How to get from Warsaw to Gdańsk: All Travel Options

From Warsaw to Gdańsk. You can get there by train, plane, bus, and car. I will describe all the exact information and details about every option in this post.

Information is valid for both ways: from Warsaw to Gdańsk and from Gdańsk to Warsaw.

I live in Gdynia, which is a city next to Gdańsk. I visit Warsaw regularly, as my family lives there. So I will also add my personal experience and advice to this post.

Quick Links to organise your trip from Warsaw to Gdańsk:

Book your accommodation in Gdańsk Old Town here.

On this website, you can review and book your flights.

Here, you can compare prices and rent a car.

Here, you can book guided tours and attractions.

Warsaw and Gdańsk: Short description

Warsaw is the capital of Poland and the largest city in the country. It has almost 2,000,000 inhabitants. Gdańsk is the 6th largest city in Poland, with around 500,000 inhabitants.

It lies on the north of Poland, at the Baltic coast. It’s a part of ‘Tricity’, an agglomeration with 3 cities laying next to each other: Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia. These are separate cities, but they are connected with each other by city train (called SKM).

Both cities, Warsaw and Gdańsk, are interesting places. They have a very interesting and, quite often, tough history. Both are beautiful and worth a visit.

How far is it between Warsaw and Gdańsk?

The distance between Warsaw and Gdańsk is 284 km (176 miles), but the driving distance is bigger.

How to visit both of them during one trip and get from Warsaw to Gdańsk (and from Gdańsk to Warsaw)? Let’s see the details.

From Warsaw to Gdańsk: Plane

Both cities have international airports. Warsaw Chopin Airport is the main airport in Poland, and Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport is usually in the third place among the busiest ones.

There are direct flights between both airports with domestic lines, LOT Polish Airlines. Depending on the day, there are 4-6 flights per day, and the flight times are around 1 hour (the flight distance is 284 km).

Flight prices start at around 200 zł (46 Euro) one way. If you buy return tickets, it’s cheaper.

From cheap flights, in past, there were also Ryanair flights from Warsaw to Gdansk airport, but some time ago they were cancelled. There is no Warsaw – Gdańsk Wizz Air flight at the moment.

It’s a comfortable journey, and you can easily reach both airports from the city centre by train or public bus.

From Warsaw to Gdańsk: Train

The travel option between Warsaw and Gdańsk I choose the most often is by train. There are many trains per day and different options: quicker (and more expensive) and cheaper (but taking longer).

When you buy a ticket, look at the type of train. Unless you are on very-budget-travel, I would advise not to take tlk train; it takes longer and it’s not very comfortable.

The best is a train called Pendolino; it will be shown as EIP. There are many trains of this type per day. They are rather quick; the journey takes around 2.5 hours. This is a modern train; trains are also nice-looking and comfortable. They also have a first-class wagon, but staying in second-class is comfortable on this type of train as well.

If you like to stay in silence, look at the wagon number 7, usually it’s a ‘silent zone’.

Quite often, there is also a restaurant wagon (so you can also start enjoying Polish dumplings: pierogi).

One important notice: enter this train only if you have a ticket; you can’t buy the ticket for EIP Pendolino on the train from the conductor. You can check train schedules and buy tickets on the PKP Intercity, Polish Railways website.

Pendolino costs 189 zł (around 43 Euro), it can have a lower ticket price if you book earlier. Cheap train tickets are for TLK trains.

Both stations, Gdansk Central (Gdansk Glowny) and Warsaw Central (Warszawa Centralna), are in the centres of cities; in Gdańsk, it’s a walking distance from Old Town. In Warsaw, it’s also possible to walk to Old Town, but it’s a bit further; better to take a tram or bus.

From Warsaw to Gdańsk: Bus

Obviously, there are also buses between Warsaw and Gdańsk. It takes longer than with the train; travel time is around 4.5-5 hours, but it may be cheaper than the quickest train.

There are different bus companies, but the easiest is probably to look at Flixbus and buy bus tickets on their website. Just note that the Flixbus bus doesn’t start or end in the centre of Warsaw. It goes from Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West) or from bus terminus Metro Młociny- here you can get by metro. Check the station before.

Gdańsk Bus Station (Dworzec Autobusowy) is next to Gdańsk Główny train station.

Car Drive

Another option is getting from Warsaw to Gdańsk by car. The driving distance is around 400 km; it will take you around 4 hours.

Rent your car here.

From Warsaw to Gdańsk: Private Transfer

There is one more option, which is probably the most comfortable. It’s a private transfer. It can be provided for up to 8 people. The transfer takes around 4 hours, and you will be picked up directly from the airport or hotel.

Book your transfer from Warsaw to Gdańsk here.

As you see, the journey from Warsaw to Gdańsk is easy, and there is a choice of transportation with not bad journey times. I hope this post has helped you organise this journey.

Gdańsk is a great city with interesting history and museums, beautiful architecture, and beaches. If you ask me about the best place in Poland, Gdańsk would be very high on the list. It’s great you are looking at visiting it.

More about Poland you can read in the Polish section of the blog.