How a Ukrainian traveler saved hundreds of euros after missing a connection in Poland
Tetiana Lysiuk, a Ukrainian living in Germany, has shared a practical tip for anyone whose train from Ukraine runs late and causes them to miss a connection in Poland. Instead of paying for a new ticket, passengers can go to the railway ticket office at Przemyśl, show their existing tickets, and receive a free alternative train ticket. Lysiuk says this approach saved her hundreds of euros when she faced exactly that situation.
She points out that the trick only applies to rail travel. "Nobody will refund the price of plane tickets, unfortunately..." says Tetiana Lysiuk. For train routes, however, the process is straightforward.
How to make this work
According to Lysiuk, there are a few simple steps needed:
- Look for an alternative train route in advance. She found several options with transfers in Leipzig and Prague.
- Go to the ticket office at the main station in Przemyśl or at another Polish railway station.
- Show the ticket for the Ukrainian train and the ticket for the onward route that was missed. Make sure they are either PDFs or printed copies, since mobile apps won't be accepted.
After that, Polish railway staff provide written confirmation of the delay of the Ukrainian train and a free ticket to the transfer point. In Lysiuk's case, she rode free of charge to the nearest transfer city in Germany, then continued to Frankfurt using her Deutschlandticket. Another passenger who was there at the same time chose a free ticket to Prague instead.
Other travelers confirm that Lysiuk's experience is not unique. Oksana Kononenko commented: "I did the same. With some nuances: the ticket to Wrocław was without a seat. In Berlin I did not make it to the ticket office because there was little time." Andrii Zagorodnii also confirmed swapping tickets from Warsaw to Poznań after a delay from Ukraine.
This tip can be especially useful for the many Ukrainians who travel through Poland, where train delays are common and unpredictable. Understanding that free alternative tickets exist for rail connections can reduce both the financial pain and the stress of a missed transfer. Lysiuk's story, along with those of other passengers, shows how knowing your options in a tricky situation makes a real difference.