All services get very crowded at peak hours, but are by and large remarkably punctual. Regular bus, tram and metro routes close down around 11-11.30pm; from 11.15pm to 4.45am night buses leave from behind the Palac Kultury i Nauk on ul. Emilii Plater at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour.

Tickets ( bilety ) for trams, buses and the metro are bought from any newspaper or tobacco kiosk sporting the "MZK" logo, or from ticket machines at some of the central stops. They can also be bought from drivers but this is a slightly more expensive way to buy them. Prices have proved extremely volatile over the past decade and will certainly continue to go up. A single flat-fare ticket (changing trams or buses requires a new ticket) currently costs 2.40zl (or 1.20zl for ISIC card holders) - three single tickets are required for a journey on a night bus. It's more economical to buy a day pass ( bilet jednodniowy ; 7.20zl; ISIC holders 3.60zl) or week pass ( bilet tygodniowy ; 26zl; ISIC holders 13zl): the day pass is usually available from all kiosks, but the week pass is harder to get hold of - try the MZK offices at pl. Bankowy 4 or ul. Senatorska 37 (both Mon-Fri 7.30am-3pm).

Punch your tickets in the machines on board or at the metro entrance - pleas of ignorance don't cut much ice with inspectors, who'll fine you 120zl on the spot if they catch you without a validated ticket. You also need to stamp an extra ticket for each large item of luggage - backpacks included - that you carry on board. Failure to do so will land you a 48zl fine if you're caught, and checks are visited on foreigners with increasing frequency.