to two a week from November until late March.  

Time: 5h14m+

Cost: 40 PLN – 225 PLN (2nd class)

Comfort: 4.5/5

If you add up the times spent at the airports at both ends, flying from Gdansk to Krakow isn’t that much faster than some of the trains are. Well, it is still substantially quicker, but the difference might not be enough to convince environment-conscious travellers. That’s because the fastest trains on this route only take 5h14m. And, what a comfortable way to travel it is!

There are three types of trains that take anything from a little over five hours to ten hours, so it’s worth knowing what to go for. Here are your rail options from Gdansk to Krakow.

Time: 5h14m+

Cost: From 98 PLN

The Express Intercity Premium train, also referred to as Pendolino, is the fastest overland option for getting from the northern port city of Gdansk to the former residency of the monarchs in the south. The travel times vary slightly by around ten minutes from 5h14m to 5h25m, which is a huge improvement considering it used to take up to 14 hours to travel on this route.

Pendolino is a modern, high-speed train that can go as fast as 250km/h. These are crème de la crème of the polish railway, which is reflected in the ticket prices that cost 225 PLN in second class. Luckily, though, you can find them discounted if you manage to book your seats soon after they are released. The tickets go on sale at half past midnight, 30 days before departure. You should be quick to secure the promotional fares!

Time: 6h44m+

Cost: From 51 PLN

Other than the iconic Pendolino trains, there are plenty of other, slower but also cheaper direct trains from travelling between these Polish cities. There are two types, TLK and Intercity, but there isn’t much difference between the two apart from travel times on this route. The TLK trains take between 6h44m and 7h58m, and the Intercity ones take between 7h58m and 9h18m. The slower trains aren’t always the cheapest, so it’s worth comparing the prices online to see which works best for you.   

Time: 8h16m/9h58m

Cost: From 40 PLN

There are also two-night trains from on this route that take either 8h16m or 9h58m. Other than departure and travel times, there isn’t much difference in quality or price. They both arrive just after eight o clock in the morning, so unless you find that the lowest-fare tickets for the faster train have been sold out, we’d always go for it over the slower one.

The cheapest tickets for the sleeper trains are for a standard seat in second class. You will have to fork out more if you want to get a more comfortable couchette or bed.

Time: 9h+

Cost: 79.98 PLN+

Comfort: 1/5

You can also catch a bus from Gdansk to Krakow, but we will say it’s a pretty long journey, so it’s not the most comfortable on a coach. That said, you could save money by opting for a bus over a flight or train, especially if you’re not booking your tickets in advance. The rates don’t fluctuate as much as flight or train prices.

Your only option is Flixbus, which offers inexpensive bus journeys around Europe. They run direct and indirect coaches between Gdansk and Krakow. Their prices start from around 79.98 PLN and rarely cost more than 200 PLN. It means that if you book your tickets at the right time both flights and trains could be cheaper than a bus. The journey takes at least nine hours, but some coaches travel for up to 14 hours.  

Time: 6h+

Comfort: 3/5

You can also drive to Krakow from Pomeranian in one day, but we’ll warn you here, it’s not a short journey. Even though Google Maps says that the drive should take around six hours, it’s often closer to seven or eight in our experience. That’s because Polish roads are not exactly known as being in pristine condition. Plus, some of the parts of the motorway on this route are in construction.

However, driving from Gdansk to Krakow will give you more flexibility than any other overland option. From the impressive castle in Malbork to Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park, there are plenty of opportunities for exciting pitstops along the way.

The shortest route is 580 km long. It starts on motorway A1 between Gdansk and Piotrkow Trybunalski and continues on road 74 before joining the expressway E77 near Kielce. That said, at the time of writing, it’s not the quickest way because of road works. The fastest route is to continue on A1 until an exit for Pyrzowice Airport and join the A4 towards Krakow.

No, the distance between the cities is nearly 600 km. To get from Gdansk to Krakow you will nearly have to travel the length of Poland from north to south.  

The fastest train from Krakow to Gdansk is 5h05m. There are also slower trains on this route that takes between seven and ten hours.

Krakow is 580 km away from Gdansk. It’s closer to go from Krakow to Prague, Gdansk, or Lviv than to drive to Gdansk.