Poland uses standard international traffic signs. Major routes have the prefix ‘E' and motorways ‘A'. Speed limits are 130kph (81mph) on motorways, 90-110kph (60-68mph) on main roads and up to 60kph (37mph) in built-up areas. Traffic drives on the right. Seat belts must be worn. Vehicles must be equipped with a first-aid kit, warning triangle and nationality sticker, and headlights must be on at all times from October to February. The legal maximum alcohol-to-blood ratio for driving is 0.02%.

The legal driving age in Poland is 17 years. International Driving Permits and European and US national driving licences are accepted for the first 90 days in Poland. Drivers should carry their vehicle registration documents and Green Card insurance.

Information about road travel can be obtained at border crossings and from the Polish Motoring Association (PZM) (tel: (022) 849 9361; www.pzm.pl).

Emergency breakdown service: PZM (tel: 9637).

Routes to the city: The north-south E77 links Cracow with Warsaw and the coast in the north; and Zakopane and the Slovak border in the south. The east-west E40 arrives from Lviv in Ukraine in the east and then goes west through Katowice and Wroclaw to Dresden in Germany (partly as the A4 motorway). To the southwest, the Czech Republic is easily reached via the E75.

Approximate driving times to Cracow: From Wroclaw - 4 hours 30 minutes; Warsaw - 5 hours 30 minutes; and Prague - 10 hours.

Coach services: The Dworzec PKS (PKS Bus Station) (tel: (012) 300 300 120) is on ulica Bosacka, opposite the main railway station. The main carrier is the state-owned PKS (tel: (012) 411 7022; www.pks.krakow.pl). Coach services connect Cracow to the rest of Poland and to many European destinations, including Berlin, Budapest, Lviv, Prague and Vienna.