TOPOGRAPHY AND TRANSPORTATION OF POLAND

The borders of Poland are 3582 kilometers long. The neighboring countries are Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and Lithuania and the Russian province of Kaliningrad Oblast to the northeast. To the north, Poland is bordered by the Baltic Sea.

The Polish landscape is rather diversified, with a layered structure of geographical regions, which makes our country attractive for tourists. In the north there is the access to the Baltic Sea and the region called „The Land of the Great Mazurian Lakes” where you can do water sports, rest in agriculture farms or just relax in unspoilt nature. The middle part constitutes both uplands and lowlands. The southern part is perfect for winter sports and it consists of three mountain chains – the Carpathian, the Sudeten, and the Ś wi ę tokrzyskie (sometimes referred to as the Holy Cross Mountains).

 the highest peak is the Rysy peak (2,499 m) of the Tatry Mountains  the lowest depression lying in the northern region is Żuławy Wiślane (1.8 m below sea level)  at 1,037 km, Vistula is Poland’s longest river.  there are over 9,000 lakes exceeding 1 hectare in size, of which the deepest are Hancza (108.5 m), Drawsko, Wielki Staw Polski, Czarny Staw and Wigry.

PUŁAWYANTALYA1754 km PUŁAWYDUNGANNON1900 km PUŁAWYERICE1659 km PUŁAWYMALAGA2643 km The best and the fastest way to get to our partner cities is by plane from Warsaw. There are direct flights to Erice. In case of other places, there are flights with one change. The journey to Erice is the shortest (around 2,5 ha) and to Malaga the longest (around 6 ha). The journey to Ireland and Antalya takes about 4 hours.

In the large cities in Poland the public transportation system is well developed. Traveling around a city is easily done using buses or trams. In Warsaw you can also use subway. In small towns local and regional bus services are widely provided The transport in Poland involves air traffic, waterways, roads and railroads. As a country located at the 'cross- roads' of Europe, Poland, with its developed economy is a nation with a large and increasingly modern network of transport infrastructure.

Poland is served by an extensive network of railways. In most cities the main railway station is located near a city centre and is well connected to the local transportation system. The main railway company is owned by the state and it’s name is PKP (Polish Rail Lines). It consists of the following operating companies: PKP Intercity – qaulified passengers trains PKP Przewozy Regionalne – regional passengers trains Koleje Mazowieckie – local trains in Mazowia Szybka Kolej Miejska (Warsaw) – suburban railway in Warsaw Arriva PCC (joint venture formed by Arriva and PCC Rail – part of the local train traffic in Kuyavian-Pomerenian Voivodeship PKP Cargo – freight trains PKP LHS – freight trains

Ex (Express) / IC (InterCity) / EC (EuroCity) - express trains TLK (Tanie Linie Kolejowe) - discount trains, slower but cheaper than the above. Pospieszny - meaning "high speed" long distance, priority trains, stop only in cities and large towns. Osobowy - ordinary passenger train; usually slow, stops everywhere. Podmiejski - suburban commuter train. Narrow gauge – They are oriented towards tourism and operate only in summer or on weekends.

The total length of public roads amounts to 412,264 km. There are not many motorways in Poland. There are two long sections connecting the north with the south and the east with the west. The lenghth of motorways is amounted to 1,330 km. There are 1,144 km of expressways. Conditions of the roads: The condition of Polish roads can be described as relatively good.

Poland has a very well developed network of private charter bus companies, which tend to be cheaper, faster, and more comfortable than travel by rail. There are many international bus lines that connect major Polish cities, with most of major European ones

SPEED LIMITS AND ROAD SIGNS

Air travel is generally used for international travel, with many flights originating at 12 Polish Airports. Airports are situated in most of the largest cities in Poland. They are serviced by many international airline companies. Both international and domestic flights are available from airlines amongst them LOT Polish Airlines. Many low budget airlines fly into Poland.

If you are planning a trip to Poland and you are travelling from Sweden, Denmark or Finland then taking a boat is an excellent option. Operators include Unity Line, Polferries & FinnlinesPolferries Finnlines Stena LineStena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands and Poland.