Getting to Poland by train

For some reason or other, Poland seems to be a very popular destination among our parishioners. In more conventional times, some people even go to Poland every year or even more often. I’ve no idea why this is.So, one of the most frequent travel questions I get is ‘How can I get to Poland by train?’ A lot of people harbour a desire to travel this way, but when push comes to shove, end up flying or driving. So the purpose of this post is to explain the various rail options.

A dose of realism

First, a dose of realism. Much as I love rail travel, the reality is that travelling by rail can take longer and cost more money. The length of the journey is less of an issue – as everyone knows it’s a long way, but the cost is more of a consideration. Simply put, if you want to travel to Poland by train, you need to be prepared to pay more. Except in the following circumstances:

• You are travelling with children (children and trains are usually a value-for-money combination due to high kids’ air fares)
• You are going to a part of Poland where flight choices are more limited
• You plan to visit other parts of Europe (and hence take advantage of rail passes etc.)
• You’ve all got more than just cabin bags (and you don’t mind carrying your luggage with you the whole way).

However, the real reason for travelling to Poland (or indeed many other European countries) by rail is for the sheer enjoyment and adventure of the experience.

Take your time

With a favourable wind and good punctuality, it’s possible to travel from Staines as far as Warsaw or Wrocław (and intermediate points such as Poznan) within one long day. However, the possibility of delays and missed connections means that you’ll be brave to attempt this – unless you are only going as far as Szczecin.

But in any case, an overnight stop, especially when travelling with people you still hope to be able to love afterwards, is sensible. As pretty much all rail routes to Poland require a transit of Berlin, this is obviously the best place to stop. Other advantages are that hotel accommodation is plentiful and (by German standards) relatively cheap and the city itself is interesting enough to be more than just a stopover.

Getting to Berlin

(skip this section for the more interesting Polish details further down)

So, think of your journey to Poland in two parts: Staines to Berlin and Berlin to your Polish destination.There are basically two ways of getting from Staines to Berlin.

Staines to Berlin via Eurostar

This is simple. Leave Staines around 05.00, head to St. Pancras, and take an early Eurostar train to Brussels, and continue to Berlin with German Railways, changing at Cologne. You’ll need to make two bookings.

Use http://www.eurostar.com to get you to Brussels

Use http://www.bahn.de to get you from Brussels to Berlin.

Sample times:

London 06.47 – Brussels 10.07

Brussels 10.25 – Cologne (Koln) 12.15

Cologne 12.48 – Berlin 17.06

The same connection is repeated two hours later, and then two hours after that, with correspondingly later arrival times. I would take the first connection, as if things go wrong at, say, Brussels, you’ll be able to catch a later train (and maybe go visit the Manneken Pis and have some waffles while you wait).

Staines to Berlin via Ferry

This saves neither time nor money, but is arguably a more relaxed and enjoyable journey.

Every night, at 19.32, a train leaves London’s Liverpool Street Station for various unremarkable Essex towns, terminating at Harwich International Port. This late evening service, full of commuters and shoppers returning to the likes of Romford and Colchester is the only remaining ‘Boat Train’ in the UK, connecting with the overnight ferry to the Hook of Holland.

On arrival at Harwich, a quick check-in and a short walk will bring you to your cosy cabin on board the Stena Britannica. You’ll be aboard around 9 pm, with time to have a nice meal or a few drinks at the bar, before retiring to a very comfortable bed. After a smooth crossing, it’s an early morning arrival in Hoek van Holland, where a short ride on the Metro will take you to Schiedam.

It’s necessary do your homework on where to change trains, but it’s another short ride to Amersfoort, where you can catch a direct train to Berlin, arriving at 17.22.

You’ll need to make two bookings:

To get from London to Hoek van Holland, use http://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry-to-holland/rail-and-sail

Buy ticket locally for metro (have some euro coins!)

To get from Rotterdam to Berlin, use http://www.bahn.de

Sample times:

London 19.32 – Harwich 20.54

Check in and board ferry, arriving at 08.00

Metro transfer to Schiedam Centrum, local train to Rotterdam Centraal

Rotterdam 10.05 – Amersfoort 11.02

Amersfoort 11.36 – Berlin 17.22

Getting from Berlin to Poland

After a pleasant night or two (or perhaps just a hour or so if you’re not staying over), a whole suite of trains run to various destinations in Poland. Most are direct. The easiest thing is to list these services in turn.

Regionalbahn to Kostrzyn

An hourly local service runs from Berlin-Lichtenberg (not the main station) to the border town of Kostryn. From here, it’s possible to take another train to Gorzow and Krzyz. If you are feeling lucky, this is all possible in one day from Staines.

Regional Express to Szczecin

Around nine trains a day run over the border to the beautiful city of Szczecin. Most require a change en route, but a handful run there directly from Berlin-Gesundbrunnen (not the main station). Again, if you are feeling lucky, this is all possible in one day from Staines.

The Berlin-Warszawa-Express

Running five times a day to Poznan and Warsaw, this comfortable but not exactly speedy train is the flagship of German-Polish friendship. The journey takes a relaxing six hours, calling at the rather nice town of Poznan half way through.

