Home / Airport Transfer Hubs / Katowice Pyrzowice Airport (KTW) Transfer / Katowice to Gliwice (Radio Tower, outbreak of WWII)
VIP Route

Katowice to Gliwice (Radio Tower, outbreak of WWII)

Private transfer Katowice to Gliwice — Gliwice Radio Tower, site of the Gleiwitz incident 1939. 30 km, 35 - 50 min. Fixed price, premium chauffeur, 24/7.

Departure airport Katowice (hotel or Katowice Airport KTW Pyrzowice)
Destination Gliwice — Gliwice Radio Tower, Silesian University of Technology, Old Town
Estimated distance 30 km
Estimated duration 35 - 50 min
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  • Transfer
  • Hourly

About this route

Route overview

Gliwice holds particular significance in 20th-century history — on 31 August 1939 the GLEIWITZ INCIDENT took place here, one element of Operation Himmler, the pretext for the German attack on Poland on 1 September 1939 and the outbreak of World War II. German SS men dressed in Polish uniforms attacked the German Gliwice Radio Station (Gleiwitzer Sender) and broadcast a fake anti-German proclamation in Polish. THE GLIWICE RADIO TOWER from 1935 is the only preserved wooden radio tower in Europe — 111 m tall in larch wood (taller than the Eiffel Tower in wood), with a Radio Tower Museum exhibiting the history of the incident and 1930s German radio broadcasting. THE SILESIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY from 1945 — the oldest post-war Polish university of technology, today one of the top four in Poland (engineering programmes, international MBA partnerships). The Gliwice Old Town with the 14th-century Gothic All Saints' Collegiate Church and a Market Square of Baroque townhouses. The Municipal Palm House in Chopin Park (1880, one of the oldest palm houses in Poland) — a collection of exotic tropical plants. 30 km via the A4 motorway to Gliwice, 35 - 50 min off-peak. The service runs 24/7. A standard plan: 9:00 hotel pickup in Katowice, 10:00 Gliwice Radio Tower with museum (1 h 30 min), 11:30 Gliwice Old Town, Market Square and collegiate church (1 h), 13:00 lunch at Stary Browar Gliwice (Silesian-German cuisine), 14:30 Municipal Palm House (1 h) or the Silesian University campus, 16:00 return to Katowice. From EUR 280 in a Mercedes E-Class for 1-3 passengers, EUR 380 in a V-Class for 4-6.

Best for

Most common use cases

  • WWII history travellers — the Gliwice Radio Tower as the war's ground zero (31 August 1939), paired with Wielun (first bombs on 1 September)
  • Radio and technology history guests — Europe's only wooden radio tower, 111 m in larch, the story of 1930s German radio broadcasting
  • Silesian University of Technology business guests — meetings with academic staff, international MBA programmes, Industry 4.0 R&D

Details

Transfer Katowice (hotel or Katowice Airport KTW Pyrzowice) to Gliwice — Gliwice Radio Tower, Silesian University of Technology, Old Town

This route is delivered in a premium direct arrival model with strong focus on punctuality, discreet handling and clear operational communication.

The ride from Katowice (hotel or Katowice Airport KTW Pyrzowice) to Gliwice — Gliwice Radio Tower, Silesian University of Technology, Old Town (30 km, typically 35 - 50 min) is planned against live traffic and practical drop-off access conditions.

If needed, the trip can include additional stops, waiting time and a follow-up destination within one booking flow.

Service scope

What this route includes

Before pickup

We confirm trip window, passenger profile and pickup format.

During transfer

Routing is managed against live traffic and client-side timing priority.

At destination

Drop-off is completed at the agreed point, with option to continue the next segment.

Booking

How to prepare this route for booking

  • Preferred pickup time and target arrival window.
  • Passenger count and estimated luggage volume.
  • Any planned stops along the route.
  • Contact details of the trip coordinator.
  • Special requests (child seat, custom pickup point).

Local expertise

Local operational notes

  • Pickup and drop-off points are set for practical access, not generic map placement.
  • ETA is refreshed before dispatch using live traffic conditions.
  • For flights and events, operational contact is maintained until final drop-off.

Related

Related routes from the same airport direction

If you need an alternative destination, here are commonly combined route options.

