Two airports, very different distances
Warsaw has two passenger airports. Chopin (WAW) is inside the city, about 10 km from the centre — usually 20–30 minutes by car. Modlin (WMI) sits about 40 km northwest, a 45–60 minute drive. Chopin handles full-service and most business routes; Modlin is the low-cost hub, mainly Ryanair.
Which is faster to the centre?
Chopin, almost always. From WAW you can reach a Śródmieście hotel in half an hour outside rush hour. From Modlin, plan on an hour door-to-door even with a private car. If your time matters when choosing flights, the WAW option often wins once you price in the extra hour from Modlin.
When Modlin still makes sense
If the fare into Modlin is dramatically cheaper and you are not tight on time, it can be the better overall deal — provided your ground transfer is sorted in advance. The common mistake is saving 100 PLN on the flight and losing it, plus two hours, to a late-night public-transport scramble.
The transfer that works for both
For either airport, a private chauffeur fixes the one variable you control: how you get to your door. Flight tracking, meet and greet, and a fixed price apply whether you land at Chopin or Modlin. New to Modlin? Read the full Modlin transfer guide, or get a quote for your flight.