JANUARY 2024
Over the Christmas period we were visiting Gdansk and I was looking for an interesting stop in Poland on our way back to the Netherlands, which is how I discovered Poznan. Poznan is not yet visited by the masses and you will mainly encounter Polish tourists over here. Poznan has a gorgeous baroque, pastel colored city center and it deserves more love than it currently gets. In this blogpost I will highlight Poznan’s best sights.
About Poznan
Poznan is located in the west of Poland, about a three hours’ drive from Berlin. It has over a half million inhabitants, yet it is not really on the tourist radar. Apparantly Poznan in the birthplace of the Polish nation, as it was an important cultural and political area in the 6th century, before Poznan was officially founded in the 10th century. Poznan is a relatively affordable city in Europe, with good value stays and meals. We visited over Christmas time, which added good vibes!
Where to stay
We stayed in the Park Inn by Radisson, which is located at the edge of the historical city center. We always love a hotel with a restaurant, as this is the easiest way to travel with a toddler. Luckily the Park Inn did not disappoint, as the hotel featured a delicious breakfast and good value meals at other times of the day. The hotel is stylishly decorated and the staff was very kind and spoke English well. Prices change depending on the season varying from € 70 – € 150 per night.
Things to do in Poznan
The list below is not a comprehensive list of things to do in Poznan, there actually are many more museums and tours you can do. However these are the activities that we were interested in doing with our little toddler.
Old Market Square (Stary Rynek): The true highlight of Poznan is the Old Market Square. The market square is surrounded by pastel colored baroque buildings, absolutely stunning! At around 10.30AM it started to get busy with tour groups, so if you want unobstucted pictures you have to be here early. In December 2023 there was a lot of construction going on in front of the Merchant houses, I can imagine it being even prettier once the construction is gone.
On the Old Market Square you can also find the Town Hall. Every day at 12PM there is a little show, where little “goats” come out of the tower and they start fighting each other. These fighting goats are the symbol of Poznan, based on a legend. I wasn’t very impressed, but the toddler absolutely loved it 😉 Overall the amount of people that came to watch the goats was insane!
Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Mary Magdalene and St. Stanislaus: Just a few streets from the main square you will find a gorgeous, pink church. We loved wandering the streets next to the church, as you had a pink backdrop everywhere. The interior is definitely worth a visit too, with beautiful frescos at the ceiling.
Croissant museum: Unfortunately, this one was closed over the Christmas market, but a visit seemed like a lot of fun. Poznan is also famous for its St. Martin’s croissant, which is a Polish version of the famous French bread. Of course you can try the croissants even when the museum is closed. We loved the Polish additions of poppy seed filling and icing!
Aquapark Malta Thermal Baths: We visited the Aquapark that is located just outside of Poznan’s city center. We were looking for something toddler friendly and visited this swimming pool with lots of slides, pools and even rapids. There is also a Sauna world in the same building. Just make sure you leave the pool on time, as you will be charged extra by the minute if you stay longer that your ticket.
Christmas Markets: Poznan has a very cute christmas market, which is usually in the Wolnosci square from the end of November until the beginning of January. There are sufficient food stalls, where you can try the local specialties and there are many rides for kids, as well as an enormous ferris wheel. We even ran into a concert by the US Army. Overall, it is a great market which doesn’t get too crowded.
Stary Browar: One thing that was on my list, but we didn’t get to do was visiting the Stary Browar. This is a shopping mall that is located in an old brewery. Apparantly there still is a brewery with very good beer in a nice setting. It is located a 15 minute walk from the old town.