Kraków

Mongolian citizens need a Schengen short-stay (C) visa. If Poland is your main destination, fill in the form in the e-Konsulat system, book an appointment there and go in person to the embassy on the 17th floor of ICC Tower — VFS Global and the Czech consulate do not accept Polish visas. Fee €90 in cash only (under 6 free; pupils and students under 25 exempt). Apply between 6 months and 15 days before travel; decision within 15 days, up to 45 with extra checks.

Tip: Buy the ticket after the visa is issued, or attach a refundable booking.

Medical insurance valid in all Schengen states with cover of at least €30,000 is mandatory. Attach 3 months of bank statements, hotel bookings, an itinerary with flight numbers, an employment letter, an apostilled e-Mongolia statement and a 3.5×4.5 cm photo on a white background.

Since 10 April 2026 the EES system records your fingerprints and face at Schengen borders instead of stamping your passport. The first entry may take longer at passport control. ETIAS is for visa-exempt travellers, so it does not apply to Mongolians with a Schengen visa.

From Kraków Lotnisko station, linked to the terminal by a footbridge, Koleje Małopolskie trains run to Kraków Główny (the main station); the ticket is 20 zł. Buy it from the machine on the train (card or cash), at the platform ticket office or in the KOLEO or Jakdojade apps. Luggage is free.

Tip: Landing late at night, use Bolt or an official taxi — turn down drivers who approach you.

If you land in Warsaw (WAW) from Beijing or Seoul, PKP Intercity's EIP Pendolino runs from Warszawa Centralna to Kraków Główny in ~2 h 20 min. Book early on intercity.pl or KOLEO for cheaper fares; seat reservation is compulsory.

If your phone supports eSIM, buy and install a Europe-wide eSIM from Airalo, Holafly or similar before you leave: no passport registration, it works as soon as you land in Frankfurt and carries on in Poland.

Tip: Download Kraków in Google Maps and Polish in Google Translate for offline use.

Polish law requires Orange, Play, Plus and T-Mobile 'starter' SIMs to be registered to a named person — show your passport in the operator's own shop and they register and activate it on the spot. Registering a kiosk SIM yourself can be hard with a foreign passport.

KMK tickets are time-based: 15 min 4 zł, 30 min 6 zł, 60 min 8 zł, 90 min 9 zł, 24 hours 25 zł, 72 hours 55 zł, 7 days 80 zł (all zones). Buy them from machines at stops and on board or in the Jakdojade app; validate paper tickets as soon as you board. Inspections are frequent.

Koleje Małopolskie trains run straight from Główny to Wieliczka. To Zakopane both train and bus take ~2 h; to Oświęcim take a bus, a train or a tour company's transport. Buy train tickets in KOLEO.

Bolt, Uber and FreeNow all work in Kraków and show the fare up front. Car access to the Old Town is restricted, so walking is often faster.

Poland's currency is the złoty (PLN, zł) — not the euro. Card and phone payments work almost everywhere. Withdraw cash from bank ATMs (PKO BP, Pekao); tourist ATMs such as Euronet around the Rynek and exchange booths give poor rates.

Tip: If a card terminal or ATM offers to charge you in dollars or tögrög, say no — choose złoty (avoid DCC).

Non-EU visitors who spend over 200 zł in one shop showing the Tax Free sign can reclaim the 23% VAT (minus a commission). Have the form validated by customs at the airport where you leave the EU.

Pierogi — boiled dumplings much like buuz (meat, potato-and-cheese, cabbage, fruit); żurek — sour rye soup in a bread bowl; bigos — cabbage and meat stew; golonka — pork knuckle. On the street, obwarzanek (sesame bread ring), and zapiekanka on Plac Nowy. Pierogi and pancakes are easy with children.

Tip: Leaving a small tip is customary in restaurants; a 'bar mleczny' (milk bar) is the cheapest place to eat.

Buy cheap groceries at Biedronka, Lidl and Żabka. Stary Kleparz market has fruit, cheese and sausage. Most big shops close on Sundays — Żabka and station shops stay open.

From late November to late December the Christmas market fills the Rynek: mulled wine, grilled oscypek cheese, gingerbread and crafts. It gets crowded, so mind your pockets.

112 reaches police, ambulance and fire on one number — free, 24 hours, answered in English. Police 997 and ambulance 999 also work directly.

Pickpockets work the Rynek, Floriańska Street, Główny station and crowded trams. At night avoid people on the street inviting you into 'clubs' or 'strip bars' — they run up huge bills and charge your card. Don't take unmarked taxis.

Emergency departments (SOR) are at the University Hospital and John Paul II Hospital; Medicover and Lux Med are private clinics with English-speaking staff. A pharmacy is an 'Apteka'. If you lose your passport, report it to the police and contact the Embassy of Mongolia in Warsaw.

At Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Kazimierz cemeteries and synagogues, be quiet and respectful: no smiling selfies, running or smoking, and dress modestly. Follow signs where photography is banned. Displaying Nazi symbols is a crime in Poland.

Poles are Catholic: don't walk around churches such as St Mary's during Mass, take off your hat and cover shoulders and knees. The tourist area near the altar has its own ticket.

Say 'Dzień dobry' (good day) entering a shop and 'Dziękuję' for thank you. Drinking alcohol in public places is illegal and fined. Don't cross on a red light.

Jakdojade — Kraków tram and bus routes and tickets. KOLEO — tickets for the airport train and trains to Wieliczka, Zakopane and Warsaw. Bolt — taxis.

Buy Wawel, Schindler's Factory, Wieliczka and Auschwitz tickets in advance on the official sites — they sell out in summer. Google Translate's camera mode translates Polish menus and signs on the spot.

The train from Główny to the airport is 20 zł. Flying back via Frankfurt, your EES Schengen exit check happens in Frankfurt — allow at least 2.5 hours between the Lufthansa and MIAT flights. Via Istanbul, the exit check is in Kraków.

Leave the Schengen area no later than the date on your visa — EES records your exit day automatically, and an overstay will hurt your next application. Carry Tax Free goods unopened and show them to customs before check-in at the airport where you leave the EU.