WAW - spot 1
Warsaw Chopin Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on October 13, 2026
The biggest airport in Poland with the largest traffic, Warsaw Chopin Airport, is home for LOT Polish Airlines. LOT has it’s entire fleet based in WAW. Wizzair also has a base in Warsaw and is the second largest operator. When spotting in Warsaw you won’t get usually any unusual machines . From the bigger ones you get the 777-300ER from Emirates, LOTs B787, UPS B767, Qatar Airways B787. Cargo operations: mainly during early morning hours (~6-7am) and late afternoon (~9pm). For details about the current situation don’t hesitate to send a question to the author.
During/Prior to LOT Rushhours, it is always nice to see whether/which special livery is leaving. During our visits we used THIS website, which shows departures in UTC times 2h prior to their departure. It is quite reliable, but cannot predict technical problems, which lead to registration/aircraft changes in Warsaw regularly.
Written by Konstanty Dobrzyński, Clive Grant, Severin Hackenberger, Marcin Roguski and Martin Rogosz. Last change: October 2026 – Spot 4 updated
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety | |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather | |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 15/33 | 3.690 m (12.106 ft) |
| 11/29 | 2.800 m (9.240 ft) |
| Terminals | Just one which is named Terminal A and used by every airline. |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Might be helpful at some spots for some shots but you can make it without one. Spotting holes available in the fence at some spots. See description of the spot if available or not. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is not necessary, but it is faster to get around with one. But at some parking a car or getting there via the bumpy field roads is a bit tricky. For valid public transport timetable check the ztm page. |
| Drinks/Food | Small shops at the terminal, a gas station near the terminal. Fast food restaurants close to Al.Krakowska (BK and McD), a couple of gas stations at Al.Krakowska. No way to starve when in the right region. |
| Hotels | There are a couple of hotels around the airport. The “Air Hotel” next to spot 15 offers views of the 29 approach from rooms facing north on the 3rd floor. |
| Season | All year is fine, however best are times in late spring, summer and early autumn. Nevertheless winter gives an opportunity for some nice lit photos and de-icing pictures. |
| Security | As of August 2025, new corrected law prohibits photography of military installations. Clear signs has to be visible on the fence of the area. Penalty for this is up to 20k or imprisonment! Camera equipment will be confiscated. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 11 | Mainly arrivals. |
| 29 | Mainly departures. Landings only in heavy crosswind for rwy33 |
| 15 | Mainly departures. Landings only in heavy crosswind for rwy11 and good visibility, or when the wind is calm and visibility very good. Usually only departures |
| 33 | Mainly used for landings, sometimes the heavier planes depart from it. |
Terminal viewing terrace - ramp and taxiway movements
| WHERE | Update August 2026: closed till end of September for an unknown reason. |
| WHAT | |
| TIME | |
| MISC. | |
| FOCAL LENGTH | |
Coach terminal glass walls - stands 25R/L area
| WHERE | Just beside the coach station and the new cargo terminal. There is a couple of glass walls through which you can look at planes and perhaps take some shots. No place to leave your car for long. |
| WHAT | Planes taxiing and standing at their stop. Possible looking on departing and arriving planes, not really a place to shoot them |
| TIME | Night, morning (to around noon) |
| MISC. | Usually there are vehicles, stairs, planes, containers blocking the way. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-200mm |
Car dealer - 15 arrivals, 33 heavy departures
| WHERE | This spot is just beside a used car dealer. There is a bus and tram stop “Lipowczana” just beside. Also a petrol station and a McDonald is just couple of meters away if you need to go to a loo or get a snack. Easily accessible by foot. Not much space to park a car. |
| WHAT | Runway 15 arrivals. Sometimes heavy 33 departures might go out nicely. |
| TIME | You can find something during the entire day. |
| MISC. | The dealership is now permanently closed and a parking is to be built. You can still spot from beside the street but no access to the fence. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Aegean at 300mm, UPS at 78mm |
Wirażowa - 29 line-ups
| WHERE | Just north of the arrival lights, there is a small dead end road to the west off the main road (Wirażowa street). You can park your car there and then walk along the fence to the corner. Due to the new noise reduction wall airside, you have to walk up to this corner, you cannot see the taxiway properly earlier. You can also take a bus to either “Terminal Cargo” or “PKP Okęcie” stop. Both are on demand stops.
