How to Get from Modlin Airport to Warsaw (and back)

If you are planning a trip to Warsaw, Poland, with one of the low-cost airlines, chances are you will fly into Warsaw Modlin Airport. Even if getting from Modlin Airport to Warsaw might seem confusing at first, it is actually a really straightforward and affordable trip.

I fly to and from there fairly often and know the place inside out. To make it easier for you, I put together this guide explaining all the ways to travel from Modlin Airport to Warsaw, so you can choose what works best for you. 

Where is Warsaw Modlin Airport

Warsaw has two airports. The main one is Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW), located in the city, only around 8 km from the center, and served by the main airlines as well as Wizzair, with a few Ryanair flights. The second airport is Warsaw Modlin Airport (WMI), and this is the one we are talking about here. It is Ryanair’s main hub for Warsaw; some Wizzair flights operate here, too. 

Warsaw Modlin Airport is located in the town of Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, northwest of Warsaw. The distance from the airport to the center of Warsaw is around 40 km. Here’s the exact location on Google Maps. 

This is a small, low-cost airport, so there is no way you can get lost here. Don’t expect anything fancy either. 

How to get from Modlin Airport to Warsaw

There are five ways to travel from Modlin Airport to Warsaw (six, if you add renting a car). Below you can find a detailed description of each of them, so you can choose what works best for you. 

Modlin Airport to Warsaw train (and bus)

Right now, there are no direct trains from Modlin Airport to Warsaw (there are plans to open the railway line in 2029). Instead, you first need to take the shuttle bus to the train station in Modlin, then change for the train to Warsaw. Even if it might seem like a lot of hassle, this is actually the best way to travel from Modlin Airport to Warsaw (I always choose it, too).

Depending on the time of day, there are 2-3 buses departing from Modlin Airport to the train station in Modlin, from where you can take the train to Warsaw. Altogether, the journey from Modlin Airport to Warsaw takes around one hour, which is pretty good, considering the distance. It is also the cheapest way to travel from Modlin Airport to Warsaw, as the one-way ticket costs only 22,40 PLN (around €5,20 / $6).

You will find the bus stop directly in front of the terminal arrivals exit, on the first line. The bus is yellow-white, with a big sun on it, and impossible to miss. Sometimes the bus stands a bit further away, on another stop (next to departures), but you don’t need to go there; it will come to the right stop at arrivals shortly before departure time. 

The journey from the airport to Modlin train station takes around 10 minutes. Once you get there, go to platform 2 for the train to Warsaw (take the stairs or use the elevator – both are located behind the bus, around the corner from the train station). Usually, there’s a train within 10 minutes after the bus’s arrival.

Every hour, there is a train to Warszawa Centralna, the main station in Warsaw. Some trains go to Warszawa Gdańska station, which is not exactly in the center but close to it (and closer to the Old Town), with good public transport connections to the rest of the city (trams, buses, and the metro serve this station). Both trains stop at numerous other stations along the way, so it’s worth checking the map to see whether any other stop might work better for your final destination in the city. The travel time from Modlin to both Warszawa Centralna and Warszawa Gdańska is around 40 minutes. 

The buses run between 4 in the morning and 1:25 at night. You can check the current train schedule here; you will find the airport stop under “Modlin Lotnisko”. 

There is a so-called “airport ticket” (“bilet lotniskowy” in Polish) that lets you take the bus and train all the way from Modlin Airport to Warsaw. Then you can also use public transport in Warsaw for 75 minutes (you need to write the time you start using it in Warsaw on the ticket). It costs 22,40 PLN, and there are no discounts.

You can get the ticket online, before your trip, on the Koleje Mazowieckie website here (that’s the train company you will use) or in the app like “Koleo” (if you plan to travel by train in Poland, I highly recommend getting this app as it’s easy to use and you can buy tickets for all the trains there).

If you prefer to get your ticket at the airport, it’s easy to do it, too. Right in front of the arrivals exit, on the left side of the door, there’s a Koleje Mazowieckie ticket office where you can buy your ticket from Modlin Airport to Warsaw. There are also three ticket machines nearby (the small-ish green boxes). One is located next to the exit from the arrivals zone, still inside the terminal, and two are located outside, on the right side of the exit. Unfortunately, at the moment it’s impossible to buy a ticket for your trip to Warsaw on the bus.

Modlin Airport to Warsaw Bus

There are also direct buses from Modlin Airport to Warsaw, but there are not so many of them, and they are more expensive. They also have different schedules depending on the day of the week, with 8 to 11 departures per day (by comparison, there are around 50 buses per day to the train station in Modlin). The company that serves this route is called “Contbus”; the travel time from Modlin airport to the center of Warsaw is 50 minutes, and the ticket costs 40 PLN (€9,30 / $11). You can get the ticket online here (though the website is mostly in Polish). I believe you can also get it from the driver.

Another option is to take a Flixbus, which offers about 20 daily connections from Modlin Airport to Warsaw. The problem is that they have various arrival points in Warsaw, not exactly in the center of the city. Most often, the buses arrive at Metro Młociny, which is on the outskirts (but connected by metro to the rest of the city), or at Warszawa Zachodnia (the main bus station). The cheapest tickets start at 30 PLN (€7 / $8,15); you can check the schedule, arrival points, and prices on the Flixbus website here.

Both buses depart from the second line; the Flixbus stop is next to the Contbus stop. 

