Passport & Visa

Citizens of the UK, Irish Republic and other EU countries do not require a visa, but please ensure that your passport is valid for at least six months. Other nationals please check before travelling as to which documents are required. For more travel advice visit www.fco.gov.uk and got to ‘Travel Advice by Country’.

Vaccinations

Please check with your GP or visit www.dh.gov.uk and go to ‘Policy and Guidance’, scroll down to Health Advice for Travellers.

Currency

The currency in Poland (Krakow) is the zloty, which means ‘golden’ and is abbreviated to zl, with the code PLN used at currency exchanges. It is divided into 100 units called groszy in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50gr coins. There are also zl 1, 2 and 5 coins. The bank notes are in denominations of z1 10, 20, 50, 10 and 200. ATM’s (cash machines) are generally available in most tourist areas. Travellers’ cheques are still the safest way to carry money and can be obtained in sterling or euro denominations. Please note your passport is likely to be required when cashing travellers’ cheques. Remember to make a record of the cheque numbers and keep this record totally separate in case the cheques are lost. Credit cards are accepted at most hotels, restaurants and shops in the tourist areas, but not commonly used in bars and cafes. Remember to make a record of your credit card number and the emergency phone number for cancelling your card, should you lose it. If possible, take a mixture of cash and travellers’ cheques with you and remember not to carry all your credit cards, money, passport and travellers’ cheques when going out and about.

Local time

Krakow is on Central European Time, therefore one hour ahead of GMT, with summertime tending to run from late March until late September.

Tourist Information

In the UK: Polish National Tourist Board – Remo House, First Floor, 310-312 Regent Street, London W1N 5AJ, (020 7580 881), (Fax 020 7580 8866)
In Krakow: Małopolskie Centrum IT -  Cloth Hall, Rynek Główny 1/3, (0048 12 4217706)
Jordan -  ul. Pawia 8, (0048 12 4291768)
City Information Points - ul. Św. Jana 2, (0048 12 4217787), ul. Szpitalna 25, (0048 12 4320110)
ul. Józefa 7, (0048 12 4220471), have information on festivals, art galleries, and classical music performances. Please note that many outlets marked ‘tourist information’ are in fact branches of travel shops or insurance agents. ‘Krakow in Your Pocket’ – a monthly English-language magazine which will detail what’s on in regards to cultural and other events.
British Consulate In Krakow the Consulate is located at: Sw. Anny 9. (0048 12 421 70 30) ukconsul@sonly.pl

Mobile phones

For details of roaming implications, please contact your service provider

Personal Safety

Please note the following:

• Leave all valuables, passports, tickets, credit cards and money etc in the hotel safe; only carry with you what you need for that day.
• Be aware of pickpockets, especially in tourist areas, on public transport, markets etc.
• When leaving a car, do not leave anything visible.
• If anything is stolen, please ensure you receive a police report.
• Be wary of leaving drinks or food unattended, or accepting drinks from strangers. There have been a small number of incidents involving drinks being spiked and visitors having their valuables stolen whilst intoxicated.

For further detailed information on specific destinations, please visit the Foreign Office website.