The City Hall recommends avoiding the centre of Warsaw from Tuesday morning until Wednesday night. Drivers are asked to follow the instructions of police officers, officers of the State Protection Service and the Municipal Police.
What you should know:
Traffic changes
During President Joe Biden’s visit to the capital, the police will be operationally, temporarily suspending traffic on roads leading to Chopin Airport, the Marriott Hotel and the Intercontinental Hotel, as well as in the area of the Presidential Palace and the Royal Castle. Drivers should expect traffic exclusions on streets including:
- Żwirki i Wigury;
- Raszyńska;
- Jerozolimskie Avenue and the Józef Poniatowski Bridge;
- Emilii Plater;
- Marszałkowska Street;
- Nowy Świat;
- Krakowskie Przedmieście;
- Wisłostrada from Grota-Roweckiego bridge to Łazienkowski bridge.
During the meetings, the services may also decide to close roads in the Old Town area:
- al. “Solidarności and the Śląsko-Dąbrowski bridge;
- Senatorska Street;
- Podwale;
- Kapitulna Street.
From Tuesday from the beginning of the day until Wednesday until the end of the day, a bicycle lane on Emilia Plater Street, on the section from Świętokrzyska Street to Złota Street, will also be closed to traffic.
Changes for pedestrians
- Pedestrians should expect difficulties in the area of the Marriott Hotel and the Intercontinental. Services may decide to close crossings and pavements in the area of both these buildings.
- Operationally, the police may also decide to restrict pedestrian traffic around the Royal Castle and the Presidential Palace.
Changes to Warsaw Public Transport routes
Major changes to bus and tram routes are expected. As more streets are closed to traffic by the police, public transport vehicles will be directed to diversions routes along the nearest passable streets, their routes may also be shortened. For this reason, several bus lines on Tuesday and Wednesday will change their routes so that they do not travel to the areas of the city where the greatest traffic changes are expected:
- the route of line 521 will be shortened – buses will only run on the Falenica-Wiatraczna section,
- bus line 518 will travel along the Nowodwory-Metro Marymont route,
- buses of line 178 – will travel only to the metro station Rondo Daszyńskiego from Ursus, they will not serve the remaining section of the route,
- while 117 and 507 will not cross the Vistula River – they will be directed from the Waszyngtona roundabout to the National Stadium metro station and will end their route there.
- Tram line 13 will be suspended on Tuesday.
City Hall encourages people to use the metro and trains. On Tuesday and Wednesday, metro trains on both lines will run more frequently. ZTM tickets are honoured in the trains of Koleje Mazowieckie and in selected connections of other railway carriers. Passengers with ZTM cardboard tickets that have not been previously punched should “punch” them by writing permanently on the back of the ticket the date and time of the start of the journey, in 24-hour format, i.e. e.g. 13.03.2022 at 6.55 a.m. Those who have tickets encoded on cards must activate them in advance on the WTP vehicle or at the metro gate. This can also be done, upon application, with the train manager.
Parking changes
From Monday to Wednesday it will not be possible to park on some streets, especially in the vicinity of the Marriott and Intercontinental hotels and the Royal Castle. The following streets will be excluded from parking (also in designated parking spaces, bays and pavements):
- Emilii Plater – on the section from Jerozolimskie Avenue to Nowogrodzka Street and on the section from Śliska Street to Sienna Street on the western side (near the hotel);
- Śliska – along the section from Emilii Plater Street to Sosnowa Street (at the back of the hotel);
- Sosnowa – in the section from Śliska Street to Sienna Street;
- Sienna – on the section from ul. Sosnowa to Emilia Plater;
- Nowogrodzka – on the section from Emilii Plater Street to Chałubińskiego Street;
- Castle Square – the entire area;
- Senatorska – on the section from Miodowa Street to Podwale Street;
- Podwale – on the section from Senatorska Street to Kapitulna Street;
- Kapitulna – the entire length;
- Parking area under the Śląsko-Dąbrowski bridge (between ul. Grodzka and ul. Nowy Zjazd) – entire length;
- Bugaj – entire length;
- Boleść – entire length;
- Wybrzeże Gdańskie – on the side of the Royal Castle, on the section from Boleść Street to Grodzka Street;
- Grodzka Street – the entire length;
- Nowy Zjazd – entire length.
It will also be impossible to park in the car parks of the Public Grounds Authority during this time:
- at al. 3 Maja (under the arcades of the Poniatowski bridge)
- at Wybrzeże Gdańskie Street (between Boleść and Grodzka Streets).
Important links:
- On the routes of the presidential column: downtown and to the airport, and during the speech in the Old Town, the police will completely close the streets.
- Details of parking and street changes https://infoulice.um.warszawa.pl/node/128388
- If you want to see President Joe Biden’s speech live, please register on the embassy website.
- Live coverage of the traffic and public transport changes: on Tuesday from 6am to 9pm and on Wednesday from 6am to 6pm, will be available on the Warsaw Public Transport website and profile.
- Information on how ZTM, KM and PKP IC honour each other’s tickets can be found at wtp.waw.pl.
- Map of the centre with traffic obstructions below.
