Poznan

Poznan, a small city within the Eastern European country that is Poland. Sitting close to the Germany border, and yet somehow completely immersed in its own culture. It’s one of the more colourful cities to visit in Europe. My own adventure took me right into the heart of the old town, the focus of the post.

First impressions of Poland were good, however after a somewhat security process after landing in the country I did feel a bit drained. The journey from the airport to the old town takes about 30 minutes via a convenient bus that stops right outside the arrival terminal. From the main bus station in Poznan it’s about a 10 minute walk into the heart of old town. In fact, you are already in the old town area once you depart the bus station. But if you want to head to the old town square its a good walk, so you could be better hopping on another bus or getting a taxi (the taxis were cheap).

Poland’s accommodation was very modern in the heart of old town and I would recommend staying there – Old Town Hotel Stare Miasto (Poznan) which is literally within walking distance of everything; cafés, museums, big library, main town shops, old town square, restaurants, tours and parks.

I had the pleasure of seeing Poznan old town square with brand new tiles down. I walked for five minutes toward the square to be met along the way by historically beautiful buildings, unique European architecture reminiscent of the post-soviet states, and colourful walls and a generally good vibe. After extensive works, Poznan old town square no longer has cobblestones but had been replaced with a sort of cobblestone mimic which was more like concrete slabs, which nonetheless were a pleasure to walk on.

The highlight of the square is both the incredibly beautiful style of European buildings in the rectangular square area, the churches, the fountains and the museum in the centre. There is a large variety of decent cafes and restaurants at reasonable prices. Poland was one of the cheapest places I’ve been both accommodation, transport and food wise. The museums were varied, and just off old town square is the croissant museum.

I found myself drawn around to the castle, and toward other magnificent buildings like the library and the opera house – all of which were maintained to a high standard, as was the old town in general. The streets were clean – people were constantly cleaning them, including the use of power washes for the floor – the people were very friendly. Like most European cities the centre of Poznan offered 24/7 convenience stores offering everyday items and cafés to pharmacies.

It was however a lot colder, which was a surprise as I’d already been to Eastern Europe and the weather was never this bitterly cold. I did enjoy exploring the parks and admiring the different landmarks.

is a bit more liberal minded that a lot of other places, as Poland has fully embraced ideologies like the LGBTQ movement, so expect to see those flags around. Personally I found this off-putting, because of my previous experiences in Eastern Europe had not had these flags on display, suggesting that Poland is very much a westernised nation and probably comes under mid-Europe as opposed to Eastern. But despite my difference in opinion on this I would return to the country, with the hopes of exploring Krakow, Warsaw and Gdansk.

You should try it, as part of your next trip to Poland. But given how much there is too see elsewhere I suggest incorporating it into another trip rather than focusing entirely on this city.