A business trip to Białystok

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Jan 4, 11, 15:16 #1

A group of Belgians I know, are making next week a business trip to Białystok (arriving in Warsaw), and they asked me what the best mode of transport is to get there from Warsaw.
I discouraged them from renting cars, because I doubt if they would get there.
By bus... not the good option...
As for now I advised them to take the train - that is if they do not get lost in Warszawa Centralna :) -.
But are the TLK trains to Białystok OK? I guess in first class they should be.
I noticed there are not going any IC trains there.

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Jan 4, 11, 15:22 #2

sobieski:

But are the TLK trains to Białystok OK? I guess in first class they should be.

Yes, nothing at all wrong with TLK trains. First class has the ability to make an optional reservation too - the only issue is that they need to make sure to get a non-smoking coach. But in general, I've noticed that TLK trains are increasingly being made up of old "ekpress" carriages - so there's really no difference.

sobieskiThreads: 82 Posts: 1,143 Joined: Jun 1, 08 ♂	Jan 4, 11, 15:32 #3
Delph, these days all trains are compulsory nonsmoking...

ZiemowitThreads: 10 Posts: 1,063 Joined: May 8, 09 ♂	Jan 4, 11, 15:34 #4
There are eleven TLK connections on a business day between Warsaw and Białystok. They can check the timetable on the rozkład-pkp.pl which is available in English, German and French, though not in Flemish. If they are grown-up boys and if they manage to make it as far as Warsaw, I'm sure they will not get lost in Warszawa Centralna.

sobieskiThreads: 82 Posts: 1,143 Joined: Jun 1, 08 ♂	Jan 4, 11, 15:48 #5
Ziemowit, you are right of course... But this is hardly encouraging: http://warszawa.gazeta.pl/warszawa/1,95190,8900086,Na_Dworcu_Centralny m_bez_zmian__chaos__nikt_nic_nie.html In these conditions I also would have a hard time catching the right train :).

convexThreads: 46 Posts: 7,185 Joined: Nov 25, 09 ♂	Jan 4, 11, 16:02 #6
skypoland will fly them there and back for €600. Travel time is a bit under an hour.

sobieskiThreads: 82 Posts: 1,143 Joined: Jun 1, 08 ♂	Jan 4, 11, 16:08 #7
???As far as I know there is no airport in Białystok? I think anyway they will stick to the train = a bit cheaper :0

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Jan 4, 11, 16:10 #8

Indeed, you are right ... I thought the Centralny operated as usual ... I had no idea the platforms were in repair. I only use the Śródmieście station and sometimes visit the bookshop at the Centralny without getting down to the platforms. If that is the case, there is some likelihood they will get lost.

What's the solution? I'm afraid there's no solution, unless they board the train in Warszawa Zachodnia which is a very ugly station, but there seems to be no repair works there at the moment.

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Jan 4, 11, 16:14 #9

sobieski:

???As far as I know there is no airport in Białystok? I think anyway they will stick to the train = a bit cheaper :0

There's a grass strip. It all depends on how much they value their time. Guessing it takes about an hour to get to the train station from the airport, that makes it roughly 7 hours return vs 2 hours. Say you have 3 Belgians making a median wage. 15 hours of "Belgian labor" isn't cheap :)

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Jan 6, 11, 14:58 #10

They should get some taxi company to drive them there in a minibus - would probably cost about 300 or 400 zloty. Normally train travel from Warsaw is simple but at the moment Centralna is a nightmare even if you speak Polish - no announcements, hardly any screens, long lines at ticket windows.

Plus Bialystok train station is miles from the centre so they would need to negotiate with cab drivers there too.

toja	Jan 6, 11, 18:30 #11
Why bus is not a good option?

sobieskiThreads: 82 Posts: 1,143 Joined: Jun 1, 08 ♂	Jan 16, 11, 17:31 #12
In the end they went by train. I am still wondering how they ever found their way around Warszawa Centralna :)))

hague1cmaeronThreads: 21 Posts: 1,654 Joined: Mar 30, 10 ♂	Jan 17, 11, 00:06 #13
sobieski: In the end they went by train. I am still wondering how they ever found their way around Warszawa Centralna :))) Did you get any impression from them, and what line of business to they represent?