Katowice to Bytom and Zabrze (Guido Mine, postindustrial)

Bytom and Zabrze are two neighbouring cities of the Upper Silesian Metropolis with the best-preserved postindustrial heritage in Poland — the Silesian Underground combo traces 170 years of coal-mining evolution. THE HISTORIC GUIDO MINE in Zabrze, founded in 1855 by Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, is THE DEEPEST PUBLICLY VISITED MINE IN POLAND — tours at the 320 m underground level (levels 170 m and 320 m), original workings, 19th-20th century mining machines and the Stary Browar underground hotel (the only one of its kind in the world). THE QUEEN LUIZA ADIT in Zabrze, on the UNESCO Tentative List 2023, is the oldest preserved coal adit in Upper Silesia (1791) — a 1100 m boat ride along an underground canal. THE GORNIK ZABRZE STADIUM — home of Gornik Zabrze, 14-time Polish football champion (a record), with a club museum showing the trophies. In Bytom: THE SILESIAN OPERA from 1945 — one of four opera houses in Poland, with a repertoire from Verdi to contemporary Polish productions. The Bytom City Park with a palm house and the Upper Silesian Museum holding a collection of Silesian 19th-20th century art. 25 km via the DK86 road to Bytom and Zabrze, 35 - 50 min off-peak. The service runs 24/7. A standard plan: 9:00 hotel pickup in Katowice, 10:00 Guido Mine in Zabrze (3 h, level 320 m), 13:30 lunch at Stary Browar underground (at level 170 m, Silesian cuisine), 15:00 Queen Luiza Adit (1 h 30 min), 16:30 Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom (1 h), 18:00 return to Katowice. From EUR 320 in a Mercedes E-Class for 1-3 passengers, EUR 420 in a V-Class for 4-6.

Estimated distance 25 km
Estimated duration 35 - 50 min
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Katowice to Szczyrk and Skrzyczne (Silesian Beskids)

Szczyrk is the "ski capital of the Silesian Beskids" — a 40 km² complex of ski slopes and hiking trails, one of the three largest ski centres in Poland (alongside Bialka Tatrzanska and Zakopane). SKRZYCZNE at 1257 m above sea level is the highest peak of the Silesian Beskids — a 360-degree panorama over the Tatras, the Zywiec Beskids, Pilsko and north over Silesia and Lesser Poland. The summit is reached by the Szczyrk-Skrzyczne cable car opened in 1957 (one of the oldest in Poland, modernised in 2017), 4 km long, a 25 min ride. SZCZYRK MOUNTAIN RESORT is a modern ski complex after the 2017-2019 modernisation — 40 km of trails of all difficulties, 5 new-generation chairlifts, a snowpark and floodlighting. THE SANCTUARY OF THE MOTHER OF GOD QUEEN OF POLAND ON GORKA — a hilltop church above Szczyrk, a Marian place of worship since the 19th century, with a Stations of the Cross set among Beskid landscapes. Beskid Sport Arena is a sports centre with an Olympic trampoline, a ski academy and a sports hall. Winter season December-March (skiing), summer May-October (hiking, mountain biking). 60 km via the S1 expressway to Bielsko-Biala, then DK69 to Szczyrk, 1 h 15 min - 1 h 30 min off-peak. The service runs 24/7. A standard winter plan: 8:00 hotel pickup in Katowice, 9:30 Szczyrk Mountain Resort (skiing all day), 17:00 return to Katowice. Summer plan: 9:00 pickup, 11:00 Szczyrk-Skrzyczne cable car (1 h), 12:30 panorama from 1257 m (2 h hike), 14:30 lunch at the PTTK refuge on Skrzyczne, 16:00 Sanctuary on Gorka, 17:30 return. From EUR 380 in a Mercedes E-Class for 1-3 passengers, EUR 480 in a V-Class for 4-6.

Estimated distance 60 km
Estimated duration 1 h 15 min - 1 h 30 min
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Katowice to Tychy (Tyskie Brewery, modernism)