Update October 2026: Spot 4 has been reopened and it featured easy access for the newly built apron and taxiing on echo taxiway. |
| WHAT | 29 line-ups (33 and appron 13 on longer focal length in the morning), taxiway echo, apron 15(?) |
| TIME | Only useable in summer as you cannot see the aircraft turning anymore only on the taxiway towards threshold. So from sunrise till ~9 am only. New apron from early morning until 2-3PM. |
| MISC. | Ladder useful, but the space between fence and barbed wire is really small. You can also shoot thru the fence with small lenses (~55mm e.g.). Nothing around. Can be muddy on wet days. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 24-300mm B737-800MAX close-up = 350mm / Parked Global = 310mm / E170 side on = 55mm |
Sidewalk - 29 arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is located on the sidewalk of the main road, possibly at a small bridge. Just beside the turn to spot 4. Easy to find from the “Terminal Cargo” bus stop. If by car, proceed to spot 4. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 29 |
| TIME | After ~11am [summer] ~10am [winter] |
| MISC. | Light poles may be disruptive. Park your car in the region of spot 4. No ladder needed |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18+ [from photos below: Emirates at 195mm, Merlin at 70mm, the 737 at 125mm] |
Al.Krakowska - 11 final approach
| WHERE | At Al.Krakowska, near the approach lights to runway 11. In between bus stops “P+R Al.Krakowska” and “Szyszkowa”. Easily accessible by foot, hard to park a car. |
| WHAT | Runway 11 arrivals |
| TIME | Basically all day. Spring/fall best around 6-7pm with the sun in the background |
| MISC. | The road is a bit busy. There is grass you can sit on. In winter, snow can nicely reflect the light to the bottom of the planes. Hard to park your car in the area so better leave it at spot 15. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Rather short. The long ones only for far away approach shots [Q400 at 30mm, Aegean at 300mm, Emirates at 78mm] |
Express road overpass - 29 arrivals
| WHERE | A sidewalk on the overpass of Poleczki road over the express road and train rails. Near the bus stop “Osmańska”. Nearest place to leave your car at is spot 8. |
| WHAT | Planes landing on runway 29 |
| TIME | After ~11am [summer] ~10am [winter] |
| MISC. | Sand on the sidewalk. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 135mm for 767, 185mm for A320 |
Cargo - 33 arrivals/Apron 12 action
| WHERE | Located near the Cargo terminal and apron 12. When traveling by car proceed all the way south beside the cargo terminal, you may park your car at the side of the road, then you must walk on foot. By bus: hop off at “Terminal Cargo” stop and walk south. Only stands 64 and 65L available for spotting through the fence/lens holes. If you walk around the newer cargo terminal buildings and walk beside the fence you’ll arrive at the turn of TWY A8, from where some heavy departures happen from 33
Update April 2026: vegetation has been nicely culled and access to A8 and lens holes is now quick and unrestricted – in fact now its much easier than it was before. It remains to be seen whether this area will remain undeveloped however, because clearing is quite significant as if it was nor another building. |
| WHAT | Morning arrivals on runway 33 and planes standing at apron 12/nearby taxiways. |
| TIME | Mornings and nights. |
| MISC. | After rain the ground likes to get muddy. Some holes around, but ladder can be used to clear the fence as well at some points. If you so some steps back, you do not even need a ladder for arrival shots. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 18-300mm A: 787 Face to face = 20mm / Taxiing 734 side on = 90mm / Landing Dash 8 = 280mm B: A124 = 66mm / Polish AF 737 = 125mm |
Northern option at ramp:
Southern option at line-up:
Fence at northern option:
Technical road - 33 arrivals
| WHERE | At a side, technical road (extension of Wirażowa street) near the express road. Southern part of the airport. You may park your car at the side of the road and leave it there. By bus: hop off at “Terminal Cargo” stop and walk south. Walking north down the fence will get you to TWY A8 area from where some heavy departures happen – part of spot 8) |
| WHAT | Morning landings on runway 33 |
| TIME | From sunrise till 10:00 a.m. |
| MISC. | No need for a ladder, plenty room to park. In winter, snow can nicely reflect the light to the bottom of the planes. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70+ [170mm for 737 from the road, Kalitta at 100mm] |
Field - 33 arrivals
| WHERE | A field near runway 33 threshold. Continue driving/walking down the technical road until you pass the approach lights and make a 180 turn. By bus: hop off at “Terminal Cargo” stop and walk south. You may either park your car at the side of the field, near the approach lights or there is a spot on the field itself to which a path leads. |
| WHAT | Evening 33 arrivals |
| TIME | From 1:30pm till sunset |
| MISC. | Take our photos from the road, the farmer is not happy when you are walking on the field |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Depending on where you shoot from. [Ryanair 737 at 115mm, Emirates 777 at 210mm (front) and 135mm (rear)] |
Fence - 33 arrivals and departures
| WHERE | A spot located in the area of taxiway B8 and the end of runway 33. After arriving at spot 10 or 9 continue together with the airport fence. Can’t get there by car, Leave your car at spot 10 or 9. |
| WHAT | Runway 33 arrivals and full lenght 33 departures |
| TIME | After 12pm [summer] or 11am [winter] |
| MISC. | Might get muddy, no shops nearby. B8 is now rarely used after completion of A8 |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 40+ [MD11 shot at 50mm, Aerosvit at 92mm, landing SAS at 135mm, Brussels 737 at 90mm] |
Fence - 33 arrivals and departures
| WHERE | This is a spot between some summer houses. Near the fences. To get there simply take bus #124 to “Ogrody Działkowe Paluch”, there should be an entry gate to the houses, get through it and continue towards the airport fence.
