plane

There are essentially three ways of getting to Łódź by plane, and none of them are great.

To learn about the standards of Polish airports, as well as about destinations, go to our transport by plane article.

Łódź Airport (LCJ)

Łódź's only airport is tiny and only hosts connections to Munich, Dublin, East Midlands, and London Stansted. Therefore, it is a far-from-ideal option of getting to Łódź by plane.

getting to the city centre

To get to Central Łódź from the airport, you must take bus number 65A or 65B. The buses depart approximately every 15 minutes, take up to 30 minutes, and cost 3.6 zł [0.8 EUR] each way. Another option is to take a taxi, which will cost you around 40 zł [9.3 EUR] and take around 15 minutes.

Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW)

Likely the more popular way of getting to Łódź by plane is to fly to Warsaw's Chopin Airport and take a car (the distance is too large for a taxi), bus or train to Łódź. Warsaw Chopin has connections to most large European cities, as well as a dozen long-haul intercontinental connections. It is divided into the North Hall and the South Hall (which form Terminal A), and has 45 passenger gates.

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getting to Łódź city centre

The best way of getting to Łódź City Centre is by train from Warsaw Central Station. Now, there are a number of ways you can get from Chopin Airport to Warsaw Central Station. Firstly, you can take an urban rail train towards Modlin or Sulejówek-Miłosna and exit at Warszawa Centralna or Warszawa Śródmieście. This takes about 30 minutes. Secondly, you can take bus no. 175 towards Pl. Piłsudskiego and exit at Centrum bus stop. This takes 25 minutes. Both these options will cost you 4.4 zł [1 EUR] each way. Thirdly, you can get an Uber for 25 zł [5.8 EUR] or a taxi for around 40 zł [9.3 EUR]. This will take around 20 minutes.

Then, to get from Warsaw Central Station to Łódź, you must take a train - this will cost you around 30 zł [7.0 EUR] each way and take around 90 minutes.

Another option is to take a dedicated bus from Warsaw Chopin Airport to Łódź. Such a service is offered by OKBus, and costs approximately 38 zł [8.8 EUR] each way, taking around 2 hours. This is a quicker option overall and we recommend it highly. The only issue is that it is preferred that you book your ticket in advance using their website.

You can also go by car - this takes around 90 minutes.

Warsaw Modlin Airport (WMI)

The third and final option of flying to Łódź is to arrive at Warsaw's much newer and smaller airport servicing Ryanair flights to European destinations, located 35 kilometers northwest of Central Warsaw. Like most budget airports, it is comprised of a single terminal and has 10 gates.

getting to Łódź city centre

The first option is to take a train. This is a bit more time-consuming and costly than for Warsaw Chopin Airport. You basically have two viable options: the first is to take the single public bus that goes to the airport to Modlin railway station, and then take a local carrier train towards Warszawa Lotnisko Chopina (Warsaw Chopin Airport) and exit at Warszawa Centralna. This will cost you 19 zł [4.4 EUR].

The other option is to take a dedicated bus (called OKBus) directly from the airport, which will cost you 33 zł [7.7 EUR]. For this bus, it's best to book beforehand.

Then, to get from Warsaw Central Station to Łódź, you must take a train - this will cost you around 30 zł [7.0 EUR] each way and take around 90 minutes.

Another option is to take a dedicated bus from Warsaw Modlin Airport to Łódź. Such a service is offered by OKBus, and costs approximately 45 zł [10.0 EUR] each way, taking around 3.5 hours. This is a quicker option overall and we recommend it highly. The only issue is that it is preferred that you book your ticket in advance using their website.

You can also go by car - this takes around 2 hours.

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train

The location of Łódź within Poland makes it a great place for train travel. This is an especially great option if you're coming to Łódź from a different Polish city, but can also be done internationally if you're all about train travel.

You can learn everything there is to know about the standards of Polish trains, as well as about types of trains, buying tickets, and destinations by going to our transport by train article.

stations

There are, essentially, two centrally-located stations in Łódź - Łódź Kaliska and Łódź Fabryczna, with the latter being the main one. There are also dozens of satelite stations around the city, which are great access points to quickly get to the city centre.

