Q: What is bus transportation like in Bielsko-Biala?
A: The main bus transportation company in Bielsko-Biala is the Miejski Zakład Komunikacji w Bielsku-Białej (the Urban Transport Works, MZK). Komunikacja Miejska w Bielsku-Białej (the Municipal Transportation in Bielsko-Biała, KMBB) is the municipal authority governing the public transportation in Bielsko-Biała and to some neighbouring settlements.
On their website, they provide information on the way of using the public transportation in Bielsko-Biała, and in particular, on the multiple possible ways of purchasing a ticket and validating it. A travel without a validated ticket
IMPORTANT: Once you obtain a Polish Student ID card, you are eligible for ticked with reduced price.
Tickets in a paper form must be validated in a special machine inside the bus, usually near the entrance and then kept during the travel along the discount eligibility proving document, in case of an ticket inspection. The fine for using bus transport without a valid ticket, or with a discounted ticked without a proof of discount eligibility is 250 PLN, so please be careful, follow the law, and always have your personal ID documents available.
The bus stops offer the timetable signs, showing departure time of the lines serving a given stop. In the city centre, there are also screens displaying the nearest bus departures in real time. Additionally, there is an official online timetable, allowing to watch the buses location in real time, which can be accessed here and is also available as an app.
Typically, for the students accommodated in the Students Dormitory, the most useful is the bus line number 10: starting next to the the University campus, at the stop „Uniwersytet Błonia”, going through the city centre, the main station, to the stop „Cieszyńska-Hulanka” – within 10 minutes of walking distance from the Student Dormitory.
Q: What is the cost of transportation by taxi in Bielsko-Biała?
A: The cost of a taxi is quite attractive. A trip from the centre of the city to the student dormitory will cost around 15-20 PLN. Remember that if you try to find a taxi from a railway station or a nearby hotel, the price maybe significantly different. Rates during nighttime are also significantly higher. You can use the Internet, or download a mobile application, to find good taxi companies.
Q: What is the accessibility to the medium- and long-distance bus transport like in Bielsko-Biała?
A: Komunikacja Beskidzka (pl. “Beskidian Communication”) is an official local transportation company (established by the local governments’ coallition) providing the transportation services in the region of Bielsko-Biała. The map of the connections offered by them can be found here. The price of a single ticket is 6,00 PLN. Some buses they operate look similar to the city transportation buses of MZK. The difference is in colour: MZK livery is white, yellow and bright red, while the buses of Komunikacja Beskidzka are painted in grey and dark red or, in case of older ones, in white and blue.
There is also a number of private transportation companies, offering wide selection of medium- and long-distance connections, including international ones. The main transportation hub for most of them is the main bus station of Bielsko-Biała, situated in a vicinity of the main train station, near the crossroads of the streets Piastowska and Warszawska. There is an Internet portal in Poland, aggregating the timetables of transportation companies, allowing to search the connections and even buy tickets easily. You can find it here.
Q: What is train transport like in Poland?
A: The main train station of Bielsko-Biała (Bielsko-Biała Główna, literally meaning “Bielsko-Biała Main [Station]”) is located at the crossroads of the streets: Piastowska and Warszawska, in the northern part of the city centre. The brick station building was constructed in 1890. Besides the ticket offices and luggage store, it hosts also a post office, a café, a kiosk and a pharmacy.
