Discover the Best Things to Do in Poznan, Poland

It’s rather peculiar that Poznan in Western Poland isn’t a larger tourist destination. While Poznan is one of the biggest cities in Poland, it’s nowhere near as well-known to tourists as Krakow, Warsaw or Gdansk. The city boasts many of the qualities that make Poland such an enticing country to visit – history, architecture, stories, and food – often with interesting twists. And that’s why the best things to do in Poznan are so interesting.

Poznan’s unique tilt is possibly due, in part, to it being part of Prussia before World War I. The city was the scene of one of the country’s most successful uprisings in 1919, leading to its return to Poland.

Visiting the city, I was constantly noticing elements that felt familiar and yet had intriguing differences that felt distinctly tied to Poznan. These differences varied from pivotal moments of history to architectural styles to humorous explanations for the city’s emblem. Here’s what to do in Poznan based on my enjoyable experience visiting the city, all of which are reasons why I think Poznan is so worth visiting.

How to get to Poznan and get around

Getting to Poznan is quite straightforward, with flights to the city’s airport available from airlines like LOT, Norwegian and Ryanair. For those travelling overland, the city is connected to the extensive bus and train networks that cross the country. If you want to travel more freely, renting a car may be your best option.

While exploring the city centre on foot is the best way to go, the city is connected with a network of trams that can get you about with ease. I recommend taking the tram to visit areas like Ostrow Tumski and Malta Lake.

Please remember to buy tickets before you get on board, to avoid getting fines. Many stops don’t have ticket machines, so buy them in advance at the main train station or kiosks.

Where to Stay in Poznan

If you’re looking for a pleasant and comfortable place to stay in Poznan, particularly in the area of Malta Lake, I recommend Novotel Poznan Malta.

The hotel is conveniently situated right by the shores of Malta Lake and the Malta Thermal Baths. It is also only 5 minutes on the tram from Ostrow Tumski and 10 minutes from Old Market Square. Staying by Malta Lake makes you feel like you’ve left the city behind but you can still get into the city with ease.

This 3-star hotel features rooms that are spacious with plenty of natural light. It offers the Novo Square Lounge Bar, a stylish bar and restaurant offering a mix of international cuisine with outdoor terrace seating. For the kids, there is a game corner to keep them happily entertained. There is also ample on-site parking, a fitness centre and an outdoor pool.

If you’d prefer to stay in the city centre, you’ll find countless apartments and a good selection of hotels.

Poznan tourist attractions to visit

You’ll find most of the main things to do in Poznan in the city’s historical centre. But that is most of the things to see, not all. As you’ll see, the area east of the city centre has a few delights that are worth leaving the Old Town.

Ostrow Tumski

Translating as Cathedral Island, Ostrow Tumski is the oldest part of the city of Poznan. Once the city centre, Ostrow Tumski is now just removed from the centre of town but is still important. Poland’s oldest cathedral, Poznan Cathedral, was built on Ostrow Tumski in the 10th century. This is a very important historical site for a country so devoutly catholic as Poland.

It is said that on Ostrow Tumski, Mieszko I, the first king of Poland was baptised in 966. This greatly impacted the spread of Christianity within Poland as you can imagine. If your king converts to a religion, going against that is hard. It also did wonders for the Kingdom of Poland, as the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope soon recognised the country. In a sense, this was one of the most instrumental moments in the creation of the Polish nation.

Aside from its history, the Cathedral is also a very beautiful and elegant building. I found the stained glass window and organ, particularly engaging. Across the wider island, there is the Holy Virgin Mary Church nearby with its unusual brick architecture. There are also some quiet streets with elegant residences to admire.

Old Market Square

As with many cities in Poland, this square is and for a long time has been the centre of the city. While it saw a lot of damage during World War II, the square has been rebuilt and amazes visitors with its gorgeous Renaissance-style buildings.

A charming little part of the square is the Bamberka fountain statue. This statue of a woman carrying two jugs of water is a modern addition to the square. It honours the families from the city of Bamberg that moved to Poznan in 1719, settling and farming the countryside to help it rebuild after years of war.

