The Tri-City’s public transportation system is absolutely exceptional compared to other places in Poland. The network connects three cities, creating/forming/ merging them into one continuous urban area. Passengers can reach their destinations by road, rail as well as by boat! Public bus transportation service competes with private bus and taxi services made easy by mobile apps. Find out how to move around Tri-City efficiently and saving your time!
Public transportation network – convenient also for moving between the cities
Gdańsk Municipal Transportation Board (ZTM) runs 12 tram routes and 70 bus routes (including night busses serving 11 routes). They make it easy moving around Gdańsk and some of them also reach Sopot. Gdynia Municipal Transportation Board (ZKM) operates busses and trolley busses. There are 80 regular routes, as well as rapid and night services. ZKM services also reach Sopot.
When moving between the three cities, the best option is probably to use Rapid Municipal Railway called SKM. The trains stops not only at the most important points in Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, but also in a number of surrounding towns, such as Rumia, Wejherowo, Lębork and goes as far as Słupsk. This is good news for those who choose to work in Tri-City but to live far away from the urban jazz.
Apart from SKM there is also the Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway (PKM) that has been operating for a few years now. The trains start from Gdynia Główna and Gdańsk Wrzeszcz railway stations and reach i.a. the airport and a number of suburban towns, such as Żukowo, Kartuzy and Kościerzyna. Since 1. of January 2019, SKM and PKM railway tickets have been equally honoured by both companies, making the intercity journeys and commuting by rail as easy as never before.
Get to work on a hydrofoil
Since the Tri-City metropolitan area is spread along the sea coast, one can also use the sea as a mode of transportation. Gdańsk Municipal Transportation Board and Gdańsk Waterways jointly operate water trams and hydrofoils. This is a great attraction in the summer. The vessels cruise between Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia, Westerplatte and Hel. Information about connections can be found at https://www.zegluga.pl/.
Mobile Apps for Public Transport in Tri-City
You will never get lost in Tri-City, even if you arrive here for the first time. All you need is a smartphone with web access. The jakdojade.pl application will plan an optimum journey for you. Other apps, such as Mobilet and SkyCash will help you buy railway and bus/tram tickets, and if you have your own car, you can use those apps to pay your parking fee.
Taxies and cheaper alternatives
Although the public transportation service in Tri-city is very efficient, it happens that you want to get from point A to point B even more effortlessly. Almost 3,000 of taxis are registered in Gdańsk alone, so both inhabitants and tourists have plenty of options to chose from. And prices are far from excessive.
Unless you want to get somewhere outside Tri-City limits, you can make your journey equally comfortable but still cheaper by choosing Taxify or Uber service. There are a lot of drivers working for those companies.
A bunch of valuable tips
- When moving around Tri-city always have some cash. Most of the tickets can be paid with a card but this is not a rule.
- If you are not a native Pomeranian, you may wonder why you cannot find a ticket validator on the municipal trains. Remember that in Pomerania you validate your train ticket on a platform before mounting the train.
- Tickets for rapid transportation services in Gdynia and Gdańsk are slightly more expensive than for regular services. Always keep this in mind.
- When you plan a longer trip and stay, you can use a mobile metropolitan ticket delivered to your phone. They are valid within public transportation networks of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Wejherowo.
