---
title: "Train stations in Warsaw: which station to use and why"
date: 2026-06-21
author: "Johan E. Johansson"
featured_image: "https://everyrail.com/wp-content/uploads/image_81841e32771349b37e02bda614530da0.jpeg"
categories:
  - name: "Destinations"
    url: "/destinations.md"
---

# Train stations in Warsaw: which station to use and why

Warsaw’s main station is Warszawa Centralna, in the centre of the city beside the Palace of Culture and Science. Almost every international train and every long-distance domestic service calls here. But several through trains terminate at Warszawa Wschodnia or Warszawa Zachodnia, and at least one major international service, the Kyiv Express, does not call at Centralna at all.

Booking pages often show only “Warsaw” or “Warszawa”. Open the train detail screen before you pay and confirm the station name. Most travellers will only ever need Centralna. Knowing the other three matters when your through train ends somewhere else.

## Warszawa Centralna: Warsaw’s main station

Warszawa Centralna is a 1970s concrete station that was refurbished for Euro 2012 and given a new mezzanine over the tracks in 2015 and 2016. It sits beside the Palace of Culture and Science, the wedding-cake skyscraper visible from most of central Warsaw. From the main exit, the Old Town Square is about 2.7 km away. That is roughly a 33-minute walk through the centre.

The station has four island platforms numbered Peron 1 to Peron 4, serving eight tracks, all underground. The main hall (Sala Główna) sits above ground with ticket offices, retail and food. A central passageway over the tracks runs between the main hall and the platforms, with escalators and lifts down to each Peron. There are smaller east and west passageways too.

### Platform layout and timing in practice

Most long-distance trains from the west start at Warszawa Zachodnia, call at Centralna for a few minutes, then continue to Warszawa Wschodnia (and the reverse going eastbound). Your train will only sit at Centralna for a short window.

That has two practical consequences. The Peron number for a long-distance departure may not appear on the platform-level indicators until around 10 minutes before departure, so check the printed daily departure poster or one of the summary screens in the mezzanine above the platforms, and head down to the right Peron in advance. Once you are on the platform, the train-formation display in the middle of each Peron tells you which sektor (1 to 4) your carriage will stop at. Stand near your sektor. The train will pull in beside you.

### Getting from Centralna into the city

The Centrum metro station on Line M1 is reachable through the underground passages that link Centralna to Złote Tarasy shopping centre, roughly a 400-metre indoor walk from the main hall. The red ticket machines at the metro entrance accept contactless cards and dispense a timed ticket valid on metro, tram and bus. Validate the ticket at the small yellow validators before the barriers.

For the Old Town, take M1 two stops north from Centrum to Ratusz Arsenał, then walk 1.1 km. The walk straight from Centralna also works if you have the time, but the metro is faster.

Taxis wait at the north and east exits of the main hall. Use a ride-hailing app or one of the marked ranks rather than flagging on the street.

### Tickets, luggage and food

The main domestic PKP Intercity ticket office is at the eastern end of the main hall and is open almost round the clock. International tickets and reservations are sold separately at the PKP Intercity Passenger Service Centre in the north-west corner, on shorter hours. A Warsaw Public Transport (WTP) office is in the south-east corner of the main hall for city tickets, passes and information.

Left-luggage lockers are at the north end of the central mezzanine passageway. Most take coins; some now accept cards. There is also a staffed left-luggage office in the same area for larger items and longer storage.

For food, the Biedronka supermarket on the upper level of the main hall is the cheapest option for putting together a journey lunch. McDonald’s is on the same level. Once you are down on the platforms there is nothing to eat, so stock up before you go down.

Free WiFi covers the station.

## The other Warsaw stations: Wschodnia, Zachodnia and Gdańska

Most travellers will only ever use Centralna. But Warsaw has three other mainline stations a long-distance ticket could send you to, and knowing which is which prevents the wasted metro ride.

StationWhere it isWhen it mattersWarszawa CentralnaCity centre, beside the Palace of CultureDefault for almost every international and long-distance domestic serviceWarszawa WschodniaEast of the VistulaThrough trains that terminate in the east; Kyiv Express; many east-west trains end hereWarszawa ZachodniaWest WarsawKM regional trains for Modlin Airport from Platform 9; long-distance bus interchange; some westbound through trains start hereWarszawa GdańskaNorth of the centre, near the riverCloser to the Old Town walk than Centralna; useful only when your train calls here or is diverted### Warszawa Wschodnia (Warsaw East)

Wschodnia is a large secondary station on the eastern side of the river Vistula. Many long-distance trains from the west call at Zachodnia and Centralna before terminating here, and eastbound trains often start here. The Kyiv Express has used Wschodnia (and at times Zachodnia) since 2022. Always confirm the exact Warsaw station on a Kyiv-bound ticket.

The station has Costa Coffee, a McDonald’s, a few small supermarkets and a pharmacy. There is a separate booking hall on the south side.

The easiest way from Centralna to Wschodnia is the suburban SKM and KM service from Warszawa Śródmieście, the suburban platforms accessed directly from the underground passage beside Centralna. These trains run every few minutes. Tram 7 takes around 16 minutes. A taxi is around 8 minutes for roughly PLN 30 to PLN 40, depending on traffic.

If you are holding a through PKP Intercity ticket (EIP, EIC, IC or TLK) and need to transfer between Wschodnia, Centralna and Zachodnia, you can hop on the next PKP Intercity service in your direction without paying a separate reservation. That is a useful workaround when you booked Centralna but your train actually starts or ends at one of the outer stations.

### Warszawa Zachodnia (Warsaw West)

Zachodnia reopened in 2025 after a five-year rebuild that added a common platform roof and proper passenger flow. The new tram tunnel link is still under construction as of early 2026, so onward transit from the station is by bus, taxi or commuter train until the tunnel opens.