Tychy has two identities — historic brewing (the Princely Brewery Tychy was founded in 1629 by the Pszczyna Prince Promnitz, one of the oldest breweries in Poland with an unbroken 400-year tradition) and post-war modernism (Tychy as a model socialist town of the 1950s-1970s, planned by Hanna and Kazimierz Wejchert). TYSKIE BROWARIUM is the Museum of the Princely Breweries of Tychy — an interactive exhibition in 19th-20th century brewery buildings, with a production-line tour, the history of brewing from the Middle Ages to today and a tasting at the inn. The Tyskie brand is now Poland's most popular beer (sold in 30+ countries, owned by the Asahi group). Tychy Arena is a modern 15 000-seat stadium, home to Gornik Tychy (ice hockey, one of the most famous hockey clubs in Poland). Estate E in Tychy is a listed modernist housing complex from 1956-1970 — one of the best examples of socialist urban planning in Poland, fascinating for architects and photographers. The City Park with Lake Paprocany offers a public lido, beach and water sports. 25 km via the DK1 road to Tychy, 30 - 45 min off-peak. The service runs 24/7. A standard plan: 10:00 hotel pickup in Katowice, 11:00 Tyskie Browarium (2 h 30 min with tasting), 13:30 lunch at Stara Pyrlikowka by the brewery (Silesian cuisine), 15:00 architectural walk on Estate E (1 h 30 min), 16:30 Paprocany Park or Tychy Arena, 18:00 return to Katowice. From EUR 320 in a Mercedes E-Class for 1-3 passengers, EUR 420 in a V-Class for 4-6.

Estimated distance 25 km
Estimated duration 30 - 45 min
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Katowice to Pszczyna (Castle and Bison Reserve)

Pszczyna is known as the Pearl of Upper Silesia — a historic magnate town with a Renaissance-Baroque castle of the Hochberg von Pless family, one of the wealthiest aristocratic dynasties in 19th-century Europe (owners of Upper Silesian coal mines, horse stables and estates in Germany, Poland and Bohemia). The Pszczyna Castle is now a Castle Museum with 18 state rooms open for visits — the Hall of Mirrors (with the Chopin piano on which he played in 1830), the Princely Gallery with a collection of 17th-century Flemish tapestries, apartments of Emperor Wilhelm II (a guest of the Hochbergs) and richly decorated chambers with Renaissance and Baroque furniture. The 156-hectare Castle Park is an 18th-19th century English landscape park with ponds, romantic bridges, exotic trees and a palm house. PSZCZYNA BISON RESERVE — the only public bison showcase in Poland (2 km from the centre), with 25 animals in 5-hectare enclosures viewable from observation platforms. The breeding has been running since 1969 and is part of the European bison conservation programme. 45 km via the A1 motorway to the Pszczyna junction, then DK1 to the centre, 50 min - 1 h off-peak. The service runs 24/7. A standard plan: 9:00 hotel pickup in Katowice, 10:30 Pszczyna Bison Reserve (1 h 30 min, best feeding times 9:00 and 14:00), 12:30 lunch at Frykowka on the Market Square (Silesian-Austrian cuisine), 14:00 Pszczyna Castle (2 h 30 min guided tour), 17:00 walk in the Castle Park, 18:00 return to Katowice. From EUR 380 in a Mercedes E-Class for 1-3 passengers, EUR 480 in a V-Class for 4-6.

Estimated distance 45 km
Estimated duration 50 min - 1 h
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Auschwitz + Krakow Day: Katowice -> Oswiecim -> Krakow

The most intensive Lesser Poland day woven into one logical plan with a private chauffeur — an educational visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in the morning, Krakow Old Town in the afternoon, dinner at one of the oldest restaurants in Europe. Given the length of the day, we recommend a Mercedes V-Class with comfort seats. Standard plan: 8:00 hotel pickup in Katowice, 9:30 Auschwitz I (90 km via A4 motorway, about 1 h 15), licensed-guided tour for about 3 h: the "Arbeit macht frei" gate, Blocks 4-5 and 11, the Death Wall, Crematorium I. 13:00 Birkenau (3 km transfer): the selection ramp, the ruins of Crematoria II-V, the International Monument from 1967 (45 min). 14:00 transfer to Krakow (60 km, A4 motorway, 1 h). 15:00 Krakow Old Town — a 2-hour walk with a local guide (optional): Main Market Square (the largest medieval square in Europe at 200x200 m), Cloth Hall (Renaissance trading hall from 1555), St Mary's Basilica with the hejnal call every hour from the tower, Florian Gate, Barbican, Wawel Hill with the Royal Castle (exterior visit, Wawel Cathedral with royal tombs). 17:00 dinner at Restauracja Wierzynek on the Main Market Square (founded in 1364 — one of the oldest restaurants in the world, the famous royal menu of Casimir the Great from 1364, game, beef tenderloin, royal dumplings). 19:00 return to Katowice (95 km via A4, about 1 h 15). EUR 780 Mercedes V-Class (up to 7 guests). Service runs 24/7 with flight tracking if the pickup is at KTW.

