Wrocław (Polish: Wrocław , pronounced Vrots-wav; also known as Breslau, its German name, and English name until 1945) is the largest city in the Dolnośląskie Voivodeship in Poland.
Wroclaw in Polish, formally known as Breslau in German, is a large undiscovered gem of a city in southwestern Poland in the historic region of Silesia. It boasts fascinating architecture, many rivers and bridges, and a lively and metropolitan cultural scene. It is a city with a troubled past, having seen much violence and devastation, and was almost completely destroyed during the end of the Second World War. However, it has been brilliantly restored and can now be counted amongst the highlights of Poland, and all of Central Europe. As Poland rushes headlong into further integration with the rest of Europe, now is the time to visit before the tourist hordes (and high prices) arrive. Read Norman Davies'and Roger Moorhouse's Microcosm: Portrait of a Central European Cityto understand the complicated history of the town.
Wroclaw is served by an international airport [2]. LOT [3] fly here from Warsaw, Frankfurt and Munich. SAS [4] fly here from Copenhagen and Wizzair [5] from Dortmund and Doncaster UK, Centralwings from Dublin and Rome. From March 2005, Ryanair [6] fly from London Stansted, Glasgow Prestwick, Liverpool, Bristol and East Midlands with fares from £15 one-way all-inclusive. See departures and arrivals on-line [7].
From the airport, bus 406 operates from the terminal building to central Wrocław (schedule: [8]).
Wroclaw is a major hub in the Polish rail network, with several trains a day to all large Polish cities (route planner [9]). There are about 10 daily departures to Warsaw (travel time varies from 5h by a InterCity train, up to almost 7h with a pospieszny train) as well as quite a lot of trains to Poznan (from there you can go to Warsaw or Berlin). Several trains a day travel to Krakow.
Wroclaw is a stop on the Eurolines [10] international coach network. All international and national buses call at the PKS Centrum station which is located directly behind the main train station.
The centre of Wroclaw is navigable on foot, but the feature has an excellent public-transport system for access to the suburbs and outlying attractions. The city has 60 bus lines and 25 tram lines. During the past year large areas of the surrounding area of Wroclaw have been closed for extensive road works. As such there are many diversions, journey times in and out of the city have increased especially at peak times and a few tram lines have been diverted or removed from service temporarily.
To use the system, you must buy a ticket before you board from a ticket machine or any shop with a sign saying "Ruch" or "Bilety". Tickets can also be bought in most newspaper stores.
Ticket prices:
One ride ticket: Normal 2.40zł/1.20zł, students (with ISIC identification) pay half. Express or night bus - 2.80zł. You must validate your ticket on board, or face a 120zł fine if caught by an inspector (100zł if paid within 7 days). Tickets are not time-based nor route-based, i.e. you pay each time you enter a different vehicle.
One day ticket (jednodniowy), valid for all lines: 8zł/4zł (urban), 10zł/5zł (suburban).
Period tickets:
7-day in city borders: 26.00/13.00 (only normal lines), 30.00/15.00 (also express)
30-day in city borders: 80.00/40.00 (normal), 98.00/49.00 (also express)
If you travel with large bags (such as backpacks) you must also buy a 1.20zł ticket for the bag.
