Kraków-Balice — John Paul II International Airport (airport code KRK)

Getting to Krakow Airport

Krakow Airport is located outside the city to the southeast, near the interchange of highways A4 and A1. Let's explore the best and most convenient ways to reach the airport, where to leave your car cost-effectively, how to calculate the budget for the entire trip to and from the airport.

Official airport website (English): www.krakowairport.pl/en

Directions and Travel Time

From most regions of Ukraine, the most convenient route to Krakow is via the A4 highway. The Polish A4 highway starts from the border with Ukraine at the Krakovets (Ukraine) – Korczowa (Poland) border crossing point. You can also cross the border at other crossing points, with the closest to the highway being Hrushiv and Shehyni. The current queue status at the border can be tracked on the State Border Guard Service website: https://dpsu.gov.ua/ua/map

Border Crossing Point — Airport	Distance	Time
Krakovets–Korczowa — Krakow Balice Airport (KRK)	267 km	2:30
Shehyni–Medyka — Krakow Balice Airport (KRK)	271 km	2:40
Hrushiv–Budomezh — Krakow Balice Airport (KRK)	283 km	2:50

If you will be near Krakow during the day, it's advisable to add an extra 30 minutes to the travel time since there may be traffic jams on the highway, reducing speed significantly (to 50-80 km/h). However, this situation only occurs on the section bypassing Krakow.

In Ukraine, the road to the Hrushiv crossing point is in very poor condition, and in some places, you can only travel at a speed of 20 km/h. It is recommended to drive not directly from Yavoriv to Hrushiv but through Novoyavorivsk.

Refueling Stops Along the Way

Heading to Krakovets

Heading to Shehyni

Heading to Hrushiv

Fuel and Road Fees

There are no tolls for driving on the A4 highway from the border to Krakow (for now). Therefore, the main expenses include fuel and parking.

Toll roads in Poland

Calculating the Cost of Fuel for the Trip from the Ukrainian Border

Parking

Parking at the airport's official lots is more than twice as expensive as at nearby private lots.
For example:
2 days in the P1 covered parking will cost 120 PLN (€ 28), in the P2 open parking – 100 PLN (€ 23)
5 days in the P1 covered parking will cost 180 PLN (€ 42), in the P2 open parking – 130 PLN (€ 30)

The optimal parking option is Interparking Balice

Exact entrance coordinates to the parking area: https://goo.gl/maps/nxkaiE3qmmTsWdkeA
From your car, it will take you 5 minutes to reach the airport terminal. If you have a lot of luggage, there is a bus from the parking lot, and you can also notify them of your arrival time, and the bus will pick you up from the terminal.

Prices for parking in Polish zlotys (PLN)

	1 day	2 days	3 days	4 days	5 days	6 days	7 days	8 days	Each additional day
On-site payment	12 € 2.8	24 € 5.6	36 € 8.4	48 € 11.2	60 € 14	72 € 16.8	84 € 19.6	96 € 22.4	12 € 2.8
Online booking	10 € 2.3	20 € 4.6	30 € 6.9	40 € 9.2	50 € 11.5	60 € 13.8	70 € 16.1	75 € 17.2	5 € 1.15

Website with rates: http://interparkingbalice.pl/price-list/

Online Reservation

To reserve a spot in the parking lot, use the website: http://interparkingbalice.pl/en/booking-2/

The process may not be immediately clear. A confirmation email with the subject "Parking Reservation Confirmation" will be sent to you 1-2 minutes after payment. In the email, follow the link as shown below. You will see a QR code; save it. At the parking lot entrance, present your phone screen with the QR code to the reader, get a parking ticket, and the barrier will open for you to enter.

Free Parking

There are several options for free parking. These locations are not verified, so choosing them is at your own risk.

1. Near the store in Balice. 40 minutes on foot to the airport. This is definitely an officially free parking lot. Parking coordinates
2. Near the Medical Practice office. 20 minutes on foot to the airport. This parking lot may be considered private territory. Parking coordinates

Insurance

For traveling abroad, it is mandatory to have "Green Card" insurance. Insurance policies are available for durations of 15 days, 1 month, 2 months, etc., on a monthly basis up to 1 year.

A policy with a minimum duration of 15 days costs approximately 25 euros.
A policy with a duration of 1 month costs approximately 40 euros.

All rates are available on the website of the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine:
Rates for "Green Card" insurance policies

You can check the validity of your policy through the service provided by the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine:
Check the validity of the "Green Card" insurance policy

Boarding the Plane

Krakow Airport is not large; the security control process takes about 15 minutes. Queues only occur when a train arrives from Krakow, bringing in many passengers. Security control and the boarding area are on the 2nd floor.

What to Do Next?

Calculate the cost of fuel for your car in Poland and independently calculate the cost of fuel for travel through Ukraine. Calculate the cost of parking. Add these figures to the travel budget, even to the cost of tickets, to assess whether it is advantageous to fly from Krakow, or it might be more cost-effective to fly from another city.