Estimated distance 310 km total
Estimated duration 10-11 h full day
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Katowice to Ojcow National Park and Pieskowa Skala

Ojcow National Park is the smallest national park in Poland (21.5 km²), set on the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland and known for unique limestone rock formations — the Pradnik Valley with 21 caves, tors and cliffs of Jurassic limestone (150 million years old). The Hercules Club is the most famous tor in Poland — a 25-metre limestone rock shaped like a club, an icon of the Jura, featured in legends and on postage stamps. Pieskowa Skala Castle is a Renaissance residence of the 16th-17th centuries with an arcaded courtyard in the Wawel style (architect Santi Gucci), today a branch of the National Museum in Krakow with European art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century (tapestries, furniture, paintings). The Lokietek Cave — a legend tells of King Wladyslaw Lokietek hiding in the cave in 1300 from the troops of the Bohemian king Wenceslaus II, open to visitors. The Pradnik Valley offers hiking trails through lush greenery, red limestone cliffs and the village of Ojcow with wooden 19th-century spa houses. 75 km via the A4 motorway to Krakow, then DK94 and local roads to Ojcow, 1 h 15 min - 1 h 30 min off-peak. The service runs 24/7. A standard plan: 9:00 hotel pickup in Katowice, 10:30 Pieskowa Skala Castle (2 h tour), 12:30 Hercules Club (photo session, 30 min), 13:00 lunch at Karczma na Wojtostwie (Jura cuisine), 14:30 Pradnik Valley and Lokietek Cave (2 h walk), 17:00 return to Katowice. From EUR 520 in a Mercedes E-Class for 1-3 passengers, EUR 620 in a V-Class for 4-6.

Estimated distance 75 km
Estimated duration 1 h 15 min - 1 h 30 min
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Services

Service pages that close this route properly

If you need continued support after arrival, these service pages extend the route into city transport, private driver use and premium local execution.

Chauffeur Service in Gliwice

Professional chauffeur service in Gliwice: dedicated Mercedes-Benz driver, full discretion, dress code and flexible hourly booking. Reserve online 24/7.

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Limousine Service with Chauffeur — Gliwice

Limousine service in Gliwice with chauffeur: Mercedes S-Class and V-Class. Weddings, galas, VIP events. Book online 24/7.

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Car Service in Gliwice

Car service in Gliwice: Mercedes-Benz with driver, 24/7 availability, fixed pricing. Airport transfers, errands, daily commutes. Book online.

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Related cities

VIP transport in these cities

VIP Transport Gliwice — Gliwice Radio Tower, Silesian University of Technology, Old Town

Chauffeur service, transfers and hourly hire.

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VIP Transport Katowice

Chauffeur service, transfers and hourly hire.

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Read more

Articles about this destination

Katowice Pyrzowice Airport — How to Reach the City Comfortably

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Warsaw–Krakow–Katowice Roadshow — How to Plan One Day of Meetings Without Losing Rhythm

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Common questions

FAQ

Are admission to the Radio Tower and Palm House included in the transfer?

No — entry tickets are paid separately: Gliwice Radio Tower with the museum around PLN 15 per adult, Municipal Palm House around PLN 10, the Silesian University campus is free. The transfer (from EUR 280) covers the chauffeur, vehicle, flight tracking if the pickup is at KTW and 6 hours of waiting with the return ride to the Katowice hotel.

Can visitors climb the Gliwice Radio Tower?

No — the 111 m tower is closed to visitors for safety reasons (the larch wood requires conservation). The museum next to the tower only opens the lower spaces of the 1935 radio studio, original transmission equipment and photographic displays of the Gleiwitz incident. The tower itself is clearly visible from the car park and surroundings — ideal for panoramic shots.

Can Gliwice be combined with other WWII sites?

Yes — the classic Outbreak of WWII Premium Day: 8:30 pickup, 9:30 Gliwice Radio Tower (1 h 30 min), 11:30 lunch in Gliwice, 13:00 drive to Wielun (90 km, 1 h), 14:30 Wielun Land Museum and the sites of the first bombs (1 September 1939, 1 h 30 min), 17:00 return to Katowice. An 8-9 hour plan, from EUR 480 in an E-Class. The other direction: Gliwice + Oswiecim Auschwitz (60 km further) — needs 10 hours, from EUR 580.

Can I add a stop on route Katowice (hotel or Katowice Airport KTW Pyrzowice) -> Gliwice — Gliwice Radio Tower, Silesian University of Technology, Old Town?

Yes. Planned stops and waiting windows can be included within a single booking.

Will I receive route confirmation before pickup?

Yes. Core timing and operational details are confirmed before dispatch.

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