The Ultimate Guide to Getting from Krakow to Paris

Krakow to Paris is never going to be a quick and easy journey if you do it by land. The cities lay nearly 1,600 kilometres from one another, so whether you choose a train, bus, or car it’s tricky to do the whole journey in a single day. Luckily, there are lots of direct flights on this route, so there is no need to spend hours and hours in transit.

That said, flying doesn’t have to be the best choice of transport from Krakow to Paris, especially if you have a lot of baggage or want your trip to be eco-friendly. So, if you’re not keen on planes, there are oodles of options to do this journey overland. Let’s take a look at all available transport on this route.

Time: 2h15m – 2h25m

Cost: From 79 PLN

Comfort: 5/5

With over 1,500 km of distance, it should come as no surprise that the quickest way to get from Krakow to Paris is by flying. Luckily, there is no shortage of direct connections on this route so there’s no need to spend hours travelling between the cities overland. The good news is that air travel is often your cheapest option too.

There are three airports in Paris, so let’s take a look at what are your best options for getting there from Krakow.

Flight time: 2h15m – 2h20m

Charles de Gaulle Airport is the biggest and busiest airport not only in Paris but also in all of France. It’s also the easiest airport to reach from the city thanks to a frequent RER B train line that costs €11.40 one way and takes around 30 minutes from Gare du Nord.

Two airlines offer direct flights from Krakow to Charles de Gaulle Airport, EasyJet, and Air France. The former is a low-cost airline, so you will usually find the cheapest fares with them. The latter is France’s national carrier, so you will generally have to pay a little more to fly with them. Neither of the two include checked luggage as standard with their lowest-fare tickets, so we don’t think it’s worth paying more to fly with Air France.

The prices start at around 79 PLN for EasyJet and 295 PLN for Air France flights. It’s a seasonal route for France’s national carrier, so you can only buy the tickets for flights between late March and October.  

Flight time: 2h20m – 2h25m

Before Charles de Gaulle Airport was built, Orly was the city’s main hub. That means that it’s also pretty easy to get there from the centre of Paris. The quickest way to do so is with Orlybus, which costs €9.50 and takes around 35 minutes. You can also get there cheaper by the city’s public transport, but it takes longer this way.

One airline flies from Krakow to Paris Orly Airport directly. It’s a small, budget airline, Transavia that does this route twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays. Their rates start from around €24 but the price doesn’t include checked baggage.

Flight time: 2h15m

Paris also has a third airport that is dedicated to budget connections. It’s way further from the city than Charles de Gaulle or Orly, which means it costs more and takes longer to get there. The easiest and cheapest option is a bus from Porte Maillot metro station on the edge of the 16th district. It takes around 1h15m and costs €16.90.

However, flying to Beauvais is still often your cheapest option from Krakow, even if you have to pay more for the transfer. That’s because the best-known European low-cost airline, Ryanair doesn’t fly to other airports from Krakow. That said, their rates on this route start from around 79 PLN, so you might be able to find EasyJet flights to CDG for the same price.

Time: 22h+

Cost: From €66.90

Comfort: 4/5

For those that aren’t keen on air travel, whether because of the environment or a fear of flying, there are plenty of overland options to travel overland from Krakow to Paris. We’d say that trains are your best bet here, even though it’s not always the quickest or the cheapest choice out there. However, by choosing the railway, you’ll be able to explore more European cities on your way to the world’s most romantic city so why not make the most of it, eh?

Unfortunately, there are no direct trains from Krakow to Paris, so you will have to spend some time planning your journey if you choose this option. Also, there is more than one way to go, so let’s take a look at the best routes you could opt for.

Time: 35h (night trains)/ 22h (night + day trains)

One of your two best options to get from Krakow to Paris on a railway is via Vienna. There are two direct trains from Poland’s second city to the Austrian capital. Those are an overnight sleeper train and an afternoon train that arrives in the evening. We’d go with the first option, which allows you enough time to explore this wonderful city before hopping on an overnight train that goes all the way to the French capital. Yup, there is a direct sleeper from Vienna to Paris! The train only goes three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, so make sure to choose the right day to travel.

