Geographical location and communication

The capital of the region is Krakow, the second largest city in Poland. This former capital of Poland is today a modern city and a national leader in the advanced business services sector. Creative industries are developing here and technology startups are actively supported.

Małopolska is a region where you can live well, relax, work and invest.

The convenient location of Małopolska provides very good transport accessibility by road, rail and air. The highway running through Małopolska connects Germany and Ukraine. The Krakow Airport serves approximately 8 million passengers annually.

Air transport infrastructure

The Krakow-Balice International Airport is the largest regional airport in Poland. The airport, located only 11 km west of the center of Krakow, is well connected with the rest of the region through public and private bus and rail networks.

29 airlines offer approximately 176 regular flights to 38 countries, including most European capitals plus Chicago, New York, Tel Aviv, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

In 2025, the airport served 13,2 million passengers.

It has a cargo terminal with a daily throughput of 35 tons/day. A new cargo terminal was commissioned in May 2025, offering a transshipment capacity of up to 8,000 tons per year. In addition to regular cargo, the facility also handles shipments requiring special conditions, such as live animals, pharmaceuticals, radioactive materials and food products. The investment includes a new airport entrance and a dedicated security checkpoint. The new location of the cargo terminal allows truck traffic to bypass the immediate vicinity of the airport entrance and improves access to the passenger terminal.

See the flight schedule: Krakow Airport’s home page (krakowairport.pl)

Road infrastructure

Małopolska benefits from a well-developed road network which, together with air and rail connectivity, supports the steady growth of businesses in the region.

The road and motorway network is continuously expanding, enhancing economic development and improving integration with European markets.

The region is strategically located along key international transport corridors:

• East–west axis – the A4 motorway, part of the international E40 route, connecting Germany with Ukraine
• North–south axis – the S7 expressway, part of the E77 route, linking Southern Europe with the Baltic seaports of Gdańsk and Gdynia

The national road network in Małopolska totals approximately 1,450 km and is managed by the Kraków branch of the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA). 

Detailed information on the road network, ongoing investments and traffic monitoring is available via the GDDKiA online mapping service.

Check: Road information map - Mapping Service of General Directorate for National Roads and Highways

Railroad infrastructure

The main railroad line E30 (part of the trans-European corridor TINA III) runs through Małopolska and belongs to the 3^rd Pan-European Transport Corridor connecting Germany, Poland and Ukraine.

The railroad network in Małopolska is managed by PKP Polish Railroad Lines.

See the timetables: portalpasazera.pl

There are also four lines of the Fast Agglomeration Railroad (SKA) – a regional rail transport system using the existing railroad network, operating on four lines:

• SKA1: Krakow Airport – Krakow Central Station – Wieliczka Marketplace-Mine
• SKA2: Sędziszów – Krakow Central Station – Skawina/ Przeciszów
• SKA3: Oświęcim – Trzebinia – Krakow Central Station – Tarnów
• SKA4: Krakow Central Station – Miechów

The railroad operators carried 407,5 million people in 2024.

The freight transport handled 223,5 million tons of cargo in 2024. 

In 2024, over 26,5 million passengers used transport services organized by the Małopolska Region. That was 6,4 million passengers more than in 2023.

There are 46 railroad sidings in Małopolska.