Shop’s opening hours, especially large department stores, differ from western EU times. Despite some of the efforts of right wing politicians who wanted to limit or even close shops on holidays and all shops on Sundays Poland is still a country where you can do your shopping on any day of the week and generally 24h a day, in big cities of course, where you can buy most products quite easily.

Below you will find the approximate* opening hours of shops and services but remember it may vary according to local agreements, the size of the cities, and holidays.

If you need basic products at night the best solution is to look for brand name petrol stations (Orlen, BP etc.). Generally all of them have a little shop sometimes also a bar and cafeteria. Here you can buy beverages, basic food (toasted sandwiches, ham, cheese, instant food etc.), hygienic products, cigarettes and alcohol. What is important to know is that these petrol station shops are open all year round, 7 days a week, 24 h a day, even on national holidays.

Some tips:

– It may be rather difficult to dine in a restaurant after 23.00. It is a time when meals are generally not served though the place stays open usually till the last guest leaves. Sometimes only snacks are available. If you get hungry and it’s late you can choose from among the fast food Kebab bars or Mc Donald’s as they are open 24 h a day (note – not all Mc Donald’s). I noticed that it’s more difficult to dine late in Warsaw or Gdańsk than it is in Kraków or Wrocław. Wrocław and Kraków Old Towns are vibrant places and busy, especially in the season, at one or two in the morning with many of the restaurants still waiting for guests for late dinner. In Warsaw or in Gdańsk however at this time of night the Old Town is empty and quiet as the night life has drifted off to clubs or discos disappearing from the streets. It’s rather a pity, but there is still time for this to change.

– In the big city’s centers there are usually some shops that are open 24h a day and 7 days a week. Often they are quite large and sometimes have an impressive selection of products (food, hygienic and beverages). If you have nothing to do and can’t sleep you can do your shopping at say, three in the morning!

– The Tesco chain has at least one shop in the larger cities which is open 24h a day 7 days a week. Unfortunately, they are usually located outside the city center.

– All shops and services are closed earlier or are closed down all day on National holidays. The only places open then are those already mentioned petrol station shops and some private shops that have decided to stay open but this is a rather unpredictable rule.

Transportation services in the cities generally run from between early morning till late at night (usually 05.00-23.00). When traveling by bus or tram at night note that there is a different color for the vehicle number or the sign placed in the windscreen or displayed on the side. ‘Zjazd do zajezdni’ means that the vehicle is returning to the depot and is probably one of the last buses and during some part of the journey it will turn from its regular route and park in the depot for the night. It also means that the route might be shortened. You have to ask someone where it stops and organize the rest of the trip, if you need it, by taxi. Remember also that public transportation schedules are different on weekends and holidays. In fact the frequency of buses or trams is cut and you have to wait longer. Some lines are not open at weekends. Very late at night (in the early hours of the morning) there is the option of the night bus, occasionally a night tram. They have different numbers (in black) and higher prices for tickets. They usually circle the city and once or twice an hour cross in one place which will give you the chance to change to a bus to your destination.

A wise and often better solution for late night traveling is the taxi. It’s fast, safe and in Poland very reasonably priced. Note that tariffs depend on zones and what is more important in this section of our website, on the time. The standard charge for a kilometer is calculated from between 06.00 to 22.00 on weekdays. At weekends, holidays and between 22.00 and 06.00 the standard charge goes up by 50%. Have a look at the regulations in the taxi section.

I think I covered the most important information about opening hours. Please let me know if you hove questions about it in comments below.

Do następnego razu! (Till next time…)