How do I get from the airport to Krakow?

The train is the right answer. KRK airport sits in Balice, 11 km west of the center, and the Koleje Małopolskie regional train covers that distance in 18 minutes. A single ticket costs 12 PLN ($3.20). Buy it from the ticket machines on the platform level, which take contactless cards and have an English interface that works without fuss. Trains depart every 30 minutes from roughly 4:30am to 11:30pm, with 20-minute intervals during summer peaks. The platform is inside the terminal building, reachable from arrivals on level 0 by following the blue 'Kolej' signs. The carriages are air-conditioned, rarely standing-room-only, and quiet enough that you'll hear the recorded station announcements clearly. Two stops and you're at Kraków Główny. From there, walk 800 meters south through the Planty park ring to reach Rynek Główny, the main market square laid out in 1257.

After the last train around 11:30pm, Bolt is the move. It runs 50-70 PLN ($13-19) to Old Town hotels, and the ride takes 20-25 minutes when nighttime traffic clears Aleja Krakowska. Bolt tends to have more drivers in Kraków than Uber, though both work. Request pickup from the rideshare point at the far end of the arrivals curb. The taxi rank directly outside arrivals is fine if the meter is running, but some airport-rank drivers quote flat fares of 120-150 PLN to passengers who look tired enough to agree. A metered ride should land around 80-100 PLN. The fix is the app. You see the fare before you confirm, and there's no negotiation at 2am when you're dragging luggage through warm June air that smells faintly of jet fuel and cut grass from the fields around Balice. Both apps need mobile data, so sort out an eSIM before you land or connect to the free airport Wi-Fi first.

Bus 208 runs the same route for 6 PLN ($1.60), and older guidebooks still recommend it. The ride takes 40-50 minutes through stop-start traffic along the western corridor. For the 6 PLN you save over the train, you're adding half an hour and trading smooth rail for a diesel bus that crawls through Krowodrza. Worth it only if your accommodation sits along that western stretch. One thing worth noting about arriving at Kraków Główny. The station hides underneath the Galeria Krakowska shopping mall, and the exit toward the Old Town is through the south doors, past a food court that smells permanently of warm cinnamon and fried onions. Step outside and the Barbakan, the 1498 defensive gatehouse, sits directly ahead. From there, ul. Floriańska runs straight south to the Rynek, lined with the sound of street musicians and the low hum of tourists figuring out where they are. Total walk from platform to Rynek Główny is about 15 minutes.