How to Get from Gdańsk to Czaplinek? A Guide to the Route, Transfer Prices, and Attractions in the Drawsko Lake District
A direct journey by car or bus from Gdańsk and Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (GDN) to Czaplinek takes from 3 hours and 2 minutes to 3 hours and 19 minutes, and the cost of a private transfer starts from PLN 900 for the shortest route (222–226 km) or PLN 1,100–1,200 for a basic car when choosing faster expressways (270–285 km).
Due to the complete lack of direct train connections from Tricity to the Drawsko Lake District, an individual taxi transfer or renting a bus with a driver is the only way to cover this route without transfers in Szczecinek or Runowo Pomorskie.
A private door-to-door service takes passengers with large luggage straight to the gates of the Pol'and'Rock Festival at Czaplinek-Broczyno airport or to the marinas on Lake Drawsko.
Which way to go from Gdańsk to Czaplinek? 3 route options, distance, and travel time
The choice of the route from Gdańsk Airport (GDN) to Czaplinek comes down to a decision between the shortest but slowest route through Kashubia ( 222–226 km via DK20 ) and the 48–63 km longer, but clearly faster and more comfortable variants leading via the S6 expressway.
Although the expressway through Słupsk and the Koszalin area is 285 km long, it allows you to reach the destination in 3 hours and 2 minutes , which is 17 minutes faster than the shorter national road.
Route variant from Gdańsk / GDN Airport to Czaplinek | Distance | Driving time | Standard Price (1–4 people) | The course of the trail and road specifics |
1. Kashubian variant (the shortest – via DK20) | 222–226 km | 3 hours 19 minutes | 900 PLN (225 EUR) | Żukowo – Kościerzyna – Bytów – Miastko – Biały Bór – Szczecinek ( DK20 ). Single-carriageway road through forests and smaller towns. |
2. Mixed variant (via S6 and DK20) | 270 km | 3 hours 14 minutes | 1100 PLN (275 EUR) | Kashubian Route (S6) through Lębork to Słupsk (Kobylnica) , exit onto DK21 to Miastko and then DK20 through Szczecinek . |
3. Express variant (fastest – via S6) | 285 km | 3 hours 2 minutes | 1200 PLN (300 EUR) | S6/E28 through Lębork , Słupsk and Sławno near Koszalin , then S11 and exit through Tychowo and Połczyn-Zdrój ( DW163 ) to Czaplinek . |
The shortest and cheapest route, which runs entirely along national road no. 20 (DK20) through Żukowo , Bytów and Szczecinek ( 222–226 km , from PLN 900 ), takes the most time and is the most tiring for passengers from the driver's perspective.
The single-carriageway DK20 road winds through the dense forests of Kashubia and Central Pomerania , where after dark you have to constantly watch out for forest animals, and during the day you have to slow down for speed cameras and pedestrian crossings in Tuchom , Miastko , Biały Bór and Szczecinek .
When passengers are pressed for time and a smooth ride without constant braking, from the airport in Rębiechowo we immediately enter the dual carriageway Trasa Kaszubska (S6) . The fastest option via the S6 ( 285 km , 3 hours 2 minutes ) leads through Lębork , Słupsk and Sławno to Koszalin , from where we take a section of the S11 and the road through Tychowo and Połczyn-Zdrój from the north straight to Czaplinek .
Alternatively, in Kobylnica near Słupsk we can turn off the S6 south along the DK21 road to Miastko and DK20 via Szczecinek ( 270 km , 3 hours 14 min ), which is an intermediate option in terms of price and kilometer distance.
Transfer from Gdańsk Airport (GDN) to Czaplinek – what does passenger pickup look like?
A private transfer from Gdańsk Airport (GDN) to Czaplinek departs directly from the arrivals terminal in Rębiechowo and shortens the travel time by at least 2 hours compared to public transport.
When you land in Gdańsk , you don't have to look for a Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway (PKM) platform or carry suitcases to Gdańsk Wrzeszcz or Gdańsk Główny stations, which saves you 45 to 70 minutes . From the arrivals hall, you enter the road junction directly and immediately escape onto the S6 expressway or the DK20 , completely bypassing Tricity 's urban traffic.
Before each airport transfer, we track your flight live on radar, and your driver will be waiting in the arrivals hall with a nameplate, regardless of whether your flight lands on time or with a two-hour delay.
This is crucial for evening flights arriving in Gdańsk after 10:00 PM, when the last regional trains to Western Pomerania have long departed. Instead of having to find a hotel near the airport for the night, you can board a car and arrive in Czaplinek or Stare Drawsko within three hours .
Train or individual taxi transfer on the Gdańsk-Czaplinek route? A tough comparison.
The train journey from Gdańsk Główny to Czaplinek takes from 4 hours and 38 minutes to over 7 hours and always requires 1 to 3 transfers .
