Car Rental Krakow Balice Airport

The Kaizen Rent branch is located at 1 Kapitana Mieczysława Medweckiego Street, directly within the passenger terminal — in the arrivals hall on the 1st floor (level two). Once you have collected your luggage, simply head to the arrivals level and look for the car hire signs — there is no need to go outside or use a shuttle service. The office is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

At Kaizen Rent, we prioritise simplicity and convenience. We’ve broken the whole process down into two quick steps:

Paperwork at the terminal: On level +1, you’ll sign the contract (it’s very quick, as it’s done on a tablet – just one signature is all it takes!).
Collecting the car in the car park: Once you’ve signed, our advisor will hand you the keys and guide you to the dedicated Kaizen Rent parking spaces in the airport car park, right next to the terminal (sector E, level 5.5). The car will be waiting for you, spotlessly clean and with a full tank of petrol, ready to go!

The journey from Balice Airport to the centre of Kraków is around 11–12 km and takes 20–25 minutes outside peak hours. During rush hour (7.00–9.00 and 15.00–18.00), the Balice junction on the A4 and the western approach to the city can extend the journey to 40–60 minutes. When planning to collect your car in the morning or afternoon on a working day, it’s worth allowing for this extra time — especially if you have a connecting journey or a hotel booking with a specific check-in time.

The Main Market Square and most of the streets within the Planty area are part of a restricted traffic zone — access is permitted only to residents with a permit, delivery vehicles at specific times, and municipal services. You cannot drive a hire car directly to the hotel in the historic centre — it is best to leave the car in a car park on the edge of the Old Town (e.g. the car parks on Szpitalna Street, Teatralna Street or near Wawel) and continue on foot. Entering without authorisation may result in a fine, which, in accordance with the terms of the hire agreement, will be charged to the hirer.

The centre of Kraków is divided into a Paid Parking Zone comprising three sub-zones:

SUB-ZONE A:

First hour – rate 9 PLN/h,
Second hour – rate 10 PLN/h,
Third hour – rate 11 PLN/h,
And each subsequent hour – rate 9 PLN/h,

SUB-ZONE B:

First hour – rate: 8 PLN/h,
Second hour – rate: 9 PLN/h,
Third hour – rate: 10 PLN/h,
And each subsequent hour – rate: 8 PLN/h,

SUB-ZONE C:

First hour – rate of 7 PLN/h,
Second hour – rate of 8 PLN/h,
Third hour – rate of 9 PLN/h,
And each subsequent hour – rate of 7 PLN/h,

Subzone A applies from Monday to Sunday between 9.00 and 22.00 (except on shopping Sundays); subzones B and C apply from Monday to Saturday during the same hours. The fee can be paid at a parking meter or via a mobile app; failure to pay will result in an additional charge of 400 PLN (reduced to 200 PLN if paid within 7 days of the reminder being issued). [Check the latest information at — zdmk.krakow.pl/en

National Road DK7 (known as the ‘Zakopianka’) is one of the most congested routes in Poland at weekends and during the winter and summer seasons — on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, the journey time from Kraków to Zakopane can increase from the usual ~2 hours to 3.5–4 hours. Setting off on a Thursday evening or very early on a weekend morning significantly reduces journey time. It is also worth checking the current road conditions in winter — the section through Rabka and Nowy Targ is sometimes closed or subject to restrictions during heavy snowfall.

With a standard booking, an authorisation hold is placed on your credit card. If you choose the Comfort PLUS package, the deposit starts from just 1 PLN — which in practice means no funds are blocked on your card. The package also protects you from liability for unexpected damage. You’ll find the detailed terms and conditions and the current deposit amount in the booking summary before you confirm your booking. 

A flight delay does not automatically mean your booking is cancelled. The opening hours of the Kaizen Rent branch in Balice are aligned with standard flight times – we are open from 8.00 am to 11.59 pm. If you have booked a car outside these hours, one of our staff members will be waiting for you. We monitor flight delay announcements, so if your flight is delayed, we will wait for you.

In accordance with our terms and conditions, collection outside the branch’s standard opening hours incurs a small flat-rate fee (99.99 PLN), but this guarantees you full mobility regardless of the airlines’ schedules.

In the event of a significant delay, it is advisable to call the branch to inform them of the situation.

If your plans change completely, Kaizen Rent offers free cancellation of your booking up to 48 hours before the scheduled collection time — at no cost. Contact details for the Kraków Balice branch: +48 881 212 968

We know that after your flight, all you can think about is hitting the road, which is why, in the spirit of the Kaizen philosophy, we optimise our processes every day. If you use our free online check-in before landing, the formalities at the counter on Level +1 will take just a few minutes. The whole process – from the moment you leave the arrivals hall, through collecting your keys, right up to getting behind the wheel of your new SUV or sporty saloon – will take you around 10–15 minutes. We operate ‘here and now’!

That’s exactly right! You return the car to the same airport car park where you picked it up – right next to the passenger terminal. This means that once you’ve parked the car and handed in the keys, you can walk to the departure halls in just 3 minutes. No stressful bus transfers or waiting for taxis – with Kaizen Rent, you’re always on your way to your flight!

Hiring a car straight after landing at Balice is the best decision you can make to explore the charms of southern Poland on your own terms. Public transport won’t give you the same freedom as our modern fleet of over 4,500 cars. Most importantly, we don’t impose any mileage limits on individual customers, so you have full control over your travel costs!

From Kraków-Balice Airport, you’ll be on the ring road and the A4 motorway in no time, giving you the perfect route to the region’s most beautiful destinations:

• Kraków and Wieliczka (Salt Mine) – classic attractions of Małopolska, just a few minutes’ drive from the terminal.
• Ojcowski National Park – perfect for a short, suburban road trip amongst the limestone cliffs.
• Zator and Energylandia – Poland’s largest theme park, which you can reach in comfort with the whole group (we recommend our spacious 7- or 9-seater vans!).
• Tarnów and Krynica-Zdrój – head there for the charming atmosphere of Małopolska and to relax in the mountain spas.
• Zakopane and the Pieniny Mountains – the mountain trails are right on your doorstep.

Yes, this is one of our customers’ most popular routes! Straight from the airport, you join the Kraków ring road and then head towards the legendary ‘Zakopianka’ (national road No. 47). The route is around 110 km long, and the journey in a modern, safe SUV from our fleet, equipped with the latest driver-assistance systems, usually takes around 1.5 to 2 hours (depending on the season and traffic). If you’re landing in Kraków and want to admire the Tatra Mountains that very evening – simply collect your keys in Balice and hit the road without any hassle!

Absolutely! The location of Kraków-Balice Airport is ideal for trips abroad to the Slovak Tatra Mountains or the Czech Rock Town. All our cars are new, no more than two years old and regularly serviced, ensuring a safe international journey. Such a trip is 100% in line with our terms and conditions – it simply requires prior notification at the time of booking in order to obtain official authorisation. The cost of preparing the documents for Zone I (including the Czech Republic and Slovakia) is a one-off fee of 299.00 PLN for the entire hire period.

Of course. We serve thousands of travellers from all over the world. We accept all valid and legible driving licences issued in European Union countries. If your driving licence was issued in a country that is not a signatory to the Convention on Road Traffic (e.g. the USA or Canada), please remember to bring your international driving permit with you as well. To collect the car, we’ll also need to see your physical ID (passport or national ID card) and a payment card (credit or debit card with the Comfort PLUS package) issued in your name, on which we’ll place a refundable deposit.

If you return the car late, additional charges may apply. Therefore, please do not delay and let us know immediately if this happens. In that case, one of our staff members will wait for you.