MagdalenaThreads: 5 Posts: 1,389 Joined: Aug 15, 07 ♀	Jan 17, 11, 09:44 #14
sobieski: how they ever found their way around Warszawa Centralna :))) Maybe they're more intelligent than you think ;-)

SA guy in LodzThreads: 5 Posts: 15 Joined: Nov 19, 10 ♂	Jan 17, 11, 23:21 #15
As a not polish speaker I managed to find my way around Centralna just fine with the reservations going on. I'm sure with a bit of commen sense anyone can do it!

hague1cmaeronThreads: 21 Posts: 1,654 Joined: Mar 30, 10 ♂	Jan 18, 11, 12:12 #16
SA guy in Lodz: As a not polish speaker I managed to find my way around Centralna just fine with the reservations going on. I'm sure with a bit of commen sense anyone can do it! Greetings to a fellow South African, from which part do you hail?

ZiemowitThreads: 10 Posts: 1,063 Joined: May 8, 09 ♂	Jan 18, 11, 12:32 #17
SA guy in Lodz: As a not polish speaker I managed to find my way around Centralna just fine with the reservations going on. I'm sure with a bit of commen sense anyone can do it! You should guide Sobieski through it!

SA guy in LodzThreads: 5 Posts: 15 Joined: Nov 19, 10 ♂	Jan 19, 11, 20:42 #18
I live in Lodz. We are 11 south africans working and living here. Were do you live? Guide him through it? Follow the arrows from the front of the station to the left of the building, Go down the stairs, on your left you will find a ticket office. Buy your ticket and follow the platform signs.

sobieskiThreads: 82 Posts: 1,143 Joined: Jun 1, 08 ♂	Jan 19, 11, 20:48 #19
I got rather more confused in Katowice station lately, but I am not the only one I guess. They managed to change the platform for my Warsaw-bound train 3 times in 25 minutes...nothing on the boards of course :) One consolation here, the new station promises to be a gem - if only they will be able to keep the smelly pondlife out of it :)

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Edited by: hague1cmaeron Jan 20, 11, 13:18 #20

[quote=SA guy in Lodz]I live in Lodz. We are 11 south africans working and living here. Were do you live?

Over in Australia, not in Poland I'm afraid. There are quite a few South Africans over here in Auss though. I used to live in South Africa for about 8 years, predominantly in the north, and loved the place, I lived a bit in Botswana as well.

That is quite an SA presence in Lodz, it is not the prettiest as far as Polish cities are concerned, so what do you guys do in Lodz, and have you heard from any other South Africans in other cities?

What part of SA are you from?

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Jan 22, 11, 17:48 #21

yes, have a few friends in Aus, We all work at a BPO centre here, and no, not the prettiest city in Poland but at least we have the oppertunity to travel, I worked in Roodepoort before coming to Poland, Where exactly in SA did you live, You got to love that country! Especially the bushveld in the north!

We met a few fellow SA guys in Warsaw for Curry Cup finals which is impossible to watch anywhere in Lodz, and also some tri nations.

Are you from Poland originally?

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Edited by: hague1cmaeron Jan 24, 11, 07:36 #22

SA guy in Lodz:

You got to love that country! Especially the bushveld in the north!

Phalaborwa was my first place of residence, so Hans Merensky club was frequented quite often.

follwed by, I am not sure if this is exactly the right order:

Burgersfort, where rugby was compulsory in school.

Kelrksdorp

Lime Acres

Orkney

I grew to love the country, especially its close proximity to nature. I hope its all working out for you in Poland.

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A business trip to Białystok - transportation?