What the train lacks in speed it more than makes up for in comfort. Seating is in either open-plan coaches, or Harry Potter style compartments, and a full catering service is provided by the legendary Polish catering company, WARS. It’s possible to watch the incredibly boring countryside slide by while enjoying zurek, pierogi, schabowy, or placki – all cooked on board. If you don’t know what any of those are, ask a Polish person. Or just stick the beer (‘Pivo’) – but don’t have too much as you’ll need all your senses to escape from the subterranean Warsaw Central Station.

Although the train conveys also first class seating, I wouldn’t get too excited, as all you get is a bigger seat and maybe some salad leaves in a plastic box with parmesan cheese on the top.

Book a ride on this train on either http://www.bahn.de or the awful http://www.intercity.pl/en/

The ‘Gedania’ (Poznan – Bydgoszcz – Gdansk – Sopot – Gdynia)

This train, departing once a day at 12.37, diverges from the Warsaw route at Poznan to serve the Trojmiasto (three cities) on the Baltic coast. Train facilities and booking arrangements are as for the Warsaw train above.

The ‘Wawel’ (Legnica – Wrocław – Opole – Katowice – Krakow)

Daily at 10.37. This train, newly reinstated after a ten year gap while PKP (Polish railways) polished the rails or something is now back in operation. In terms of facilities and booking arrangements, it’s the same as the Warsaw train above – however it takes an entirely different (and much prettier) route.

The journey to Wrocław takes about four hours, and it’s a further three onwards to Krakow. However it’s a lovely journey – with plenty of excuses to try every dish in the dining car – even the fried cheese…

The ‘Metropol’ Night Train (Wrocław – Krakow – Tarnow – Rzeszow – Przemysl)

The appropriately-named ‘Metropol’ connects Berlin with several European cities, notably Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and… Przemysl. This multi-coloured night train is operated by Austrian Railways and splits into three portions, with the Przemysl section the bit we are interested in here.

The train leaves Berlin at 18.43 (so you might make it from Staines that day), and gets to Wrocław around 22.45. During the night it makes calls at Opole and Katowice, and Krakow at 03.45. Now Krakow is a charming city, but not at 03.45, so I’d stay in bed until Rzeszow and double back on a day train!

The train will take you in cosy comfort to Tarnow, Rzeszow, and Przemysl – from where easy connections are available to Lviv/Lvov in Ukraine.

There is a seated carriage (six seat compartments) and a sleeping car (very nice…), but no buffet (as people don’t tend to eat when they are sleeping. Book tickets at http://www.oebb.at or if the planets align, at http://www.intercity.pl/en/

Costs and how to book

To price and book a trip like this, you need to divide the journey into three sections, as follows:

1.Escape from Brexit Island.

The journey from London to Brussels or Rotterdam (if taking the ferry) is best booked using the website of the relevant operator – namely Eurostar or Stena Line.

Eurostar varies in price. Expect to pay £50 – 100+ for a single ticket. I usually get one for around £70.

For the ferry, you can book one ticket (single or return) to cover the train from London, the ferry crossing, and the metro and train on the other side. On the Stena Line website, https://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry-to-holland/rail-and-sail book from London to any Dutch/NS station. The price works out a around £55 adult/£27.50 child for the ticket, and you need to book a cabin for £36 (single), £46 (twin), £80-87 (family). It’s actually quite good value as the cabins are lovely.

2. Getting across Germany

This is relatively easy – simply go to http://www.bahn.de and book a ticket from either ‘Brussels Midi/Zuid’ to Berlin, or (if using the ferry) from Schiedam Centrum to Berlin. Expect to pay between 49 – 99 euro, depending on availability. Usually children under 15 travel free with parents/grandparents, if specified at time of booking. This is why rail travel can sometimes work out cheaper than flying.

Try searching for ‘Brussels/Schiedam’ to your Polish destination. Occasionally a cheap through fare will be available – if not, book to Berlin and go the next step…

3. Pociąg do Polski (train to Poland)

Generally (though see above) the Polish leg is best booked separately.

The obvious place to book is the http://www.intercity.pl/en/ but beware that this is not the easiest website to use. Take a deep breath several times, and beware that it closes each night about 22.30 UK time so that the computer can sleep. It is, however, the official website of Polish Railways (PKP) Intercity.

Alternatively, visit to http://www.bahn.de and make a new booking for the Polish leg only. Some destinations are available, but for others you’ll need to deal with the PKP website.

If taking the night train ‘Metropol’ the easiest place to book is the Austrian Railways website http://www.oebb.at

Conclusion

So, as you can see, travelling by rail to Poland is easy, pleasant, and above all, an adventure. No one is claiming it is fast or cheap, but for a lot of reasons it can still be the best option. Why not give it a try once we are free to travel once more? Please feel free to contact me for any help or advice. Also, don’t forget to visit my favourite website http://www.seat61.com as it will tell you the same as I did, but in better detail!