Money & prices

The zloty (zł, PLN) is the Polish currency unit. One zloty is divided into 100 groszy (1 zł = 100 gr).
Banknotes and coins of the following denominations are in use:
     banknotes: 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 zł (PLN)
     coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 gr and 1, 2, 5 zł (PLN)

Currencies may be exchanged in banks or some hotels, but the rates might not be too favourable. For better rates rather visit currency exchange office (Polish name: KANTOR). There are plenty of them in the city center.
There are also numerous ATMs (Polish name: BANKOMAT), that will allow you to withdraw zloty with your credit or debit card.

Most restaurants, hotels, and shops will accept credit cards - Visa, Mastercard. Some of them will also accept American Express, JCB, Eurocard, though it is good to keep cash in reserve for pocket expenses. Travelers' checks are widely accepted in Poland, though they can only be exchanged for zloty at banks.

Tips are not mandatory in Poland and there is no obligation to give them. It should only be done when you are satisfied with the service. The usual amount of tips reaches 10% of the bill, in some better restaurants it is automatically added to the bill as the payment for service. Tips for hotel service may be between PLN 5 and 20, depending on the standard of the hotel in which we stay. There is no custom of tipping taxi drivers in Poland.
Bargaining over the price is not a very popular in Poland. In shopping centres and chain stores the customers almost never negotiate prices with the sales personnel. However, buyers may negotiate prices at bazaars, markets or fairs, particularly if they want to buy handicraft products or antiques.

Prices of groceries articles in Poland are not high. Shopping is the cheapest in hypermarkets and at markets, while small shops are more expensive.
Examples of prices (shops):
    Water 1.5l: PLN 2-3
    Milk: PLN 2-3
    Bread: PLN 3-4
    Butter: PLN 3-5
    Hard cheese: PLN 25 /kg
    Ham: PLN 25–35 /kg
    Coffee: PLN 5–15
    Coca Cola 0.5l: PLN 3
Prices in a restaurant depend on its standard and location.
Examples of prices (restaurants):
    Coffee: PLN 7-15
    Juice: PLN 4-7
    Water: PLN 3-7
    Beer: PLN 7-15
    One-course meal in cheapest places: PLN 10-20
    Three-course meal in restaurants with a higher standard: PLN 50 or more
Example of prices (transport)
Prices of train tickets depend on the route and the class of the train, but Polish railways are one of the chippest in Europe.  
    Warszawa-Kraków PLN 55-155
Public transport tickets in Kraków:
        single ticket PLN 3,20
    time tickets:
        15-minutes PLN 2,00
        30-minutes PLN 3,20
        60-minutes PLN 4,00
        90-minutes PLN 5,20
        24-hours PLN 12,00
        48-hours PLN 20,00
        72-hours PLN 30,00
        7-days PLN 40,00
   Petrol: PLN 6,00 / 1 litre
Other examples:
    Cinema tickets: PLN 15–30
    Theatre, opera, philharmonic tickets: PLN 30–100
    Museum tickets: PLN 5-40