Due to the lack of a direct rail connection from Tricity to the Drawsko Lake District, passengers have to connect PKP Intercity long-distance trains with local Polregio railbuses on railway line no. 210 ( Chojnice – Runowo Pomorskie ).
Travel parameter | Individual transfer (Taxi / Bus) | Train (PKP Intercity + Polregio) |
Travel time | 3 hours 2 minutes – 3 hours 19 minutes | 4 hours 38 minutes – 7 hours 15 minutes |
Number of transfers | 0 (direct course to the specified address) | 1 to 3 transfers ( Szczecinek , Runowo Pomorskie or Słupsk ) |
Cost per person (with a full car) | from PLN 150/person in an 8-seater bus (route DK20 ) | approx. PLN 85–140/person (+ cost of transport to the stations) |
Transporting large luggage | Complete freedom (tents, SUP boards, diving equipment) | Cramped Polregio rail buses, moving bundles between platforms |
Nighttime availability (22:00–05:00) | 24/7 up to the landing time | No night trains (long waits at the station) |
The most risky moment of rail travel is transferring at the Szczecinek and Runowo Pomorskie stations, where even a 15-minute delay of the first train can result in the missed connection of the connecting railbus.
Even after reaching the Czaplinek railway station, there is still 2.5 km to the northern shores of Lake Drawsko , and almost 4 km to the airport in Broczyn , which, given the small number of local taxis, means a forced march with heavy equipment on your back.
Getting from Gdańsk to Pol'and'Rock Festival (Czaplinek-Broczyno Airport)
The Pol'and'Rock Festival grounds at the former Czaplinek-Broczyno military airfield are located 4 km southeast of the center of Czaplinek , on provincial road no. 163 (DW163) toward Wałcz . At the turn of July and August, a private bus from Gdańsk allows you to bypass the extremely crowded regional trains, which are practically impossible to board with a frame backpack and a tent.
Our driver takes the group right to the passenger drop-off zones designated by the organizer at the gates in Broczyn , and by choosing the fastest route via S6 , Koszalin and Połczyn-Zdrój ( 285 km ), he can arrive from the north and avoid the traffic jams forming on the DK20 from the direction of Szczecinek .
When you are traveling as a group of 8 people , renting a large van with a driver (from PLN 1,200 on the DK20 route, i.e. PLN 150 per person ) takes the whole problem of packing the camp off your mind: large tents, frames, garden pavilions, mattresses, camping chairs and food packs.
For return journeys from Pol'and'Rock Festival to Gdańsk or to the GDN airport, we always agree with passengers on a fixed time and an exact GPS pin of the meeting point outside the most congested section of DW163 before departure.
Thanks to this, we can easily find our way around even on a Sunday afternoon, when GSM transmitters, overloaded by tens of thousands of people, make a regular telephone call impossible.
Attractions in Czaplinek and the surrounding area – where do we take passengers from Tricity outside the festival?
Although in mid-summer the main destination is the airport in Broczyn , from spring to late autumn the Drawski Landscape Park and the entire Drawskie Lake District attract water sports enthusiasts, divers and tourists escaping the crowds at the Bay of Gdańsk .
Most of the local marinas, guesthouses and forest recreation centers are located away from the railway tracks, so a direct car ride with a driver is the easiest way to get to the water.
Lake Drawsko, kayaking on the Drawa River and transport of water equipment
Lake Drawsko, with an area of 1,781.5 ha and a depth of up to 79.7 m (the second deepest lake in Poland after Lake Hańcza ), and the 194-kilometer Karol Wojtyła kayaking trail on the Drawa River starting here, mean that we regularly transport passengers with oversized sports equipment there.
The deep glacial troughs of Lake Drawsko are a mecca for scuba divers, who take heavy boxes with breathing apparatus, dry suits and ballast along the way.
We also often pick up sailors, SUP board enthusiasts, and windsurfers from the Gdańsk airport , heading to the marinas in Czaplinek or Uraz , with long covers that have no chance of fitting in the trunk of a regular taxi.
Stare Drawsko (Drahim Castle), Borne Sulinowo and Połczyn-Zdrój
Our transfers from Gdańsk also include smaller resort towns located within a 6–28 km radius of Czaplinek , which we pass directly on each route option. Taking the fastest western route ( 285 km via the S6 and Koszalin ), we pass through the health resort of Połczyn-Zdrój ( 28 km north of Czaplinek ) and picturesque Stare Drawsko ( 6 km from Czaplinek ), located on a narrow isthmus between Lake Drawsko and Lake Żerdno, right next to the 14th-century ruins of the Knights Hospitaller's Drahim Castle .
Choosing the option via Szczecinek ( 226 km or 270 km via the DK20 road), on the way we pass Borne Sulinowo ( 22 km from Czaplinek , famous for the August International Military Vehicle Rally ) and the town of Silnowo , and just after Czaplinek we also reach Złocieniec ( 16 km ).