By car: while driving al. Krakowska south, turn left at the first intersection after you have passed the freeway (it will be over you), turn left into Na Skraju street. Continue with the street until you pass the animal shelter (to your left) and then after the turn right look for a gate to the summer houses (also to your left) and turn there. Continue up to the fence. Update March 2024: This spot has since became problematic as automatic gates and locked doors have been installed at perimeter fence to the allotment gardens (the main entry is usually left unlocked during the weekdays, but closed over the weekends). Locals are no longer understanding, and sometimes even openly hostile towards spotters and may purposely lock the gate behind you. There is a way of reaching the spot through open entrance near the “Paluch” bus terminus but it requires a significant detour. |
| WHAT | 33 arrivals and departures. |
| TIME | After 1pm [summer] or 12pm [winter], best in the afternoon |
| MISC. | You must shoot through the holes in the chain link fence (~55 mm front element diameter). Ladder no longer viable as the fence was heightened recently. There’s a grocery shop close to the bus terminus south of the entry gate (cash only payment). |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Hotel taxiway is no longer in active use so you’re left with arrivals (70 mm for 777-300 aircraft, up to 400 for smaller) |
Paluch - Almost all runway movements
| WHERE | Along Paluch street there is a bus stop for bus #124 called “Schronisko dla zwierząt” which is a on demand stop so you need to press the stop button on the bus or wave on it for it to stop. You can either take the bus and then walk in to the east till you reach the fence and then up north the front or proceed from the bus stop to the east by car on the bumpy road. You can park by the roadside now and again walk till you reach the fencefront, turn left and continue to the spot you desire along the front.
There are official holes in the fence; there are two at the south end, two in the middle and six facing east at the north end. There are about four more at the north end facing north towards Runway 11/29, but there are piles of sand blocking the view sometimes, so these are not always useable at the moment. Otherwise there was a mound at the northern end of this forest (a bit tricky to find in the forest). |
| WHAT | Almost everything. RWY33 arrivals and depatures, RWY15 departures, in some way RWY11 arrivals and RWY29 departures (but heat haze a big problem). Best for RWY15/33 movements though. |
| TIME | From 1:30 p.m. till sunset |
| MISC. | Nearest shops are far. Take what you need. You might need to walk through some bushes, don’t worry or fear. Spotting holes available in the fence, but limited amount. Heat haze can be a harsh problem from ~15 degrees celsius on when using the holes! Plus in summer this spot is hell as there are millions of insects! Once you move to the hill, a ladder (3 steps or more) might be useful to get out the fence of your pictures totally – although there are some wodden obstacles and stones you could stand on. Heat haze on the runway is not that big problem from the mound. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-400mm ATR72 side on = 220mm / B737 side on = 170mm / B788 side on = 120mm / B773 side on = 100mm |
Northern holes:
Southern holes:
Reaching fence at the front’s southern end…
…start walking northwards and you will pass the southernmost photoholes (view southwards)…
At the northern end you will reach the mound nearly on the end on your left (a bit tricky to find in the forest), a ladder (3 steps or more) is recommend to watch over bushes and to have less fence on the bottom of the image.
Spotting mounds - 11 arrivals, 29 departures, taxiway
| WHERE | There are several options next to the runway 11 threshold. To get there simply continue from spot 15 on with the road to the south and you will find a road like a path made of concrete parts leading into the field eastbound heading to the radar facility. Drive in, drive around the radar station on the dirt paths, continue till you reach the concrete road again. After a few meters you will end up at a holiday house settlement, turn left, drive up the street to the north and then you will end up at the spotting mound.