Two things make Zachodnia useful for travellers. First, Platform 9 (formerly the separate Warszawa Wola stop) is the regional Koleje Mazowieckie platform for trains via Legionowo to Modlin (the Modlin Airport gateway) and further on to Działdowo. Second, the long-distance bus terminal sits beside the station, so if you are arriving on a Flixbus from Berlin or Vienna and changing to a train, you do not have to cross the city.

Some westbound international and long-distance services start at Zachodnia rather than at Centralna. The Berlin-Warszawa-Express to Berlin Hbf usually runs Wschodnia to Centralna to Berlin, but a few departures pause at Zachodnia too. Confirm the exact stop on your booking.

### Warszawa Gdańska

Gdańska is a smaller station north of the centre, on the orbital line. Facilities are limited to a taxi rank and a couple of small food outlets, so do not plan to wait long.

Two reasons to know about it. First, it is closer to the Old Town Square than Centralna, about 1.5 km or a 19-minute walk, and Metro Line M1 from Centrum to Dworzec Gdański is 7 minutes for 3 stops. Second, when long-distance trains are diverted away from Centralna for engineering work, Gdańska is the most common substitute. If your ticket suddenly says Gdańska, that is why.

## Getting to Warsaw’s airports by train

Warsaw has two airports. Most legacy and full-service carriers use Chopin; most Ryanair flights use Modlin. The rail connection works very differently at each.

### Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW)

Chopin Airport has a direct rail link, but not from Centralna’s long-distance platforms. SKM lines S2 and S3 run from the airport via Warszawa Służewiec, Warszawa Zachodnia and Warszawa Śródmieście (the suburban platforms next to Centralna) to Warszawa Wschodnia. Koleje Mazowieckie also runs trains on the same route. Trains usually run every 15 minutes during the daytime. You catch the airport train at Śródmieście, reached by the underground passage from Centralna.

Buy a WTP single ticket valid in fare zones 1 and 2 from the ticket machines at the SKM platform or the WTP office in Centralna’s main hall. Do not buy a long-distance PKP Intercity product for this trip. The airport is a city-fare destination.

If you are connecting from an international train to a flight, leave at least 90 minutes between your train arrival and your check-in deadline. The SKM journey is short. Chopin’s security queue is unpredictable in peak periods.

### Warsaw Modlin Airport (WMI)

There is no train station at the Modlin terminal itself. The Koleje Mazowieckie regional service runs from Warszawa Zachodnia (Platform 9) or Warszawa Wschodnia via Legionowo to Modlin station, where a dedicated airport shuttle bus runs the last few kilometres to the terminal. Some integrated tickets cover both legs. Check at booking.

Modlin is roughly 40 km north of Warsaw. The combined train and bus journey takes around an hour. Allow an extra buffer if you are flying Ryanair, which closes its bag drop early.

## Operators, ticket types and rail passes

PKP Intercity is the national long-distance operator and runs all the categories that matter for international and intercity travel. The category determines the reservation rules.

Express InterCity Premium (EIP) is the Pendolino service to Kraków, Gdańsk, Katowice, Wrocław and Łódź. EIP runs at speeds up to around 200 km/h and is the fastest train on each route. Reservation is compulsory and paid, including for Interrail and Eurail pass holders. Book the pass-holder reservation before you travel, especially in summer and on Friday and Sunday departures.

Express InterCity (EIC) runs non-Pendolino express services. Reservation is compulsory. InterCity (IC) and TLK (Twoje Linie Kolejowe) are the standard and budget long-distance categories. Reservations are usually compulsory, with limited exceptions on a few shorter workings.

The Berlin-Warszawa-Express runs as a EuroCity service co-operated by PKP Intercity and Deutsche Bahn. You can book through either operator. DB prices in EUR, PKP IC prices in PLN. Reservation is compulsory in both systems.

The ČD-operated Silesia EC links Warszawa Centralna with Praha hl.n. via Ostrava. The Polonia and Sobieski services run to Vienna (Wien Hbf). The Báthory runs towards Budapest-Nyugati, although its onward service into Belarus is suspended and the train currently terminates on the Polish side. The Hańcza and Wigry IC services to north-eastern Poland coordinate with an onward train to Vilnius via Mockava in Lithuania. The Chopin EuroNight runs to Munich via Vienna.

Services to Russia (Polonez, Vltava) are suspended and have been since 2022. Do not assume any direct rail link to Moscow or Minsk currently runs.

For Interrail and Eurail pass holders the main rules are straightforward. Your pass covers travel on all PKP Intercity categories. On EIP and EIC you must pay a pass-holder reservation in addition to the pass. On IC and TLK a reservation is usually required and the fee is modest. The exact fee varies by train, date and booking channel, so check the current pass-holder reservation price for your specific departure before you travel.

If you booked one Warsaw station but your train ends at another, your through PKP IC ticket covers any PKP IC service between the Warsaw stations without an extra reservation. That saves the cost of an SKM ticket between Centralna and Wschodnia or Zachodnia. It is the cleanest way to recover from a station mix-up.

## Confirm your station before you pay

Open the train detail screen in your booking flow and check the station name. It should say Centralna, Wschodnia, Zachodnia or Gdańska. If it just says Warsaw or Warszawa, you have not yet confirmed the station. This single check prevents most Warsaw station mistakes.

The case to watch most carefully is any cross-border service to or from the east, especially Kyiv. Other live cases are Berlin-Warszawa-Express departures that may terminate at Wschodnia, and any KM regional train to Modlin Airport, which only runs from Zachodnia Platform 9 or from Wschodnia. Get the station right and the rest of the journey takes care of itself.