Practical
Getting around Wrocław
Trains and coaches arrive close together, trams and buses cover the rest, and the Old Town you do on foot.
Arriving
Wrocław Główny, on ul. Piłsudskiego, is the main railway station. Long-distance coaches use the central bus station, which sits in the basement of the Wroclavia shopping centre, a short walk from the station platforms.
Flights land at Copernicus Airport Wrocław (WRO). City bus lines link the airport with the main station and the bus station, so you can reach the centre without changing to anything else. A taxi or a ride-hailing car is the other option. Look up the current line and journey time in a journey planner before you leave the terminal.
Trams and buses
Trams and buses are run by MPK Wrocław. In practice you have three ways to pay: tap a contactless bank card, or contactless BLIK on your phone, on the validator inside the vehicle; buy a ticket in a mobile app; or buy one at a ticket machine or kiosk before you board.
Tapping at the validator buys the ticket and validates it in one step, so there is nothing to punch afterwards. If an inspector comes, you show the same card or phone to their reader.
Many tickets are timed rather than tied to a single ride: they run for a fixed number of minutes from the moment you pay. The city lists 15, 30, 60 and 90 minute tickets, and 24-hour and longer ones. Pick by how long your journey will take.
Standard (non-discounted) fares for timed tickets: 15 minutes 3,20 zł, 30 minutes 4,00 zł, 60 minutes 5,20 zł, 90 minutes 7,00 zł and 24 hours 15,00 zł. They are valid on all city lines with unlimited transfers while the ticket runs.
These are Wrocław city fares. On the 9xx lines that run to neighbouring municipalities, a city time ticket is valid only inside the Wrocław city boundary.
Apps
Jakdojade is a widely used journey planner in Poland: type in where you are and where you are going, and it lays out the tram, bus and rail connections in many Polish cities, Wrocław included. In Wrocław it also sells tickets inside the app, so you can plan and pay in one place.
Bikes and scooters
Wrocławski Rower Miejski is the city bike system. You register, rent a bike through the app, ride, and return it to a station. Details of how it works are on the Wrocławski Rower Miejski site.
Shared electric scooters, rented by the minute through an app, also operate in the city; Bolt is one of the companies. They come and go with the season, so open the operator's app to see what is on the street. Park them where they do not block a pavement.
Taxis and ride-hailing
Bolt and Uber both operate in Wrocław, and FreeNow works in Poland too. You order in the app and can usually pay through it. For late trips, luggage or the airport, it is the simple option.
Electric tour cars generally wait for tourists on plac Solny, the Salt Square.
Walking the centre
Start with these four
The Rynek, the university, St. Elizabeth's and the Tumski Bridge each have a page of their own.
Where to go on foot
Start at the Ratusz in the middle of the square and see the rest on the landmarks page. Cross the river by the Tumski Bridge to reach the cathedral, and read about the islands on the Odra.