Krakow Airport car hire - compare car rental rates in Poland
Find cheap car hire in Krakow Airport
Krakow Airport is the largest airport in Southern Poland.
It is also reffered to as John Paul II International Krakow-Balice Airport -KRK, or Cracow-Balice. Cracow Airport is the second busiest Polish airport and the main gateway to Southern Poland.
Krakow - popular destination in Southern Poland
More than a million passengers are served by Krakow Airport every year. Many are tourists coming to visit the city of Krakow, Poland´s prime tourist attraction. Krakow is also the historical, academic and cultural centre of the country.
Others take advantage of Cracow´s favorable location. Excellent communication infrastructure, roads, railway and airway links connect Krakow to main cities in Poland and to the neighbouring countries. Travelling round Poland in a rental car is an excellent solution to explore the wonders of Malopolska, or Lesser Poland as this region is also known.
See the map of provinces/voivodeships in Poland.
Rent a car at Krakow Balice Airport
John Paul II International Kraków-Balice Airport is located 6.8 miles from Krakow, or Cracow in the international spelling, in the village of Balice.
Krakow´s city centre can be easily, and cheaply reached from Balice Airport by train (free shuttle buses take the passengers from the terminals to the nearby train station), by bus or by taxi.
A regular ride Balice Airport - Krakow city centre costs EUR 10-12 and takes around 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic. Many travellers to Krakow, though, will opt for a rental car during their stay in Poland, especially those who plan to move around the region. Krakow is connected to the A4, highway spreading West to East through the South of Poland. The sometimes very bust A4 road in Southern Poland is a part of the European E40 route linking Wroclaw to Kiev in Ukraine.
Krakow´s location turned out to be an asset for many footbal fans travelling to Poland for UEFA EURO 2012 Championship. Although no games would take place in the city of Krakow, two important venues of EURO 2012 are within easy reach: Wroclaw 160 miles north-west from Krakow and Lviv in Ukraine 200 miles east by the same road. You reach Wroclaw (west) and Lviv (east) by the A4/E40 highway from Krakow.
See detailed Poland road map (click to enlarge).
Cheap car hire offers in Krakow-Balice Airport
As Krakow-Balice Airport is mainly a low cost airport, the competition between local rental companies makes it easy to find good hire deals in the International Airport of Krakow.
Car hire is called "wynajem samochodów" in Polish and a car hire company - "wypożyczalnia samochodów".
Most leading rent-a-car companies are present at Krakow Airport, including: Budget car hire, Europcar, Avis Rent-A-Car, Hertz Poland, National Car Rental, as well as some local Polish rental companies, amongst them Express Rent a Car, SilverCar and INCAR 24.
A small city car (often a Peugeot 107, or similar) can be found in Krakow Airport at rates starting from £145 for 7 days of Cracow car hire.
If you are looking, however, for a more comfortable vehicle, you may find it convenient to chose a midsize hire car, for instance Ford Mondeo, Opel Vectra, Peugeot 508 or Citroen C5. These large middle class hire cars often can be found from £250 for a week of car rental in Krakow.
Minibus hire in Poland
For bigger groups of travellers a minivan, or a regular minibus (Mercedes Vito or similar), will be a better solution. This type of rental vehicle, with space for up to 9 people and a considerable amount of luggage, can usually be found from £400-450 for a 7-days rental period in Krakow-Balice Airport.
To enjoy fully the driving experince of the mountainous roads of the Tatra range, a SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) offers superior handling in the winter season. You can often rent a Toyota Rav4, Suzuki Vitara or similar SUV 4-wheel drive car from £330 for a week of Krakow car hire.
Cross border travel in Polish rental cars
When looking for Cracow car hire on the Cartrawler search engine, please make sure to check if your car hire offer allows you to drive across the borders needed. You will find the information under ‘rate details’.
Most rental cars in Poland will be permitted to travel to Germany, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, or even further, to other Western European countries. In many cases also Ukraine is permitted for cross border driving.
Arriving at Balice Airport - Krakow tourist attractions
Krakow is Poland´s second city in terms of the number of inhabitants. The population is around 800.000, and the city has great historic importance, being Krakow the most significant large city in Poland.
The origins of Krakow as an established city go back to the 10th century. The tumultuous history of Poland marked strongly the oldest areas of the city of Krakow.
The absolute must-see of this first capital of Poland is Krakow´s Old Town with Wawel Royal Castle, both on UNESCO´s list of World Heritage Sites. The Wawel Castle was home to three dynasties of Polish kings and nowadays gathers an exquisite collection of art. Wawel Cathedral is a place of burial of many Polish kings, as well as well as of contemporary notables of political and cultural life.
Old merchants´ street Florianska, the Gothic Basilica of Virgin Mary´s and Sukiennice, The Cloth Hall at the Market Square are a few other of Krakow´s icons. The Kazimierz old Jewish District bears unique testimony to the history of Jews in Poland.
You should reserve a considerable amount of time for visiting Krakow with the attention the city deserves. Most of the tourist sites in the strict centre of Krakow are located within short distance from each other and can be easily explored on foot.
To take full advantage of the Krakow´s area cultural offer, though, you should not miss out on many attractions outside the city.
See map of Old Town Krakow (Cracow).
Exploring the area – day trips in a Krakow hire car
Krakowis a good base for day-trips to numerous places of interest in the area. Having your own hire car, allows you to explore the marvels of Malopolska region without having to depend on overcrowded organized tours, available in Cracow at sometimes inflated prices.
Sites outside Krakow not to be missed are: Wieliczka Salt Mine, also on the UNESCO´s World Heritage list, former Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz and Jasna Gora Sanctuary, the holliest place in Poland, located in a nearby city of Czestochowa. You can reach Wieliczka by the national road no 4 south-east from Krakow. Auschwitz, West from Krakow, is accessible by A4 highway and 933 road.
For nature lovers, six of the Malpolska region national parks lie within a 150 km distance from Krakow, being the nearest one, Ojcowski National Park located a mere18 km north from the city centre. Only a short drive from Krakow is needed to appreciate unique views on a hiking trip in Carpathian Mountains.
Zakopane in a hire car
Zakopane, the most famous Tatra Mountains destination is located 54 miles south of Krakow. This charming little town, also called “the winter capital of Poland” is worth visiting in any time of the year, although if you come to Poland for skiing holiday, Zakopane is the place to be.
Please note that in most Krakow hire cars, winter tires will be provided for the winter season free of charge, and snow chains can frequently be booked when making your reservation online on the Cartawler search engine.
See map of Zakopane.
Krakow - weather conditions throughout the year
The temperatures in Krakow vary a lot, even within one season, for which it is always best to check the weather forecast for the time of your stay in Poland. Generally, you can expect rather warm and pleasent summers, with temperatures reaching, at times, 30°C and quite chilly winters. The weather in Southern Poland tends to be unstable, so even with a good forecast be prepared for sudden showers. You might find that the best time to visit Krakow is early autumn with surprisingly warm weather and the additional benefit of a beautiful scenery of the city bathed in red and golden leaves of many of the city´s parks.
See the temperature chart for Krakow.
Low cost flights from UK to Krakow-Balice Airport
Krakow-BaliceAirportis well served with low cost connections to different destinations in the UK. Ryanair operates flights to Krakow from Edinburgh, East Midlands, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool and London-Stansted. EasyJet´s schedule includes flights to Krakow with departures from Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpooland London-Gatwick.