Many Polish natives still use an abbreviation PKP while referring to the railway transportation in Poland as a whole, even though it is not precise anymore. While state-owned PKP (the abbreviation stands for Polskie Koleje Państwowe – “Polish State Railways”), through its subsidiaries, still remains in control of majority of the train lines, many train stations and operates long-distance trains of PKP Intercity, most of the local trains are operated by independent companies, usually owned by the local governments. From Bielsko-Biała Główna depart trains of three companies: PKP Intercity, Koleje Śląskie and Polregio. While the PKP Intercity operates long-distance trains to cities as Warszawa, Białystok, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Poznań, Szczecin and Wrocław, Koleje Śląskie are the train operator of Silesian Voivodship and operate regional trains, mainly to Katowice, Pszczyna and Żywiec, and Polregio is nation-wide regional train operator, which trains connect Bielsko-Biała to Kraków and Wadowice. It is important to pay attention which train a passenger is boarding: from Bielsko-Biała Główna, Katowice main station (one of main railway transportation hubs in Poland) can be directly accessed by trains operated both by Koleje Śląskie and PKP Intercity – but the latter are significantly more expensive (also faster, not serving all the stops along the way and going beyond Katowice) and the tickets of Koleje Śląskie are generally not valid in PKP Intercity. Most of the Koleje Śląskie trains appear in their white and blue livery with black and yellow elements, Polregio trains are painted in silver, red and orange and PKP Intercity uses blue, silver, white and blueish grey colours on their trains.
The tickets can be purchased at a ticket office, on the Internet or directly from the train staff. This last possibility, however, should be used as a last resort, because while buying a ticket this way and if starting a travel from a point with open cash office, a passenger can be charged additionally. The cost depends on the class of the train and distance. A 51% discounts appliers for holders of a Polish student ID cards aged below 26.
The timetable (pl. “rozkład jazdy”) is, of course, published in printed form on each station and stop. Its online version, allowing to search for connections with changes, is accessible here and also available as an app.
You can learn more from the websites of the railway transportation companies:
The trains passing by on their route from Bielsko-Biała south to Żywiec (and back) can be seen (and heard, as they are obliged to give a sound signal before every railway-road crossing) east from the University campus. The nearest train stop is Bielsko-Biała Mikuszowice, located by the crossroads of streets: Kolejowa I Morelowa, within 20 minutes of walking distance from the campus. Only regional trains of Koleje Śląskie stop there, offering direct connections to such destinations as: Katowice, Tychy, Pszczyna, Goczałkowice Zdrój, Czechowice-Dziedzice, Wilkowice Bystra, Łodygowice, Żywiec, Milówka, Rajcza and Zwardoń, on Polish-Slovak border.
Q: Can I use my driving license?
A: Driving licenses issued by other EU member states are recognized by Poland and remain valid until the expiry date indicated in the document. If you are from outside the EU you will have to obtain an International Driving Licence to drive in Poland.
While driving a vehicle on the territory of Poland, a driver is obliged to have his license and vehicle registration on him. Civil liability insurance is also needed.
Seat belts must be used in both front and back seats, with children up to the age of 12 and up to 150 cm tall using special certified seats. Using your mobile phone while driving a car is forbidden! Loud-speaking phone systems are allowed.
Drivers have to use headlights during the whole day. The vehicle must be equipped with a reflector triangle and has to be marked with a sign indicating the country of its registration. Radar-warning systems are banned.
Q: What are speed limits in Poland?
A: Speed limits (unless there are limits indicated on the road signs):
Q: What are the postal services like in Poland?
A: Post offices (Polish Poczta Polska) can be found all over the city at many points, also in every other city, town and many villages. Costs depend on the size, weight and country of destination of the package or letter. Post boxes are red and they usually hang on the walls of the buildings.
The postal codes in Poland come in a form of a five-digit number, typically in a form nn-nnn. Two last digits of a number depend on a post office. As such, a postal code for the Student Dormitory is 43-303, while for the University of Bielsko-Biala it is 43-309. In case of uncertainty, the 43-300 code works for the whole area of Bielsko-Biała.
The post offices, their working hours and their corresponding postal code numbers can be found here.
Q: What is the Polish currency?
A: The Polish currency is the Polish złoty (PLN, also abbreviated in Polish as „zł”).
