Even something as basic as asking the way forces two Polish choices on you at once: which motion verb (on foot or by vehicle?) and which case for the destination. English collapses all of this into "how do I get to…?", but Polish splits "get to" into dojść (on foot) and dojechać (by transport), and marks the destination with do + genitive. Add the left/right turns — which use w + accusative — and you have the whole toolkit. This page gives you the phrases and makes the verb-and-case choices feel logical.
"How do I get to…?" — dojść vs dojechać
The split is by mode of travel:
- Jak dojść do…? — "how do I get to… on foot?" (from iść, to walk)
- Jak dojechać do…? — "how do I get to… by vehicle?" (from jechać, to ride/drive)
Both end in do + genitive for the destination — do dworca (to the station), do centrum (to the centre), do apteki (to the pharmacy). Choosing the wrong verb isn't a disaster (you'll be understood), but the right one signals you know whether you're walking or riding.
Przepraszam, jak dojść do dworca?
Excuse me, how do I get to the station (on foot)?
Jak najlepiej dojechać do centrum o tej porze?
What's the best way to get to the centre (by transport) at this hour?
Czy stąd da się dojść do rynku na piechotę?
Can I walk to the market square from here?
do + genitive: the destination case
This is the rule that makes destinations work. Going to a place is do + genitive for most enclosed or institutional destinations: do sklepu (to the shop), do hotelu (to the hotel), do kościoła (to the church), do toalety (to the toilet). A handful of destinations take na + accusative instead — open spaces, events, and certain fixed nouns: na dworzec (to the station), na rynek (to the square), na pocztę (to the post office), na lotnisko (to the airport).
Idę do apteki, potrzebuję czegoś na ból głowy.
I'm going to the pharmacy, I need something for a headache.
Jak dojechać na lotnisko Chopina?
How do I get to Chopin Airport?
Muszę dojść do banku przed zamknięciem.
I need to get to the bank before it closes.
"Where is…?" and "Is it far?"
To locate something, use Gdzie jest…? ("where is…?") + nominative, or Gdzie są…? for plural.
Przepraszam, gdzie jest najbliższy przystanek?
Excuse me, where's the nearest stop?
Gdzie są toalety? — Na końcu korytarza.
Where are the toilets? — At the end of the corridor.
To gauge distance: Czy to daleko? ("is it far?"), answered with blisko (near), niedaleko (not far), kilka minut stąd (a few minutes from here).
Czy to daleko? — Nie, jakieś pięć minut piechotą.
Is it far? — No, about five minutes on foot.
Turn instructions: prosto, w lewo, w prawo
Directions on the ground use a small fixed set. Note that the turns use w + accusative: w lewo (to the left), w prawo (to the right) — these are frozen adverbial phrases you don't need to inflect further.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| prosto | straight ahead |
| w lewo | (to the) left |
| w prawo | (to the) right |
| prosto, a potem w prawo | straight on, then right |
| na rogu | at the corner |
| przy światłach | at the traffic lights |
| za skrzyżowaniem | past the junction |
Proszę iść prosto, a potem skręcić w prawo przy kościele.
Go straight on, then turn right at the church.
Niech pan idzie prosto, na drugim skrzyżowaniu w lewo.
Go straight ahead, and left at the second junction.
To tuż za rogiem, po prawej stronie.
It's just around the corner, on the right-hand side.
Note the difference between w prawo (turning to the right — direction of motion) and po prawej stronie ("on the right-hand side" — where something is located). The first is w + accusative for movement; the second is the locative for a fixed position.
Public transport: bilet, przystanek, peron
Riding the bus, tram, or train brings its own phrase bank:
| Polish | English |
|---|---|
| bilet | ticket |
| bilet w jedną stronę / powrotny | one-way / return ticket |
| przystanek | (bus/tram) stop |
| peron | (railway) platform |
| dworzec / stacja | station |
| wsiadać / wysiadać | to get on / get off |
| przesiadka | change (of transport) |
To ask which service goes where, use Który autobus / tramwaj jedzie do…? — and note jedzie (the vehicle "rides") plus do + genitive for the destination.
