Getting Polish Currency, Zloty.

Going to Poland, Krakow, in a weeks time and was wondering what I do about buying Zloty.... Have not had to buy any currency except to U.K. or U.S.A. since we all went Euro. Thought Poland was euro too, but I find not. So, what do I do. Staying in the Qubus (read good reports about it) anyone else stayed there. If I get train from airiport to city centre, should I get taxi to hotel, or is it within walking distance.

I was in Krakow about 2 years ago and ordered the currency through my bank. I just rang them and they had it in within a couple of days. I dont know anything about the Qubus but Krakow is a great place to visit. Enjoy your break!

ATMs are usually the best deal and the least hassle. Just get money from an ATM at the airport once you arrive. And if all ATMs happen to be broken (not likely, but one never knows), you can always exchange a small amount of money at a changing place in the airport. Getting złoty here in Ireland or at a very touristy spot in Poland will generally give you a lousy rate - so if you have to use a money changing place at the airport, only get as much as you need to get into town, then get the rest in town.

If you are taking the train into town (I recommend it as it is cheap, fast and convenient), the ticket is 8 złoty and you will need to pay that in cash, in złoty. The ticket machine on board the train only takes very small notes like 10 and 20 złozy but a conductor will come around at some point and he takes larger notes as well. So as long as you get *some* cash at the airport, you will be fine.

If you decide against ATMs and prefer to exchange cash, do *not* go to a bank for that. In Poland, money changing is handled by little places known as "kantor". You will find them on all major streets in Kraków. These places are specialized in exchanging foreign currencies and give much better rates than banks. Nobody changes money at a bank in Poland.

Depends on which card you are using in the ATM's. If you use a Cirrus card there's a cash advance fee because it's a different currency. Cirrus works best in the Euro zone.

Changing money at any airport will give you a lousy rate. You pay for the fact that these places are open from early till late and are convenient.

I'd advise buying Zloty in your local bank. If you use BOI - yes I'm an employee - you will pay commision but the benefit is that if you return with some notes and have kept your receipt this cash will be bought back at the same rate & without charge provided it's less than €500 worth & within 60days.

Yes, there is a fee at ATMs. And at banks, there is a commission. Different name, same thing .

Changing back really is not an issue as all the places in Poland that change one way also change the other way. And unless they are an airport rip-off place, they do not charge commission either. The rate may differ by say 0.5%. If you do the math, it comes out cheaper than going with a bank.

There are many ways of getting money. In the end, the differences will be small. But if you want to save as much as possible (I am a student and travel a lot on very tight budgets), I would recommend the ATM route. IMHO the cheapest way...

Edit: Forgot to say - no matter how you get your money, most importantly, *enjoy your stay*! Kraków is a beautiful city and well worth the visit.

But undo if you have a student a/c you don't pay commission in a branch but you do pay at the ATM !

It just horrifies me at times to see the amount of charges that people run up using cirrus cards so that's why I like to warn people.They are absolutely brilliant in the Euro zone but outside this it's very costly.

It's entirely up to the individual what they choose but the important thing is that they know the facts.

Yes, the charges on a debit card can add up to quite a sum. Personally, I use my debit card to get money from ATMs but when paying anything, I use my credit card. Both are German-issued cards though so the fee structure is very different for those (far lower than for Irish cards).

I am going to support Undo and tell you to use the ATMs. I was in Szczecin recently, which is a small city compared to Krakow, and there were a lot of ATMs, all from reputable banks, all in well lit and busy areas.

As Poland is considerably cheaper in Ireland, while you may face additional fees for taking out from the ATM on your debit card, this will not be a significant issue as you will be saving on everything else.

In Szczecin, a good steak dinner in a nice restaurant cost roughly €6, a pint of beer €1.20, taxis were cheap, people were very friendly, tourist attractions no more than €2 entrance.