You can book tickets for both trains online on Polish and Austrian websites. The cheapest fares start from €39.90 for the Krakow to Vienna connection and from €29.90 for the Vienna to Paris leg. The reason we recommend this option is because you will be able to explore the beautiful Austrian capital without having to pay extra for accommodation. That said, if you want to get to Paris as quickly as possible, you could leave Vienna the same morning on a train to Frankfurt and catch a high-speed TGV to Paris from there. That way you will arrive in Paris within 22h of leaving Krakow.

Time: 30h+

You can also travel from Krakow to Paris on trains with an overnight stopover in Berlin. However, you will have to fork out extra for accommodation in the German capital without having too much time to explore the city if you choose the shortest possible journey. However, from there are plans for a direct overnight connection from Berlin to Paris starting December 2023, which will significantly reduce the cost and time of the trip.

At the moment, though, there is no direct connection from Berlin to Paris, so you will have to change trains in Frankfurt. You can do it by leaving Krakow on a EuroCity train Wawel at 10:16 am. You will arrive in the German capital at 5.16 pm. You can hop on a morning ICE train to Frankfurt the following day, and change for a high-speed TGV railway to Paris. The total cost starts at €67.80 if you buy your tickets in advance.

Time: 22h+

Cost: From €48

Comfort: 2/5

It’s never a short trip to go from Krakow to Paris overland, but if you don’t mind spending some time on the road, you can also do this journey by bus. However, we think this is your least comfortable option. That said, unlike on trains, you can get direct buses to cover 1,500 km that separate these cities, so there is no risk of missed connections.

Two companies run direct buses from Krakow to Paris, Flixbus and Sindbad. You will recognise the former by their characteristic lime-green coaches that travel all around Europe. Their rates on this route fluctuate but start at around 230 PLN (€48). Apart from one direct coach that takes 22h20m, they offer multiple connections with one transfer that takes between 22h and 33h. Coaches terminate at Paris Bercy Seine station.

Sindbad, on the other hand, offers only one bus a day. It leaves from Krakow main bus station and arrives in central Paris by the busy Champs-Élysées Avenue 22h15m after departure. Their prices are also a bit more static, between 249 PLN (€53) and 335 PLN (€71).

Time: 16h+

Comfort: 3/5

Krakow to Paris by car is not the shortest of journeys. You will have to cross at least two other countries before you reach France, and the fastest route is almost 1,600 km long. That means that non-stop driving should take you at least 12 and a half hours in normal traffic. Even though there is a motorway all the way, in our experience, you should expect to drive closer to 16 or 17 hours if you don’t stop along the way. That’s because there are always some road works on this route, and it’s not uncommon to get stuck in traffic.

You should start your journey by joining the A4 motorway as you leave Krakow and head towards Wroclaw. This road will take you to the border crossing in Jedrzejowice, where you’ll cross into Germany. From there you should continue driving along motorway 4 until an exit onto A44 towards Brussels. You will drive across Belgium before reaching France and heading towards Paris.

The easiest and quickest way to get from Paris to Krakow is by plane. You will find cheap connections with Ryanair and EasyJet and a little pricier flights with Air France. You can also travel overland by train or bus.

There are no direct trains from Poland to Paris, so you will always have to change along the way regardless of the origin. You can ride trains from Warsaw to Paris in a single day, the journey with stops in Berlin and Frankfurt takes 16h30m. If you want to go from Krakow, the quickest trains get you to the French capital in around 22 hours.  

There are many ways to get from Poland to Paris, but flying is by far your easiest option. However, if you want to avoid air travel you can get to the French capital from most major Polish cities by train or coach. The journey can rarely be done in a single day, though.