On Monday, May 1, the 15th season of Warsaw Tourist Lines starts. With historic trams, buses and a narrow-gauge railway. Ferries are returning to the Vistula, and a ship will sail to Serock.
– Warsaw Tourist Lines are our annual summer hit. I invite you to the 15th season of the special public transport offer for this warmer part of the year. This is a great idea for a family trip and getting to know the attractions of Warsaw from a different perspective. Tourists visiting us, but also Varsovians themselves, love traveling on historic trams and buses. The Warsaw ferries i are also very popular ship to Serock. I invite everyone to Warsaw – enjoy the charms of our capital of free time – says Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw, quoted in the message.
Ferries, a water tram and a ship to Serock as well as a tram line serviced by historic wagons debuted in 2009. In the following years, they were joined by buses remembering old Warsaw and a narrow-gauge railway. Over 1.5 million people have gone on a unique trip over 14 seasons.
READ: 863 million passengers, 102 million tickets.
Historic trams on line 36
As every year, a large part of the capital can be traveled on historic trams line 36, which most often run along the route: PL. NARUTOWICZA – Filtrowa – Nowowiejska – Marszałkowska – General W. Andersa – A. Mickiewicz – J. Słowacki – METRO MARYMONT. Only the inauguration day, i.e. May 1, will be exceptional, when trams – instead of Marszałkowska Street – will pass through al. Jana Pawła II between Nowowiejska and Muranowska stops.
From May 1 to September 24, trams of line 36 run on holidays, and on holidays (from June 26 to September 3) every dayWarsaw City Hall
From the windows of the rolling stock, which no longer carries passengers on a daily basis, you can admire e.g. part of Ochota, where pre-war buildings have been preserved – with the Neo-Romanesque church of St. Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the parish of St. James the Apostle; the picturesque Filtrowa Street with commemorative insurgent anchors on the walls; Marszałkowska Street with the socialist realist Marszałkowska Housing District or the green Żoliborz and its modernist buildings.
From May 1 to September 24, trams of line 36 run on public holidays, and every day during holidays (from June 26 to September 3). Additional operating days are scheduled for May 2 and June 9.
On line 36, you can meet trams 13N, well known to Varsovians and Varsovians – the so-called sausages, 105Na – called “aquariums” and a unique copy of 102N – this tram was brought to Warsaw from Poznań in 2004. Wagony 13N are the most Warsaw trams in the capital – they have become one of the symbols of the capital. They can be seen in many Polish films and series. They were developed and produced only for Warsaw, in the Konstal factory in Chorzów. As many as 840 of them were created.
15th season of Warsaw Tourist LinesWarsaw City Hall
The oldest tram on the T line
On holiday Saturdays and Sundays from June 24 to September 3 – and additionally on August 14 – trams of the T line will leave the tracks (every 45 minutes) between 12.00-19.00. They are serviced by the oldest trams from the Warsaw Trams collection.
“Tetka” will run the route: PL. NARUTOWICZA – Grójecka – Al. Jerozolimskie – Józef Poniatowski Bridge – al. Zieleniecka – Targowa – Route WZ – Marszałkowska – Nowowiejska – Filtrowa – PL. NARUTOWICZ.
Jelcze and Ikarusy on line 100
A ride in historic Jelcz and Ikarus buses is a real journey back in time, and for some passengers even a sentimental journey – after all, these were the buses of their youth.
“Setka” allows you to visit Warsaw on both banks of the Vistula, on the route: DW. CENTRALNY – E. Plater – Świętokrzyska – Prosta – Towarowa – Okopowa – M. Anielewicza – Świętojerska – Bonifraterska – Konwiktorska – R. Sanguszki – Wybrzeże Gdańskie – Śląsko-Dąbrowski bridge – al. “Solidarity” – Targowa – Ratuszowa – Wybrzeże Helskie – Wybrzeże Szczecińskie – Świętokrzyski Bridge – Zajęcza – Topiel – L. Kruczkowskiego – Książęca – Al. Ujazdowskie – Bagatela – Marszałkowska – Koszykowa – DW. CENTRAL.