Because of the way the tracks are laid-out in Łódź, some connections are only available from some stations.

destinations and prices

domestic

Warsaw - 1:30h | 31 zł [7.2 EUR] (from Łódź Fabryczna)

Cracow - 2:30h | 45 zł [10.4 EUR] (from Łódź Fabryczna)

Poznań - 4:00h | 33 zł [7.7 EUR] (from Łódź Kaliska)

Gdańsk - 8:00h | 66 zł [15.4 EUR] (from Łódź Widzew)

Wrocław - 3:30h | 35 zł [8.2 EUR] (from Łódź Widzew)

Katowice - 3:30h | 55 zł [12.8 EUR] (from Łódź Fabryczna with stopover in Koluszki and Częstochowa)

Szczecin - 7:00h | 98 zł [22.8 EUR] (from Łódź Fabryczna with stopover in Ostrów Wielkopolski)

international

All relevant international connections to Poland, along with their prices and times, can be seen in the transport by train article.

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bus

As long-haul buses re-gain popularity with the rise of companies like Flixbus, so does traveling to Łódź by bus. In fact, due to Łódź's central position in Poland, travel by bus is recommended when there are no direct train connections available.

To learn about bus companies in Poland, as well as about how to find buses, buy tickets, and about the quality of buses, head to our transport by bus article.

bus stations

In Łódź, long-haul buses typically stop and depart simply from Łódź Fabryczna Station, What's great about this is that the main station is the most accessible spot in the city.

direct destinations

domestic

Currently, from Łódź you can go to all major Polish cities via direct connections.

international

The main direct bus destinations from Łódź are Berlin, Prague, Munich, Nurmberg, Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, Paris, Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, and many, many more.

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car

Taking a road trip to Poland, or to Łódź in this case, is a great idea, especially from Germany, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Everything you need to know is explained in our transport by car article.

tickets

To learn about ticket validation in a given vehicle, as well as how to check how long your journey will be, head to the vehicle's dedicated article.

There are a number of types of tickets in Łódź, with the main difference between them being validity time and zone validity. There are also reduced-fare tickets, but because of the inconsistency of the information given on the website with the information given by ticket controllers, we do not recommend buying reduced-fare tickets no matter your status.

It's important that we first underline that all public transport tickets in Łódź are valid on all means of public transport (though this does not always include urban rail and regular trains - more on that below).

Łódź's zones

Łódź is divided into two public transport zones - the inner zone, called zone 1, includes the entire city of Łódź, including the airport. The second zone includes orbital towns, cities, and villages. Now, all short-term time-limited tickets, namely the 20-minute, 40-minute, and 60-minute tickets, can be used in any zone and used to cross between the two zones. Medium-term and long-term tickets do, however, not have this feature.

types of tickets

20-minute ticket - zones 1 and 2 - 2.8 zł [0.7 EUR]
This type of ticket is great for short inner-city trips, such as to your hotel. In 20 minutes, you can traverse most of the city centre.

40-minute ticket - zones 1 and 2 - 3.6 zł [0.8 EUR]
A 40-minute ticket covers most of Cracow, and especially the areas you are likely to visit as a tourist.

1-day ticket - zone 1 - 11 zł [2.6 EUR]
A great option for tourists; this ticket allows you to travel by public transport freely within Łódź until 23:59 the day of validation.

1-day ticket - zone 1 - 13.2 zł [3.1 EUR]
A great option for tourists, and especially for those living outside of Łódź itself; this ticket allows you to travel by public transport freely within the Łódź Aglomeration until 23:59 the day of validation.

1-day 2+3 ticket - zone 1 - 15 zł [3.5 EUR]
This is a ticket oriented at families - it covers up to 2 adults and up to 3 children until 23:59 the day of validation.

1-day 2+3 ticket - zones 1 and 2 - 18 zł [4.2 EUR]
This is a ticket oriented at families - it covers up to 2 adults and up to 3 children until 23:59 the day of validation.