Car-sharing apps

You can also use the car-sharing apps for the ride from Modlin Airport to Warsaw. Three apps work well in Poland: Uber, Bolt and Freenow (the last one is my preferred one). They all offer similar prices, around 100 PLN (€23 / $27), probably more if you arrive late in the evening. Still, if you are traveling with a group of 3-4 people, this is an option worth considering. 

Below are screenshots of prices I checked recently for travel from Modlin Airport to Warsaw Central Station. Car-sharing rides depart from the third line after leaving the airport. 

Taxi from Modlin Airport to Warsaw

The most overpriced way of getting from Modlin Airport to Warsaw, with prices starting at 250 PLN (€58 / $68). At least the taxi drivers here aren’t as pushy as at other airports, but if you need them, you will find them easily as they wear official vests. If there are no drivers in the arrivals hall (which I doubt), you will find them just outside the airport, with the cars parked behind the bus stop. 

Pre-booked airport transfer

If you don’t want to deal with the public transport or car-sharing apps, you can also pre-book your transfer from Modlin Airport to Warsaw at Welcome Pickups (I often use it when I travel, too). The price for the drive to the city center should be around €55, including all fees.

It’s not the cheapest option, but it’s hassle-free, so if you don’t want to stress upon arrival in the new place, it’s definitely worth considering. The driver will wait for you in the arrivals hall with your name written on a sign, and you can be on your way to Warsaw right away. You can book your Welcome Pickups transfer here.

Rental Car at Modlin Airport

If you prefer to drive yourself, or if Modlin Airport is only a starting point for your trip around Poland, you can easily get a rental car at the airport. You can check the best deals on rental cars here.

Road from Modlin Airport to Warsaw

As you can see, there are many ways to get from Modlin Airport to Warsaw. However, five of them require driving all the way, which can get tricky, even if you are not a driver. The road from Modlin to Warsaw is currently being rebuilt, and the traffic jams and delays are very common on this route. Keep that in mind when planning your trip. This is also one of the reasons I recommend using the bus + train option (in addition to its other advantages). 

How to get from Warsaw to Modlin Airport

Now that you are done with visiting Poland, you might wonder how to get from Warsaw to Modlin Airport. All of the options described above work perfectly well in both ways. 

If you choose the train + bus option (again, my recommended one), once you arrive at the train station in Modlin, the bus to the airport will depart 10 minutes after the train’s arrival. The bus stop is located in front of the train station. If you take the train from Warszawa Gdańska, you will arrive at platform number 1, so you only need to go back to the station building. Trains from Warszawa Centralna arrive at platform 2; you will need to take the stairs or the elevator to reach the bus stop.

The same “airport ticket” works in that direction, too. You can check the train and bus schedules here, and buy your ticket here (or at the train station in Warsaw, before departure). 

The Warsaw-Modlin Airport is a really small and packed place. It’s your typical low-cost airport, with only a few gates, rather basic facilities, and not enough places to sit and relax before your flight. Don’t arrive there too early or you will be bored and annoyed. 

Where to stay near Modlin Airport

If you arrive late in the night and don’t want to go all the way to Warsaw (which is doable anyway) or if your flight is early in the morning and you don’t want to get up in the middle of the night to reach the Modlin Airport from Warsaw, there are a few accommodation options in Modlin. They are not too far from the train station, so you can take the airport bus to/from there (the ticket for the bus between Modlin Airport and Modlin train station costs 7,10 PLN); you can also take a taxi or use a car-sharing app.

Here are the recommended places to stay in Modlin:

• Villa Modlin Airport (8.7/10)
• Hotelik – Modlin Airport (9.1/10)
• Hotel Sokołowska Airport Modlin (9.2/10)

What to see near Modlin Airport

And if you are looking for interesting places to visit near Modlin Airport, don’t miss the nearby Modlin Fortress, located just over 1 kilometer from the airport (you can easily walk there). It’s one of the largest 19th-century fortresses in Poland, with lots to see and do. I especially recommend visiting the beautiful Officers’ Casino and the Red Tower (with stunning views of the area; you can even see Warsaw in the distance). 

I hope this article answered all your questions about getting from Modlin Airport to Warsaw and helped you plan your trip. If something is still unclear, please let me know in the comments below; I will be happy to help.

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Further reading

I published many articles about Poland that you might find useful when planning your trip there. Here are some of them:

• 37 Amazing Things to Do in Krakow, Poland
• 20 Great Places to Visit As Day Trips from Warsaw, Poland
• Visiting Auschwitz – How to Plan the Auschwitz Tour
• 17 Amazing Things to Do in Lublin, Poland
• The Complete Guide to Visiting Slownski National Park, Poland
• Visit Grudziadz – One of the Hidden Gems of Poland
• 19 Amazing Things to Do in Gdansk, Poland
• Visit Sandomierz, Poland – One of the Prettiest Towns in the Country
• Visiting Malbork Castle, Poland – the Largest Castle in the World
• 25 Amazing Things to do in Wroclaw, Poland
• and many more!

If you are looking for articles about a specific destination – check out the map with all the articles I’ve published (and their locations). You can also join my Facebook group about traveling in Central Europe and ask your questions there.

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For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:

• Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates about the new posts
• Join my Facebook group about Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and connect with fellow travellers and enthusiasts of these regions – just click here!
• I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Poland too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!

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