Spot 14A: This spot is the official spotting mound and is located near the airport firefighters station. It provides a platform witch benches and parking. Spot 14B: same direction as above but continue by foot along the fence for a few minutes until some photo holes. Spot 14C: same as 14B but just turn around and climb up the mound. |
| WHAT | Runway 11 arrivals and runway 29 departures. Taxiing to runway 11 (rare). |
| TIME | From 11:30 a.m. till 6:00 p.m. Especially at Spot 14A heat distortion will be an issue. In this case we recommend to move to the other two points. |
| MISC. | A bit of a walk to the nearest toilet or restaurant. Bring what you need. TYou may park your car at the spot. Might be a little bumpy for the car but fear only after big rains when the field is not driveable. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-400mm Platform: E170 = 290mm / B738 = 180mm Fence: ATR72 on taxiway in front = 65mm / Runway movements = 100mm+ |
Spot 14A “the platform”
Spot 14B “photo holes”
Spot 14C “mound”
A hill near Al.Krakowska - 11 arrivals and departures, taxiway
| WHERE | When on foot simply go towards the runway from “P+R Al.Krakowska” or when taking the bus to “Szyszkowa” stop (which is just beside Burger King) simply cross the road and move towards the airport, there will be a road (poor quality) just beside the fence which will get you to the hill. The hill is now fenced but access is still available from the northern side, where you can also park by the roadside. |
| WHAT | All runway 11 arrivals and 11 departures. Plus 29 departures from the front. |
| TIME | From 11:30 a.m. till 6:00 p.m. |
| MISC. | There is a hill at this spot so you overlook the fence. Nearest facilities can be reached by foot as well, just a few steps to the west. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 50-250mm (E175 at about 135mm) |
Tue terrace is currently closed for unknown amount of time. There’s cars there saying it’s closed but the reasons are unknown as well
Hi, I guess you are talking about location 1? I left a note, please let us know when it has been reopened.
-Julian
I’ve talked with one of the workers who said that the spot will reopen at the end of September
Thanks, added.
I would like to add that there is a decentish hotel for spotting, the Air Hotel on the west side of the airport. It is north facing, so with departures on 29 you get a great view, I would assume the same for arrivals on 11. You will probably need 300mm+ I would guess (I actually didn’t have my lenses with me, but I stayed there and it would’ve been a great location!). Ask for 3rd floor facing the airport to get a good view.
Thanks for the hint Sam, I left a note in the guide.
-Julian
I keep seeing head on deicing photos at Warsaw, does anyone know which spot these are taken at?
Hello, can I ask you is there any new restrictions due to new laws that came into effect 17.4.2025 banning taking photos of important public buildings?
The airport security and the Police does not care about the restrictions, there are absolutely no problems with spotting and the most popular ones are crowded, the restrictions dont really exist.
Hi, are there any issues/things to be cautious about, with spots 13 and 8 with increased Ukraine-related military movements into WAW?
Not at all (:
On spot 13 you don’t need a ladder, you can perfectly see both runway movements.
It very much depends on the size of the front element of your lens. If you’re not using dedicated lens holes (as described), chain-link fence mesh will cause vignetting on the photo. And if you’re using the mound, the ladder will prevent the fence from appearing on the photos of larger aircraft.
Any problems with spotting at WAW or other Polish Airports after the decret was signed that photography of infrastructure objects may be forbidden?
You won’t have problems. WAW is a pretty popular airport for plane spotters and we have no reports about issues.
-Julian
Is WAW any good in Winter? I might be coming next week(Jan 10-11). Any good Airport Hotels for spotting?
Kind Regards
HI, is spot 4 still unaviable?
Unfortunately still unavailable
Spot 4 is now available (sort of).
There is a sizable amount of space available but there are several caveats:
– Because Echo is now parallel to runway 29 all along, this severely limits the time after which the aircraft will be back lit (to around 9.45 CEST)
– most (but not all) aircraft will take off from reduced distance, which makes it next to impossible to take photos without a ladder and long focal length
– small size of chain-link fence mesh limits the size of lens that can be used without the mesh obstructing the view.
Thanks, funily enough I just tried the spot myself that day and added these information. Please check in the spot’s description now.
Do you know if the blocked holes in spot 8 are going to be available in the future?
Hi Alex, unfortunately the holes that have been ‘lost’ due to building of the additional cargo terminal are ‘lost’ and will not be made available. Only stands 64 (64L/R) and 65L (three northern ones) are possible to be photographed. That is the matter as of today.