One złoty is divided into 100 grosz-es („gr” is the Polish abbreviation, albeit it is rarely used nowadays). Coins come in denominations of 1 grosz to 5 złoty (in turn: 1 gr, 2 gr, 5 gr, 10 gr, 20 gr, 50 gr, 1 zł, 2 zł, 5 zł). Banknotes go from 10 złoty to 500 złoty-s.
The value of 1 PLN is: 1 EUR ≈ 4.5 PLN (you can check the current rate at the Polish National Bank’s website).
Do not exchange currency with people on the street! Instead, go to any place marked as a currency exchange office (kantor). These are legal exchange agencies. You may also exchange currency in some banks. As in most countries, avoid changing money at airports, the rates are terrible there.
Trivia:
“Złoty” means “golden” in Polish language and złoty as a currency was for the first time introduced in Poland in 1663. Grosz, the auxiliary currency is even older, as it was introduced by the king Kazimierz III the Great, in 1367. Both of the nowadays’ Polish currencies are not the direct continuation of their first appearances, but rather refer to those historic names.
The banknotes feature the profile portraits of some of the most exceptional rulers of Poland (mostly the kings) in chronological order.
Q: When are the shops open?
A: From Monday to Friday grocery stores (Polish „sklep”) are open, usually from 8 am to 6 pm, on Saturdays they are usually open from 9 am to 1 pm. On Sundays hours may vary, but most shops are closed on this day.
Supermarkets are open seven days a week, from 8 am to 10 pm, while shopping centres are open from 9 am to 9 pm.
Q: Can I open a bank account while in Poland?
A: A: It is possible to open a bank account as soon as you arrive in Poland, it’s even possible to do it through the Internet before leaving your home country. Please be careful and check the conditions of different banks, since in some of them it may be very difficult and expensive to maintain and close an account. You have a few choices of standard bank accounts in Poland:
Current account: this account, which is what most people have, will provide you with a cheque book for obtaining cash at the bank and for making payments. At regular intervals you will receive a statement showing the transactions made on your account. This is a useful way of keeping your money safe.
Deposit account: you can use this while already having a current account, or independently without one. It is useful if you have other funds which you don't need to use immediately and which can therefore earn interest in the meantime.
Q: Can I pay using a credit card in Poland?
A: In Poland credit cards (MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Euro Card etc.) are regularly used for daily payments, so you should not have any issue paying with a credit card. However, it is recommended that you always have some hard cash with you, in case a given shop does not accept credit card payments or unexpected technical problems.
Q: Are public phones accessible?
A: Public phones are still accessible, for instance, in hotels.
Q: How is mobile communication in Poland?
A: The easiest option for students would be to bring their own phone (already unlocked) or to buy a prepaid package. Buying a SIM card is very easy - you can get one in any kiosk. It is quite cheap.
Emergency numbers are the same all over Poland:
Ambulance: 999
Fire Brigade: 998
Police: 997
Anti-terrorism centre: 996
Emergency breakdown service: 981
General Emergency (Mobile phone only): 112
Q:What can I buy in a pharmacy?
A: Cosmetics and medicaments are available at the pharmacies (Polish apteka). Some kinds of medicine are only available by a prescription (issued by a doctor). But, if you catch a cold and your nose is running, it is easy to buy aspirin or other helpful remedies in many shops.
Climate
Q: What is the climate of Bielsko-Biala?
A: During the months of June, July and August you are most likely to experience good weather with pleasant average temperatures that fall between 20°C and 25°. Be aware, winter conditions, especially in Bielsko-Biala, which is located in a mountainous region, can be rough. That includes strong wind and snowy conditions. The average temperature for January is ‑3°C, but it can even fall to -25°C. The weather gets warmer after first three months of the year. During spring, rain is much more common, so an umbrella is definitely useful to have.
While exploring around, keep in mind that in the mountains the weather conditions are generally harsher up there than down in the city and that they can change drastically during your trip. Prepare yourself accordingly.
More about the climate in Bielsko Biała here and here.
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