How to travel around Katowice? Prices and places

Katowice is the main center of culture, sport, and business in upper Silesia. If you would like to visit the most attractive locations in Silesia, you can rely on several means of transport.

How to get to Katowice?

1. Airport – Katowice Pyrzowice

Katowice has one Katowice-Pyrzowice Airport.The airport is 40 km away from the city center.There are different ways to easily get to the city:

• City bus line AP2 or night bus AP4,
• Private bus,
• Taxi, Uber, or Bolt.

The way to the city takes about 30 minutes. The bus leaves every hour. Price for tickets for buses AP2 and AP4 is 14 PLN. Price for ticket to the private bus is about 25 PLN. If you decide to travel by taxi or Uber, there is no problem for the driver to pick you up from the airport parking. The cost of a taxi is about 100PLN. Of course, if you choose Uber or Bolt, you can pay less.

2. Railway – the main railway station

Railway network. Katowice has nearly 10 railway stations. The main railway station is located in the city center. The station handles international calls. You can get to Katowice directly via train connection from Vienna, Prague, Ostrava, and Budapest. The remaining Katowice railway stations have local or semi-local connections.

3. Car

If you’re traveling by car, we have great news. Katowice has access to two highway lines. A1 highway reaches from north to south Poland and A4 from east to west Poland.

How to move around Katowice?

Public transport

Katowice has a very well-organized public transport called ZTM. With the ZTM ticket, you can travel by bus, tram, and trolleybus in Katowice and neighboring cities. Remember that Katowice is one of the cities included in the Silesian Metropolis. When buying a ticket, it is important to know if you move around one city or the entire metropolis. A single-fare transfer ticket, which stands for 20 minutes of travel (1 city), costs 3,60 PLN. You can buy them at a bus/tram stop using a ticket machine or in the ZTM shops. It allows you to freely use all kinds of public transport within the zone – 1 city for 20 min from the moment you validate the ticket. It means you can switch from buses to trams or trolleybus. You can also buy a ticket for 40 minutes travel (1 or 2 cities), which costs 4,40 PLN or for 90 minutes travel (3 and more cities) 5,40 PLN.

If you would like to stay in Katowice for longer, you may be interested in one day ticket (from the moment you validate the ticket to, the price is 11PLN. Ticket 24H cost 15PLN. If you are a student with an ISIC card, you can buy discounted tickets for half price!

CitybyBike system

You can also use the CitybyBike system. All you have to do is to register on the CitybyBike portal, pay the initial fee of 10 PLN and make sure you always have a 10 PLN minimum on your account. Done? Now you can travel all Silesian Metropolia by bike.
The first hour of the ride costs 1 PLN. This is a very convenient way to get around the city. You take your bike from where you are. And return to the bike station closest to your destination.We also have good news if you like electric scooters. You can rent an electric scooter and pay by the app. Katowice has almost 40 parking for electric scooters, so you can rent them and leave it in every part of the city.

Taxi

If you need a taxi, you must know that taxi prices are regulated and official taxi drivers must tell you prices for entry and for 1km. The regular price for entry fee is 6 PLN and 3-4 PLN/km.

What are the prices in Katowice?

The official currency in Poland is the Polish Zloty (PLN or “zł”). Currently, there are released:

• banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 PLN;
• coins: 1, 2, and 5 PLN;
• coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 gr (1 PLN = 100 gr).

You can easily exchange almost any currency for Polish Zloty in Tavex Currency Exchange. Our office is located in a heart of Katowice. You can check our exchange rates here.

Tavex Katowice – exchange money

If you will need to exchange cash, don’t hesitate and visit our branch in Katowice. Our exchange point Tavex Katowice is our third location in Poland. We are an international dealer of currencies with 30 years old history. Tavex is a place where you can easily exchange money and find the best rates for over 60 currencies from all over the world. You will find us at 3 Maja 18 street. We are waiting for you every day from Monday to Friday 09:00 -19:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 -18:00.

What to see in Katowice?

Katowice Cultural Zone

In the very center of the city, next to the “Spodek” Sports and Entertainment Hall, a new, unique area called the Culture Zone has been created, together with the “Spodek”, it’s a gathering of cultural and entertainment facilities: the International Congress Center, the main building of the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra and the new Silesian Museum. All objects are architectural masterpieces, awarded many times in competitions for their unique design. New facilities, located on the site of the former “Katowice” mine, brought a new quality to the revitalized part of Katowice. A cultural center is a place full of life. There is a permanent food track area. From May to September Katowice Cultural Zone is a place of concerts, dances, and an outdoor summer cinema.

The Silesian Museum is a regional museum co-directed by the Marshal Office of the Silesia Voivodeship and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. Silesian Museum provides an insight into the past and the achievements of modernity to further explore Silesia, Poland, and Europe. A former coal mine was turned into a cultural mine, and 14 meters below the ground level, has provided access to rich and diverse collections. The depths of the Earth now contain the Gallery of Polish Art 1800–1945, the Gallery of Polish Art after the Year 1945, the Gallery of Silesian Religious Art and the Gallery of Non-Professional Art, as well as a hugely popular exhibition “The Light of History: Upper Silesia over the Ages.” The exhibition of set design for film and theater: “Laboratory of Space: The Past in the Present” is a truly unique show at Centrum Scenografii Polskiej.

Modernism Trailin Katowice is a walking trail in the center of Katowice. It contains 16 buildings built in unique, prewar architecture in the modernism style. Thanks to this Katowice was known as “polish Chicago” in the past. Modernism Trail contains of buildings built between Ist and IInd World Wars. It’s unique on a national scale trail that shows functional diversity from residences, through churches to public buildings.

Muchowiec/ Three Ponds Valley

In the suburban Muchowiec, there are bicycle paths and jogging routes that cross the vast Katowice Forest Park. In the Three Ponds Valley, you can walk around 3 water reservoirs, and in summer, go to beach bars with tables outside. There are burger bars and pizzerias in the neighborhood, while in the futuristic 3 Stawy shopping center, cafés and Asian noodles are adjacent to sportswear discounters and mid-priced clothing boutiques.

Nikiszowiec a historic housing estate in Katowice in the Janów-Nikiszowiec auxiliary unit, built-in 1908–1919 on the initiative of the Georg von Giesches Erben mining and metallurgical concern as a worker’s housing estate for the miners of the Giesche mine (now Wieczorek) built in the Giszowiec manor area. The estate was designed by architects Emil and Georg Zillmann from Charlottenburg, who were also the designers of the neighboring Giszowiec. This estate, like Giszowiec, is on the Industrial Monuments Route of the Silesian Voivodeship.

Legendia Śląskie Wesołe Miasteczko is the number 1 attraction in Silesia and one of the largest amusement parks in Poland! It has been providing great entertainment to guests of all ages for almost 60 years. Stretching over 26 hectares, it is situated near a lake and surrounded by beautiful greenery. There are more than 40 attractions – for children, families, or extreme fans!

Silesian Zoological Garden – the third-largest zoo in Poland. In the area of nearly 50ha, in the heart of Upper Silesia, you can observe over 300 species of animals from almost all over the world. The most recognizable are Indian elephants, mesh giraffes, cap gibbons, lions, Amur tigers and red pandas.

So… are you ready for a trip? See You in Katowice!