How much does a transfer from Gdańsk to Czaplinek cost and what kind of car will you be taking?
The cost of an individual transfer on the Gdańsk – Czaplinek route starts from PLN 900 (EUR 225) for a passenger car ( Standard 1–4 Pax ), if we choose the shortest route in terms of kilometers ( 222–226 km ), but the longest in terms of driving time via DK20 ( 3 hours 19 min ).
If you decide on a faster and more comfortable journey by expressway via the Kashubian Route (S6) , the price for a basic car is PLN 1,100 (EUR 275) in the variant via Słupsk and DK20 ( 270 km , 3 hours 14 min ) or PLN 1,200 (EUR 300) on the fastest expressway S6 + S11 via Koszalin and Połczyn-Zdrój ( 285 km , 3 hours 2 min ).
Route variant and distance | Standard (1–4 Pax) | Van (Max 6 people) | Bus (Max 8 people) | Estimated carbon footprint |
The shortest route DK20 (222–226 km / 3 hours 19 minutes) | 900 PLN (225 EUR) | 1000 PLN (250 EUR) | 1200 PLN (300 EUR) | 31.1–57.7 kg CO₂ |
Mixed route S6 + DK20 (270 km / 3 hours 14 min) | 1100 PLN (275 EUR) | 1300 PLN (325 EUR) | 1400 PLN (350 EUR) | 39.2–72.8 kg CO₂ |
The fastest expressway route S6 (285 km / 3 hours 2 minutes) | 1200 PLN (300 EUR) | 1400 PLN (350 EUR) | 1600 PLN (400 EUR) | 40.6–75.4 kg CO₂ |
All rates quoted are guaranteed in advance for the entire vehicle ( VIP Class +50% is also available), with no hidden surcharges for overnight charges or waiting for a delayed flight at Gdańsk Airport . We select a vehicle from the Rabbit-Trans Poland fleet based on the size of the group and the dimensions of the cargo being transported:
Standard passenger car (1-4 passengers): An economical choice for individual travelers, couples and business clients with standard luggage, priced from PLN 900 ( DK20 route) to PLN 1,100-1,200 ( S6 express routes).
Chrysler Pacifica minivan – Van class (up to 6 passengers): A very comfortable car with captain's chairs for a 3-hour journey for PLN 1,000 on the DK20 route or PLN 1,300–1,400 on expressways, ideal for families with children and smaller groups of friends.
Volkswagen Crafter Bus – Bus class (up to 8 passengers + large cargo space): A vehicle for special tasks for PLN 1,200 on the DK20 route ( PLN 150 per person for 8 passengers ) or PLN 1,400–1,600 on the S6 expressway. If necessary, we can remove or move some of the seats, so that inside, alongside passengers and suitcases, you can easily fit tents and camping equipment for 8 people for the Pol'and'Rock Festival , diving boxes or several windsurfing boards with sails.
Frequently asked questions about getting from Gdańsk to Czaplinek (FAQ)
How much does a taxi or bus cost from Gdańsk and GDN airport to Czaplinek?
The price of a private transfer by a basic car ( Standard 1-4 people ) starts from PLN 900 (EUR 225) on the shortest route via DK20 ( 222-226 km , 3 hours 19 min ) or PLN 1,100-1,200 (EUR 275-300) if you choose the faster route via the S6 expressway ( 270-285 km , travel time 3 hours 2 min - 3 hours 14 min ). A ride in a 6-seater Van costs from PLN 1,000 to PLN 1,400 , and an 8-seater Bus from PLN 1,200 to PLN 1,600 for the entire vehicle.
How many kilometers is it from Gdańsk airport to Czaplinek and how long does the drive take?
There are three routes to choose from from Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (GDN) to Czaplinek : the fastest route via the S6 expressway through Słupsk , the vicinity of Koszalin and Połczyn-Zdrój is 285 km and takes 3 hours and 2 minutes . The mixed variant via the S6 and DK20 (exit in Słupsk for Miastko and Szczecinek ) is 270 km ( 3 hours and 14 minutes ), while the shortest route via Bytów and Szczecinek ( DK20 ) is 222–226 km and takes approximately 3 hours and 19 minutes .
Is there a direct train from Gdańsk to Czaplinek?
No, there are no direct trains or long-distance buses between Gdańsk and Czaplinek . The train journey takes from 4 hours 38 minutes to over 7 hours and requires 1 to 3 transfers , most often at Szczecinek , Runowo Pomorskie , or Słupsk stations.
Will the bus on the Gdańsk – Czaplinek route accommodate camping equipment or SUP boards?
Yes, during our Volkswagen Crafter tours, we adjust the seating and luggage space to the dimensions of the equipment being taken. We can easily pack a full camping kit for the Pol'and'Rock Festival (tents, frames, pavilions, mattresses), heavy boxes with diving gear for Lake Drawsko , as well as SUP boards and windsurfing gear.
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