Using the phone in Poland is no longer the adventure it used to be, but can still take more effort than you expect. For instance, don't be surprised if you lose your connection while talking; just hang up and dial again. And again, and again (always slowly) if you don't get through the second or fifth time.
In order to make a call from a card phone, you need - of course - a phone card.
These can be purchased from a 'Ruch' kiosk (look for the green sign) or a street vendor in 3 versions:
25, 50 or 100 units for about PLN 5, 10, and 20 respectively.
Once you've got your card, break off the perforated corner before you try to stick it into the card phone. Otherwise, you'll think it doesn't work, or someone sold you a bogus card. They didn't.
The 25 units (1 unit = 3 min) will suffice for a few local phone calls; the 50 units will buy you a minute of overseas time. If you need more time, try either a callback service (BCH: 48 639 88 01 or Telegroup: 48 624 08 75) or an international phone company that can charge your credit card or the person you are calling (see numbers to the right).
Long Distance Dialing
If calling long distance within Poland, dial a '0' and wait. Eventually, you'll hear a faint tone; that's your signal to then dial the city code and phone number. If dialing outside of Poland, do the same thing, but dial '0' again when you get the second tone followed by the country code, and then the rest of the number. Poland can be reached from the States by dialing 011, then 48 + city code and phone number.