5-day ticket - zone 1 - 33 zł [7.7 EUR]
A great option for tourists staying in Łódź for more than 3 days; this ticket allows you to travel by public transport freely within Łódź for 5 calendar days after validation.

5-day ticket - zones 1 and 2 - 39.6 zł [9.2 EUR]
A great option for tourists staying in the Łódź area for more than 3 days; this ticket allows you to travel by public transport freely within Łódź Aglomeration for 5 calendar days after validation.

5-day 2+3 ticket - zone 1 - 50 zł [11.6 EUR]
This is a ticket oriented at families - it covers up to 2 adults and up to 3 children for 5 calendar days after validation.

5-day 2+3 ticket - zones 1 and 2 - 60 zł [14.0 EUR]
This is a ticket oriented at families - it covers up to 2 adults and up to 3 children for 5 calendar days after validation.

weekend ticket - zone 1 - 10 zł [2.3 EUR]
This ticket is valid from 18:00 on Friday to 03:00 on Monday and is great for weekend trips to Łódź.

weekend ticket - zones 1 and 2 - 12 zł [2.8 EUR]
This ticket is valid from 18:00 on Friday to 03:00 on Monday and is great for weekend trips to Łódź.

weekend 2+3 ticket - zone 1 - 15 zł [3.5 EUR]
This is a version of the weekend ticket aimed at families.

weekend 2+3 ticket - zones 1 and 2 - 18 zł [4.2 EUR]
This is a version of the weekend ticket aimed at families.

As you can see, there are a lot of types, but they are well-designed and catered to both tourists and locals. All of the tickets above can be purchased in any location that sells tickets.

buying tickets

In Łódź, the best way by far to buy tickets is to buy them in a stationary ticket machine, which can be found in all medium-sized and large transit points. The other great way is to buy them in the vehicle itself using an in-vehicle ticket machine, which are available in all buses and trams in Łódź. You can read more about buying and validating tickets in the dedicated articles of the various means of transport.

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tram

To learn about ticket validation, standards in buses in Poland, finding routes, and the types of tram stops, head to our tram article.

Łódź has a rather large tram system for Polish standards, with 19 lines and about 124 kilometers of tracks. Below is a metro-style map of the system.

what are trams in Łódź like?

Most of them are quite modern, especially those on more popular routes, meaning the routes you are more likely to take as a tourist. Moreover, all of Łódź's trams have in-tram ticket machines.

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bus

There is nothing unique about the bus system in Łódź. For everything you need to know, head to our general city bus article.

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urban rail

To learn about ticket validation, standards of urban rail in Poland, finding routes, and stations, head to our urban rail article.

Łódź's urban rail system is called Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna (ŁKA for short) and belongs to the distance-based ticket systems group, as outlined in our urban rail article. This means that the longer the distance, the more you pay.

Łódź's ŁKA map

The ticket system in ŁKA is partially integrated with the public transport system within Łódź itself. Namely, within ticketing zone 1, you may travel freely on ŁKA trains within the bounds of the validity of your ticket. This means that, if your ticket is valid for 60 minutes, you can switch from a tram to an ŁKA train and arrive at your destination only using your single 60-minute ticket, as long as you don't leave zone 1.

For journeys outside of the immediate surroundings of Łódź, you have to buy a ticket in one of the dedicated ticket machines/ticket booths on each station. When doing so, it is important to know which station you want to go to beforehand.

An updated price scheme (in Polish, unfortunately) can be found on the ŁKA website. If you can't be bothered to check exactly, just know that the journeys are about 60% the price of a regular train journey of the same distance.

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bike

Łódź's bike sharing system (Łódzki Rower Publiczny - ŁRP) and bike rental scene is very generic. Everything you need to know can be found in the bike article.

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taxi/Uber

Read all about calling taxis and Ubers, as well as the prices in Poland, in our taxi/Uber article.

Our recommended taxi company, Green Cab Taxi, is reachable under +48 519 000 400, and costs 6 zł [1.4 EUR] initiation fee and 1.8 zł [0.4 EUR] per kilometer.