If you can, I would suggest you visit on the weekend so that you can see the Horse Guards parade through the square. It’s quite entertaining, especially as they try to do so through a very crowded place. 

My visit also happened to coincide with the local Jazz Festival, so as I was just beginning my walking tour of the city I got a close-up performance of “When the Saints Go Marching In”. Combined with the Horse Guards and the crowd mustering for the little clock performance, it felt like everything in Poznan was happening in Old Market Square.

Craftsmen House

While there are many, many gorgeous Renaissance houses in Old Market Square, the Craftsmen Houses deserve special mention. This row of narrow houses sits next to the Town Hall on the inside of the Old Market Square and is really quite cute.

The super-narrow facades are because homeowners paid taxes according to the width of their facade and the number of windows. While they are modern reconstructions, they reflect the houses and arcades where craftsmen and tradesmen sold their wares for centuries. Now they sell souvenirs – figures.

Poznan Town Hall

There are many wonderful town halls in Poland that I saw and Poznan’s has to be one of the most distinctive. Whereas others are broad brick buildings, the Poznan Town Hall is almost shaped like a tower and gleaming white. Like most of the Old Market Square, it was reconstructed after WWII, but that doesn’t take anything away from its ornate Renaissance style.

While the town hall’s front facade is expertly painted, I think its finest attribute is the way it lauds over the rest of the square. Your eye is still drawn towards the town hall despite the other finely painted Renaissance buildings in the square.

However, if you are nearby just before midday, your eye may be drawn to the large crowd of people amassing to watch the clock strike 12. Looking up at the town hall at noon, you should witness the performance of two mechanical goats butting heads. The two goats are the symbol of Poznan thanks to a wonderful local legend.

The story goes that a local chef was preparing a meal for a visiting duke, but burnt the meal. His assistant went out and found two goats to cook, but the goats escaped the kitchen and raced to the top of the Town Hall tower. When the duke arrived, he saw the two goats butting heads at the top of the tower and thought it was hilarious, saving the cook.

While I appreciated the great story, I had the rare experience of the goats not coming out the day I was there. Maybe next time.

Royal Castle

Looking at the Royal Castle, you would be surprised to know that much of it only dates back to 2010. That was when the city decided to reconstruct, with only a few underlying supports surviving from the 13th century. Originally built in 1249, the Royal Castle was known as Przemsyl Castle after King Przemsyl. The castle saw destruction many times throughout history, but WWII managed to finish the job.

Interestingly, the architect who designed the modern reconstruction didn’t stick too closely to the original look of the castle (from what I’ve been told). As such, what you see above is more his interpretation of a castle rather than what was historically accurate to the region. The new design didn’t win everyone over it seems, as its nickname is ‘Gargamel’s Castle’ after the evil character from the Smurfs.

Imperial Castle

The second of Poznan’s two castles is the Imperial Castle, built for Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1910. It is said to be the youngest royal residence in Europe. Throughout the century it has been used as the Presidential residence, then as a residence for Adolf Hitler, and then after the war as part of the local university. Today it hosts a variety of things, including a cultural centre, theatre and cinema.

What I like about the Imperial Castle is its unusual appearance as a landmark in Poland. Generally in Poland, you don’t find many stone buildings as there was historically a lack of raw material and brick was used instead.

So to see that they chose to use stone here shows how important the castle was at the time. Today its purpose comes across as rather uncertain but it’s still put to use. The manicured gardens behind the castle are also quite nice, particularly where the ivy has crept up the big stone walls.

Wolności Square

Aside from Old Market Square, the other large focal point of the city is the nearby Wolności Square. While Wolności Square lacks any of the Renaissance buildings, it makes up for it with other equally impressive sights. One of the more beautiful buildings on the square is Raczynski’s Library, borrowing influences from Parisian architecture.

The main historical point of the square is oddly a balcony of the Bazaar building on the corner of the square. The balcony is important because it was where famed pianist Ignacy Paderewski gave a speech to huge crowds, leading to the Greater Poland Uprising of 1918 that brought the city back to Poland after WWI.

