Public transport in Wrocław

As I have realised talking with foreigners living in Wrocław, Polish public transport system might be from time to time a challange. So again a short guide about most important and potentially most confusing issues

1. Where to find timetables?

The best service for finding bus and tram connections is jakdojade.pl  
It can be trusted in 99% of cases.
If you want to double-check or print timetables visit http://www.wroclaw.pl/rozklady_jazdy,1.dhtml

2. Tickets 

Here are ticket prices. What is important:

- there are both single tickets (bilety jednorazowe) and time tickets (bilety czasowe). If you go a few stops in the city centre it is better to buy time ticket, because you are allowed to change as many times as you want.

- if you buy single tickets for one ride there are two types: 3 PLN for normal buses and trams. 3,20 for fast buses (the ones with letters) and night buses.

- to buy tickets for a longer period of time (e.g. 30 days ticket) you have to get an Urbancard, i.e. apply for it. http://www.urbancard.pl/en/index.html

- you can buy tickets on a tram or bus but only with a credit card

- the ticket machine on the bus/tram doesn't validate the ticket

3. Punctuality

Trams and buses (especially fast ones) can run both too late (that is obvious) and 2-3 minutes too early (that is not so obviuos).

4. "Trasa zmieniona"

If you see a yellow "Trasa zmieniona" plate on the tram or bus it means: it is not going the usual route. There are so many streets being renovated in Wrocław that living in this city you must get used to route changes.

5. "Do zajezdni"

When you see the word "zajezdnia" (depot) on the tram/bus or next to the symbol in the timetable treat it as a warning!

It means that the tram/bus is coming back to the depot and not taking the usual timetable route. It might suddenly turn and you will no longer know where you are (or at least be very angry about heading opposite direction than intended)

6. Days around public holidays 

Sometimes there are different timetables (e.g. some buses might have a weekend timetable) on working days around public holidays, e.g. on Christmas Eve, so you'd better double-check on the internet, if you go to the airport on such day.

7. One-way stops

Not only in Wrocław but all around Poland there are plenty of one-way stops in the city centre, where buses and trams might go completely different route one way and the other. Good examples currently in Wrocław are tram 6 or 23, or bus A.