“Setka” allows you to visit Warsaw on both banks of the VistulaWarsaw City Hall
A trip by bus line 100 can be combined with a walk around the attractive corners of Warsaw. It can take you to, among others: the Old Town, the Praski Park and the zoo, Aleje Ujazdowskie or the Royal Łazienki Park.
All tickets from the tariff of the Public Transport Authority are valid on buses and trams of the Warsaw Tourist Lines. In the case of vehicles without validators, tickets are validated by conductors – members of the Public Transport Enthusiasts Club. On single transfer and time tickets, conductors put a stamp with an annotation about the date and time of the start of the journey.
Ferries are returning to the Vistula
Ferries are also back. It will be possible to cross the Vistula on three routes: by the Słonka ferry – between Cypel Czerniakowski (floating bridge) and Saska Kępa (beach); by Pliszka ferry: Józefa Poniatowski Bridge (waterfront) – National Stadium (beach); by ferry Wilga: Podzamcze with Fountains (floating pier) – Zoo (beach).
Ferries will run on holidays: from May 1 to September 24, as well as May 2 and June 9. During holidays, from July 1 to August 31, crossings operate daily.
Ferries are returning to the VistulaWarsaw City Hall
Pliszka and Słonka ferries take 21 and Wilga 40 passengers and bicycles. The crossing is free.
By boat to Serock
This is a real expedition – Zefir sails from the marina in Żerań and through the canal and through the Zegrzyński Reservoir reaches Serock. The route of the cruise leads along a fragment of the Batory water route. During the cruise, the ship also approaches the ruins of the old bridge from 1897, which was blown up in 1915 by the retreating Russian army. Zephyr takes 98 passengers on board. The ship has a grill and a buffet with hot and cold drinks. In Serock, there is time for rest on land (approx. 2 hours), and then return to Warsaw. The trip starts at 9, and the return to Warsaw is planned at approx. 18.
The ship to Serock sails from May 1 to September 24, on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, as well as on May 2 and June 9.
Tickets for the cruise can be purchased: – on the website www.bilety24.pl from Wednesday, April 26; – at the Dworzec Wileński Passenger Service Point – on Fridays from 15:00-18:00 and on Saturdays from 8.00-11.00 (payment only in cash).
SEE: Public transport during the May long weekend.
Piaseczno-Grójecka Narrow-Gauge Railway and bus line 51
An equally interesting WLT attraction is the Piaseczyńsko-Grójecka Narrow-Gauge Railway. The story began at the end of the 19th century, when a wealthy Warsaw tailor, Eugeniusz Paszkowski, dreamed of a railway from Warsaw to Piaseczno – running along the then Alexandrian Route (now Puławska Street).
The historic narrow-gauge railway will depart every SaturdayWarsaw City Hall
The historic narrow-gauge railway departs every Saturday (between May 1 and September 23) at 2 p.m. from the station in Piaseczno. It passes through Zalesie Dolne with a historic station from the 1930s, Głosków, Runów and Złotokłos, to reach Tarczyn. On the way back, it stops in Runów, where the platform is located right next to a forest clearing. There, passengers have time for themselves. You can go for a walk in the forest or visit the nearby Złotokłos – a pre-war summer resort where Marek Hłasko grew up and lived, among others, in Mieczyslaw Fogg. The cable car ride with a picnic in Runowo takes about four hours. Piaseczno can be reached, for example, by a special historic bus line 51, which is intended only for people going on the Piaseczno Narrow-Gauge Railway.
The Piaseczno Miasto Wąskotorowe station can also be reached from Warsaw by bus lines 724 and 727 to the Kolejka Piaseczyńska stop.
Tickets for the cable car ride are available at www.kolejka-piaseczno.pl. They can also be purchased on the day of the trip (if they are not sold out online earlier) at the ticket office on the platform in Piaseczno.
Main photo source: Warsaw City Hall