Your trip
Decides 1800 PKP carriage types and price bands.
Rough corridor distance, e.g. Warsaw–Krakow ~295 km, Warsaw–Gdansk ~330 km, Krakow–Gdansk ~585 km.
Recommendation
A class-and-fare suggestion based on the rules below.
Suggested class
EIP (Pendolino)
Will round to an estimate. Pendolino is the fastest PKP intercity train; reserve seats in advance on Warsaw–Krakow, Warsaw–Gdansk, and Krakow–Gdansk corridors.
Reservation mandatory on Pendolino. Polish Railways charges ~10 zł per seat.
Travel time
~ 2h 35m
Refund window
Up to 15 min before departure (EIP)
Prices are 2026 reference values from PKP Intercity. Always re-check on intercity.pl before paying.
How to read the result
Polish long-distance trains come in five flavours. They look similar (white-and-red PKP) but the price, comfort, and rules are not:
EIP (Pendolino)
PKP's flagship. 250 km/h on Warsaw–Gdansk, Warsaw–Krakow, Warsaw–Katowice, Krakow–Katowice–Warsaw. Mandatory seat reservation. ~10 zł fee. Most expensive. Reclining seats, power, Wi-Fi.
EIC (Express InterCity)
Slightly older stock than Pendolino, similar speed. Reservation mandatory on most routes. ~7–9 zł. Often 30–50% cheaper than Pendolino.
IC (InterCity)
Mid-tier. Slower, fewer stops. Reservation mandatory on some routes. Often runs on Warsaw–Poznac, Warsaw–Wrocław. Often the best value when flexibility matters.
TLK (Twoje Linie Kolejowe)
Older carriages, mixed comfort. Cheapest long-distance option. Reservation NOT mandatory on most routes. Slower by 30–80 minutes vs Pendolino.
ED (RegioJet / Regio)
RegioJet is a private operator on the Warsaw–Prague corridor and a few Polish legs. Same PKP terminal but yellow trains. Reservation mandatory, but bundled in ticket.
EIP-Express / TLK-Express
Faster TLK variants. Limited stops. Good on Warsaw–Gdansk–Kołobrzeg, Krakow–Zakopane, Warsaw–Białystok. Reservation typically mandatory.
Limitations of this calculator
FAQ
Do I need to book seats in advance on TLK?
No. TLK is one of the few PKP long-distance classes where seat reservation is not enforced. You can pick any free seat. On peak days (Friday afternoon, holidays), TLK can still get crowded.
How do I avoid the DCC reservation fee?
You can't fully avoid it on EIP / EIC — reservation is mandatory. On TLK, you skip it entirely by not reserving. On IC, some trains allow it; check the booking page.
Is Pendolino worth the price?
It depends on your priority input. On Warsaw–Gdansk (~330 km), the time saved vs TLK is ~30–40 minutes, which is meaningful. On Warsaw–Krakow, TLK is competitive. The seat pitch (2cm wider), power, and Wi-Fi matter on a 3+ hour ride.
What about Interrail / Eurail in Poland?
Both are valid on PKP Intercity and most TLK trains, but reservation fees still apply on EIP / EIC. The dedicated tool covers this.
Related tools
Sources
- PKP Intercity official timetable and tariff — intercity.pl (2026)
- RegioJet Poland operations page — regiojet.pl