Krakow

Kraków By Car

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Semi-ridiculous Polish road sign for
'Pedestrian Crossing used by children.' FYI.

Poland is one of Europe’s leading nations in road fatalities, a statistic that will surprise few who have had the pleasure of using the roads here. A lethal combination of poor road surfaces, networks unsuited to the volume of different traffic and, most of all, aggressive driver behaviour result in the common sight of mangled wrecks around the country. Exercise caution, keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front, rub those rosary beads and God speed.

The speed limit in Poland is generally 50km/hr in cities (60km/hr between 23:00 and 05:00), 90km/hr outside urban areas, 120km/hr on dual carriageways and 140km/hr on motorways. All cars must have their headlights switched on at all times and carry a red warning triangle, first aid kit, replacement bulbs, a national identity sticker and proper registration and insurance documents. Poland also has strict drunk-driving laws: 0.2‰ is the maximum blood/alcohol limit, so forget about having even a single beer. EU citizens may use their home driving licences as long as they are valid (and you have it on you when driving), however citizens of countries that didn't ratify the Vienna Convention (tsk, tsk Australia and America) will find their licences technically invalid (though this has never been a problem for anyone we know).

Getting to Kraków By Car

Swim, Maluch, swim!

With that out of the way, how to get here? The A4 highway runs right through Kraków connecting it to Berlin (via Katowice, Opole and Wrocław) to the west and Tarnów to the east (though further expansion of this road is planned). While the 80km stretch east to Tarnów is still currently toll-free, a 10zł toll is paid when you enter the motorway in the direction of Katowice, and again when you exit.

Driving around the city itself is incredibly frustrating with constant roadwork being done, one-way streets and seemingly available streets requiring a permit to drive down: violate this last rule and the chances of getting a fine are incredibly high, whether you’ve realised your infraction or not. Kraków’s road network is not at all adequate for the volume of cars on its roads and parking is yet another challenge. Put it all together and we recommend you ditch your vehicle in favour of public transportation at the first opportunity.

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