Transport

Transport

Poznań Główny Train Station, AKA the Breadbox

Travel within Poznań using buses and trams is efficient, fast and cheap; driving a car through the Old Town’s cobbled maze, on the other hand, is not an endeavour we recommend. As such, for visitors the centre of Poznań is best negotiated on foot, or by bike, scooter, public transport or taxi - all of which are explained here. For detailed arrival information about Poznań's airport, and train and bus stations, visit our website.

Poznań City Card

Enterprising tourists should consider the Poznań City Card - a splendid piece of plastic that entitles the bearer to free admission or discounts to more than 70 places, plus an optional buy-in for free travel on public transport. The card can be purchased from the Tourist Info centres below, as well as the airport and select hotels. 1-day cards cost 49/35zł (44/30zł without transport); 2 days 65/55zł (55/40zł without transport); 3 days 79/65zł (65/48zł without transport). Qwww.poznan.travel.

Tourist Info Offices:

Old Town Market SquareQI‑7, Stary Rynek

59/60. Open 09:30‑18:00, Sun 09:00‑17:00. Plac KolegiackiQI‑7, Pl. Kolegiacki 17. Open May‑Sept only, 10:00‑18:00.

Public Transport

Poznań is crisscrossed by over one hundred tram and bus lines, including night routes, which provide a time- and cost-efficient way to move about town. Due to frequent track work and route changes, however, your best bet for figuring out how to use public transport in Poz is the super-helpful website poznan.jakdojade.pl (mobile app also available), which can tell you exactly how to get from point A to Point B in English. Transport tickets are bought from automated machines found on most buses and trams, as well as at many transport stops, and thankfully you can pay by card. The galaxy of ticket options are far too complex to review here; you can take it to heart that you won’t be leaving ‘Zone A’ unless you’re travelling far outside of the city-centre, as even Lake Malta is within Zone A. Tickets are timed, and the cheapest option is a not-very-cheap 4zł for only 15mins - which might only get you 3 or 4 stops.

A 45-min ticket for 6zł is the safer bet, but if you plan on travelling often, you may want to consider a 24hr, 48hr ticket or even purchasing the Poznań City Card - which includes free public transport - to completely avoid this hassle. Note that kids under five and adults over 70 ride for free.

Finally, it is extremely important that you validate your ticket by punching it in one of the ‘kasowniks’ found by the bus/tram exit as soon as you board. Inspectors regularly travel the lines handing out hefty fines, and they aren’t sympathetic to tourists; seriously, riding without a ticket can not only ruin your day, but your entire trip to Poz.

Bike & Car Share

City Bikes

Arguably the easiest way to rent a bike in Poznań, the city’s network of public bike stations and freestanding bikes is fairly dense and extends far outside the city centre, even as far as the airport (or close to it, anyway). To have a go at cycling around Poz, you need to first register online (on their website or the Poznański Rower Miejski mobile app), pay an initial fee of 20zł, and then you’re free to rent a bike of your choice. Bikes come in two base varieties: 3G, which must be returned to bike stations, and 4G, which can be left anywhere within the city limits (but make sure to lock up the front wheel and select the correct option on the on-board computer). Locations and availability are conveniently shown on the PRM map, which also reveals a limited number of e-bikes and bikes with baby seats.Qtel. (+48) 61 666 80 80, www.poznanskirower.pl/en. Open 24hrs. 1zł for the first 30 minutes of each rental period, 2zł for the next 30 minutes, 4zł for each hour after that.

Traficar Car Share

Want your own car, but just for a short while? Download the Traficar app, find an empty vehicle, scan the QR code, and you’re in. You can leave the car in any legal parking space within their service zone, and you don’t have to pay for gas! Everything is done through their easy-to-use app (in Polish only). In terms of cost versus a taxi, it comes out about the same, but as an alternative to car rental, Traficar is a wonder. You can rent a vehicle for 24 hours for only 59zł and even drop it off in another city where Traficar operates. As such, this is a great option for day and weekend trips, big shopping trips, or simply picking up friends at the airport. Note that you need to have a valid driver’s license that is recognised in PL.Qwww.traficar.pl.

Useful Transport Tools

Jakdojade

Poznań’s tram and bus network is relatively easy to use, even for foreigners, but the key to unlocking it is the poznan.jakdojade.pl site and app. The former is a great tool for advance planning, but the app is more practical for figuring out how to get from A to B once you’re out in town. Just type in your starting address (the app does this automatically), destination, departure time, and Jakdojade magically churns out the best method for you to get there. You can also buy and validate tickets in the app.

e-podroznik.pl

This site can also help you get from point A to point B within Poznań, but is really invaluable when it comes to planning the journey to your next destination by bus or train. You can easily search bus and train connections and timetables, compare prices, and even buy tickets in one of eight languages. There’s also a mobile app (Android only).

Uber

If you’re already an Uber user (uber.com), you’ll find that the alternative taxi service - whose free mobile app offers cheap one-tap, no cash, no tip rides from local drivers - has good coverage across Poznań and all of Poland, however there are some drawbacks. Specifically, Uber drivers don’t have the same permissions as regular cabbies and may not be able to take you as close to your destination, or get you there as directly; such is the trade-off for slightly cheaper rates.

Scooter Rental

Although agitating to some, electric motorised scooters are everywhere across Poznań, and provide a cheap, easy, efficient and environmentally-friendly way to get around. To get started, you need an e-scooter app on your phone (create an account and add your personal data and payment details). The firms with the most current coverage in Poznań are Lime, Bolt and Blinkee. Spare yourself the wrath of locals by using your scooter responsibly; don’t ride through congested areas and when you’ve finished your ride, park it out of the way without blocking the sidewalk.

Poznań’s market square - seen here owing you an apology - will be sadly under construction until late 2023. Photo by Alex Aender.

Poznań Sightseeing

While Poznań’s Old Town is fairly compact and very walkable, the city as a whole is spread out and features many diverse districts. To this end, in our guide we’ve included sections dedicated to the most important neighbourhoods, walking you through not only the Old Town (p.14) and the even more historical Ostrów Tumski (p.24), but also hip Jeżyce (p.28), understated Łazarz (p.32), chilled-out Lake Malta (p.52), and leafy Citadel Park (p.56). If your time is limited, however, here’s a cheat sheet of the city’s most unmissable sights.