Guide: Warsaw Chopin Airport to the City Centre by Train
This guide shows you how to travel by train from Warsaw Chopin Airport to the city centre, including information about tickets and what the journey is actually like.
About the Warsaw Airport train
Warsaw Chopin Airport (IATA code: WAW), the main airport of the Polish capital, has a good rail connection to the city centre.
There are roughly 4 to 6 trains per hour running from Warsaw Airport to the city centre, with the journey taking around 20 to 25 minutes.
Two SKM trains at Warsaw Chopin Airport station. ©AndyBTravels
Getting to the railway statoin
No matter whether you arrive on a flight from a non-Schengen country or on a flight within the Schengen zone, it’s easy to get from the arrivals hall to the railway station at Warsaw Chopin Airport.
The station is clearly signposted throughout the terminal, both via overhead signs and, rather inventively, by a coloured line on the floor.
Simply follow the blue-coloured line to get to the airport railway station, which is located one level below the terminal.
Buying tickets
At the airport railway station, you can find ticket machines where you can buy your ticket to get to central Warsaw.
Warsaw public transport tickets are based on time, and you can buy tickets for 20 minutes or 75- or 90-minute transfer tickets, which are the ones I would advise you to buy if you’re heading from the airport to the city centre, just to be on the safe side, as the 20-minute ticket might be too short.
The ticket machines are in English and accept both cards and banknotes.
Don’t forget that you need to validate your ticket once you board the train, which you can do by inserting it into a validator that stamps the ticket with a timestamp.
For example, if you buy a 75-minute transfer ticket, the 75 minutes that your ticket is valid for will start from the moment you stamp your ticket on the train.
The 75-minute ticket costs just 4.40 Polish zloty (£0.87, €1.01, US$1.17), making the Warsaw Airport train one of the cheapest in Europe.
With such a transfer ticket, you can transfer onto another suburban train or other modes of public transport, such as a bus or tram – just don’t forget to stay within the time limit of your ticket’s validity!
It is also possible to buy tickets from machines on board the train, but you should do so immediately upon boarding.
People buying tickets for the Warsaw Airport train. ©AndyBTravels
Which train to take from Warsaw Airport to the city
There are three different trains you can take from Warsaw Chopin Airport to the city centre, with your ticket being valid on all of them.
The SKM line S3 and Koleje Mazowieckie Line RL call at the three main railway stations in the city, namely Warszawa Zachodnia (Western Railway Station), Warszawa Centralna (Central Railway Station), and Warszawa Wschodnia (Eastern Railway Station).
Of these, Warszawa Centralna is the most centrally located and most useful for the Old Town and most city centre hotels.
SKM line S2 calls at Warszawa Zachodnia and Warszawa Wschodnia, but does not call at Warszawa Centralna, as it uses the adjacent commuter station Warszawa Śródmieście instead, which is around 150–200 metres away from Centralna.
Although that means the S2 is not the best option if you plan to connect onto another train at Warszawa Centralna, Śródmieście is equally convenient for the city centre.
If you connect onto a long-distance train, it’s worth noting that most services of PKP, the Polish State Railways, call at all three main Warsaw stations, so you could technically connect at either Zachodnia, Centralna, or Wschodnia.
What is the airport train like
In the video below, which I made for DiscoverByRail, I take you on a trip to Warsaw and show you what the train journey from Chopin Airport to the city centre is like.
Have a watch!
Conclusion
Getting from Warsaw Chopin Airport to the city centre by train is easy, quick and affordable.
With frequent services and a quick travel time, the train is a convenient option for most travellers arriving at Warsaw Airport who need to reach the city centre.
If you need to travel onwards from Warsaw to cities like Krakow or Gdansk, connect at either Zachodnia or Centralna onto a long-distance service such as the excellent Polish EIP high-speed train.
At DiscoverByRail, you can book your tailormade Polish rail holiday.
