Warsaw-Modlin Airport (WMI) is a low-cost gateway to the Polish capital, located near Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki roughly forty kilometers north of central Warsaw, and it serves as a popular alternate to the larger Chopin Airport for budget carriers. A rental car picked up at Modlin is a practical way to reach Warsaw directly rather than relying on the airport's bus and rail transfer options, and counters from international and local rental companies operate inside the compact terminal building.
From WMI, the S7 expressway runs south toward Warsaw, generally covering the distance in around forty-five minutes to an hour depending on traffic approaching the city, with the route passing through a mix of open countryside and increasingly dense suburban development as you near the capital. Once in Warsaw, the city's historic Old Town, rebuilt after wartime destruction, and its modern center are both easily reached, and the same road network extends onward toward other Polish cities such as Lodz to the southwest or Gdansk to the north along the country's expanding motorway system.
Driving is on the right throughout Poland, and the roads connecting Modlin to Warsaw are modern, well-signed routes, though Poland's tolling system is a mix: some motorway stretches, particularly certain privately operated sections elsewhere in the country, charge tolls directly at gates, while others are toll-free, so it is worth checking your specific route rather than assuming a single nationwide system applies. Winters in this part of Poland bring genuine snow and ice, typically from November through March, and rental companies fit winter tires as standard practice during that window. Fuel stations are frequent along the S7 corridor and throughout the greater Warsaw area, making refueling straightforward, and traffic around the capital itself can be noticeably heavier during weekday rush hours than the comparatively open road nearer the airport.