Travelling to Poland for Surgery: A Practical Guide for UK Patients

Our partner hospital is in Jelenia Góra, in south-west Poland, near the Czech border. The nearest airport is Wrocław (WRO).

• Flights: at the time of writing, budget airlines fly direct to Wrocław from London Luton and London Stansted, with a flight time of about two hours. Routes and schedules change, so check current timetables when you plan.
• Airport to hospital: roughly 100–115 km, about 1 hour 35 minutes by road. Your coordinator arranges a private transfer, so you are met at arrivals rather than working out trains with a walking aid.
• Travelling companion: strongly recommended, particularly for the journey home. Your coordinator can book a hotel nearby.

For the operations themselves, see knee replacement in Poland and hip replacement in Poland.

If you have limited mobility, you are entitled to free assistance at UK airports: help through check-in, security and to the aircraft, and a wheelchair if you need one.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority advises requesting assistance when you book, or at least 48 hours before departure, through your airline, travel agent or tour operator. Do this for both directions — it matters most on the way home.

• passport (check the expiry date; for travel to the EU there are validity rules)
• your quotation and itinerary from the hospital
• travel insurance documents — tell the insurer you are travelling for planned treatment, as most standard policies exclude it
• a UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) for unrelated emergencies — it does not cover planned treatment
• a list of your medicines, doses, and any allergies
• previous scans and reports (X-ray, MRI) if you have them
• your GP's details

Coming back, you should have your medical records in English, your rehabilitation plan and details of the implant used. Keep them: a UK physiotherapist or GP will need them.

• Prices are in euros; Poland's currency is the złoty, so carry a card that doesn't charge heavily for currency conversion.
• A 20% deposit secures your surgery date and is paid directly to the hospital, not to OrthoVoyage.
• The balance is due at least two working days before surgery, or by card or cash on admission.
• Quotes are valid for 90 days. Because the price is set in euros, the sterling figure moves with the exchange rate.
• If you cancel for an important reason at least 72 hours before the operation, the deposit is refunded within 14 days.

For context on what the same operations cost at home, see UK private hip prices and UK private knee prices.

• Plug adapters: Poland uses European two-pin sockets (type C/E), 230 V.
• Mobile roaming: since Brexit some UK operators charge for roaming in the EU — check your tariff before you go, or buy a local eSIM.
• Loose, comfortable clothing and slip-on shoes with a back — you won't want to bend down to fasten laces.
• A long-handled shoehorn and a grabber are cheap, and invaluable after a hip replacement.
• Compression stockings if your team advises them, plus room in your case for a walking aid.
• Book the return flight flexibly if you can: recovery is individual, and you fly when your surgeon clears you.

The hospital's international patient team includes English, Polish, German and Arabic-speaking coordinators, and your OrthoVoyage coordinator stays with you from the first call to the flight home.

Give your family the hospital's contact details and your coordinator's number before you travel, and keep both on your phone and on paper.