What captured my attention in the square was the Wolności Fountain. The fountain features a glass, geometric sculpture with water running over it, creating a wonderful visual display. It’s even more pretty when it’s lit up at night.

St. Stanislaw Parish Church

The Parish Church in Poznan may not be as historically significant as the Poznan Cathedral, but it is well worth a visit. This impressive baroque-style church sits just off the Old Market Square and is easily spotted with its high facade. When I visited the church there happened to be a wedding taking place at the time.

Thankfully, I stuck my head in and took a few snaps of the lavish interior. Many churches in Poland are brick buildings, so their interiors are also brick. That is not the case here, where you find the columns and altar concealed by stucco work and paintings.

This gives the church a more monumental feel, particularly when looking towards its golden altar. Yet another spot in Poznan that outwardly seems typically Polish and then turns out to be far different to what you expected.

Jesuit College

Found off to the side of the Parish Church is the courtyard of the Jesuit College and its peaceful courtyard. This area is surrounded by beautiful, bold baroque architecture and filled with benches perfect for taking a break. The college no longer functions as one, but honestly, I’d say come here for the view and the quiet.

National Museum

This one is a wonderful stop for art lovers. The National Museum in Poznan features a broad collection of European art over many periods. Much of the museum is dedicated to Polish artwork, with entire floors exhibiting artists from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Further on, there are rooms focused on art from Spain, Germany, Italy and more, plus ones delving into earlier artistic periods. The National Museum also has the only Monet displayed in Poland. It was a far more extensive collection than I had anticipated.

I only spent roughly 45 minutes exploring it on a whim, but feel you could easily spend 1-2 hours there if you were really into it. What’s great is the museum has free entry on Saturdays, so another good reason to visit Poznan over the weekend.

Stary Browar Shopping Centre

Listen, I’m not a big shopper. So seeking out a shopping centre while I travel is not usually on the cards. But it’s not often that you have people recommend you visit a shopping centre for its architecture. Stary Browar is not your typical shopping centre. Its name literally translates to Old Brewery, so it being located in the buildings of an old brewery should make sense.

The shopping centre is an exquisite building to explore. I think it’s quite cool that they preserved its old architecture and adapted the buildings to a new purpose. Outside it’s all brick and metal, its fascinating interior no different. Stary Browar has won awards as the best shopping centre in the world of its size. Its another unusual but intriguing Poznan attraction to enjoy.

St Martin’s Croissant

Not exactly a sight, but I didn’t want to leave it off. A visit to Poznan is incomplete without trying the city’s most famed dessert, the Saint Martin’s Croissant. This delicious pastry is no ordinary croissant. These desserts are so packed with almond paste, nuts and poppy seeds that sharing one isn’t a bad idea.

The city loves croissants so much that there is even a “museum”, where you can participate in classes to make them. Keep an eye out for Rogale – their local name – near Old Market Square. Look at these local food tours to further explore Poznan’s food and drink scene.

Malta Lake

One of the big surprises for me was the vast Malta Lake found not far from the city centre. This long artificial lake is the sports and relaxation hub of the city. The lake area is peaceful, removed from any traffic, but still easily accessible from the city with just a short tram ride.

Around the lake are extensive grassy areas where you see people running and cycling, or just lying in the sun. On the lake, you’ll frequently spot people rowing and canoeing. Malta Lake even has the only artificial ski slope in Poland, open year-round. If you’re more after fun and relaxation, then there’s the large Malta Thermal Baths complex. Here there is an outdoor water park, indoor swimming pool, saunas and spas.

If all of the above activities aren’t enough for families with kids, then perhaps the Miniature Rail might be. The train runs a loop that takes passengers along the lake before looping into the small wooded park. There’s even a miniature station where you start your journey.

Have you ever heard of or visited Poznan before? If not, what do you think you would enjoy seeing in Poznan, Poland? Please share any questions or thoughts you have in the comments below.

Disclosure: My stay in Poznan was as a guest of the Poznan Malta Novotel.

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