Który autobus jedzie do centrum? — Numer sto osiemnaście.
Which bus goes to the centre? — Number a hundred and eighteen.
Poproszę bilet powrotny do Krakowa.
A return ticket to Kraków, please.
Z którego peronu odjeżdża pociąg do Wrocławia?
Which platform does the train to Wrocław leave from?
To get on and off you use wsiadać (get on) and wysiadać (get off), with do + genitive for getting on (wsiadam do autobusu) and na + locative for the stop you get off at (wysiadam na następnym przystanku).
Wysiadam na następnym przystanku, a pan? — Ja jadę dalej.
I'm getting off at the next stop — and you? — I'm going further.
Musi pan się przesiąść na stacji metra Centrum.
You have to change at the Centrum metro station.
A directions exchange
— Przepraszam, jak dojść do Starego Miasta? — Najlepiej prosto tą ulicą, a potem w lewo.
— Excuse me, how do I get to the Old Town (on foot)? — Best go straight along this street, then turn left.
— Czy to daleko? — Nie, jakieś dziesięć minut piechotą. To zaraz za mostem.
— Is it far? — No, about ten minutes on foot. It's just past the bridge.
— A czy jedzie tam jakiś tramwaj? — Tak, dwójka, przystanek jest po prawej stronie.
— And is there a tram going there? — Yes, the number two; the stop's on the right.
For an annotated directions dialogue, see the directions dialogue.
Common Mistakes
Using dojść (on foot) when you mean to travel by vehicle, or vice versa. Match the verb to the mode.
❌ Jak dojść do lotniska? (meaning by bus/taxi)
Mismatch — by vehicle it's dojechać, not dojść.
✅ Jak dojechać do lotniska?
How do I get to the airport (by transport)?
Leaving the destination in the nominative after do. Do governs the genitive: do dworca, not do dworzec.
❌ Jak dojść do dworzec?
Incorrect — do needs the genitive: do dworca.
✅ Jak dojść do dworca?
How do I get to the station?
Using do with the "na-group" destinations. Some places take na + accusative, not do.
❌ Idę do poczty… (commonly do; but the station/airport take na)
Note — station/airport/square take na: na dworzec, na lotnisko, na rynek.
✅ Idę na dworzec / na pocztę / na rynek.
I'm going to the station / post office / square.
Confusing direction w prawo with location po prawej stronie. Turning right uses w + accusative; being on the right uses the locative.
❌ Sklep jest w prawo. (meaning it's located on the right)
Off — w prawo is the turn; location is po prawej stronie.
✅ Proszę skręcić w prawo; sklep jest po prawej stronie.
Turn right; the shop is on the right-hand side.
Dropping diacritics. It is dojść (ś, ć), skręcić (ę, ć), Kraków (ó), Wrocław (ł) and piechotą (ą) — those marks are part of the spelling.
❌ dojsc, skrecic, Krakow, piechota
Incorrect spelling — missing ś, ć, ó, ą.
✅ dojść, skręcić, Kraków, piechotą
to reach (on foot), to turn, Kraków, on foot (correct).
Key Takeaways
- "How do I get to…?" splits by mode: Jak dojść do…? (on foot) vs Jak dojechać do…? (by transport) — both with do + genitive.
- Destination case: do + genitive by default; a learned set (na dworzec, na pocztę, na lotnisko, na rynek) takes na + accusative.
- Gdzie jest…? locates; Czy to daleko? gauges distance (blisko / niedaleko).
- Turns use w + accusative: prosto, w lewo, w prawo; location uses the locative (po prawej stronie).
- Transport: Który autobus jedzie do…?, bilet (one-way w jedną stronę / return powrotny), przystanek / peron, wsiadać / wysiadać, przesiadka.
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Start learning Polish→Related Topics
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- Annotated Dialogue: Asking the WayA2 — A lost-tourist exchange in Polish — Przepraszam, jak dojść do…?, prosto / w lewo / w prawo, Czy to daleko? — annotated to show the dojść (on foot) vs dojechać (by vehicle) split, do + genitive destinations, w + accusative for turns, and the locative for where you are.