12 Things to Do in Poznan – Goats, the Old Market Square and More

You can get to know Poznan in a weekend, but it’s hard to get bored of it. The best things to do in Poznan go far beyond the goats butting heads on the town hall tower: there’s Ostrów Tumski, where the city’s history began, the vast Citadel park, Lake Malta and districts where social life really gets going in the evening.

We’ve picked 12 places worth seeing – from first-visit classics to ideas for groups of friends. At the end you’ll find tips on combining them into one or two days.

The Old Town – the heart of Poznan

1. The Old Market Square and the town hall goats

The Renaissance town hall with its three-storey loggia is the city’s calling card. Every day at noon, two mechanical goats appear above the clock and butt heads – arrive a few minutes early, as it gets crowded under the tower fast. Stary Rynek (the Old Market Square) is lined with colourful tenement houses and the narrow stallholders’ houses known as domki budnicze, and the town hall itself is home to a museum of Poznan’s history.

2. Poznan Croissant Museum

A few steps from the town hall, in a historic tenement house, Rogalowe Muzeum Poznania lets you discover the story of the St Martin’s croissant (rogal świętomarciński) from the kitchen side. The show lasts about an hour, and participants get to use traditional baking tools themselves. It ends with a tasting, which makes it a good item on the agenda for the whole group.

3. The Fara – Poznan’s baroque parish church

This baroque collegiate church on Gołębia Street is one of the most monumental churches of its style in Poland. The lavish interior impresses even those who rarely set foot in a church, and the 19th-century Friedrich Ladegast organ can be heard at regular concerts – check the dates before you visit.

4. The Royal Castle on Wzgórze Przemysła

The castle on Wzgórze Przemysła (Przemysł Hill), right next to the Old Market Square, was destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries, and its current shape is the result of a modern reconstruction that locals still love to debate. Inside is the Museum of Applied Arts, and at the foot of the hill, on Ludgardy Street, fragments of the medieval city walls have survived.

Ostrów Tumski and Śródka – where Poznan began

5. The cathedral on Ostrów Tumski

Under the first Piast rulers, a stronghold was built on Ostrów Tumski (Cathedral Island), between the Warta and Cybina rivers; today the island is dominated by the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. The Golden Chapel holds the tomb of Mieszko I and Bolesław Chrobry (Bolesław the Brave). After your visit, take a break by the Cybina – one of the most peaceful corners of the centre.

6. Brama Poznania and Jordan Bridge

Brama Poznania (the Gate of Poznan), an interactive heritage centre telling the story of Ostrów Tumski, makes a good introduction before you explore the island – its multimedia exhibition helps you understand why this place mattered so much to Poland’s first rulers. Most Jordana (Jordan Bridge), a footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists, links Ostrów Tumski with Śródka and is a great spot for photos of the cathedral.

7. Śródka and the 3D mural

Śródka is one of the oldest parts of the city, with a small market square and cosy little bars and cafés. Its trademark is a mural from 2015 that covers an entire tenement wall and looks like a three-dimensional scene from pre-war Śródka, complete with a trumpeter on the roof, a cat and a butcher in a doorway. It’s best viewed from the Śródka roundabout side.

Poznan beyond the Old Town

8. Enigma Cipher Centre

On Święty Marcin Street, next to the Imperial Castle built for Kaiser Wilhelm II, Centrum Szyfrów Enigma (the Enigma Cipher Centre) hosts an interactive exhibition about the breaking of the Enigma code. It tells the story of Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski – mathematicians linked to the University of Poznan – and grips even people who normally steer clear of museums.

9. The Citadel

This park of around 100 hectares was created on the site of a 19th-century Prussian fortress. It’s a good place for a long walk or a picnic, and while you’re there you can see Magdalena Abakanowicz’s “Nierozpoznani” (The Unrecognised) – 112 headless cast-iron figures that are especially haunting at dusk.

10. Jeżyce

A district of Art Nouveau tenement houses and villas, home to Teatr Nowy (the New Theatre) and Rynek Jeżycki (Jeżyce Market Square), where trading has gone on since the end of the 19th century. Readers of Małgorzata Musierowicz’s Jeżycjada novels will recognise familiar streets, and everyone else will appreciate the great breakfast scene, the bistros and the restaurants serving food from around the world.

11. Lake Malta and the New Zoo

Jezioro Maltańskie (Lake Malta), an artificial lake on the Cybina river, is a regatta course, a walking route and a leisure complex in one. On the southern shore there’s a year-round ski slope and toboggan run, and on the north-western side Termy Maltańskie (Malta Thermal Baths), fed with thermal water. In season, the Maltanka park railway runs along the northern shore and takes you to Nowe Zoo (the New Zoo).

12. Poznan from the windows of a party tram

To finish, an attraction you won’t find in guidebooks: a vintage tram that becomes a club on wheels exclusively for your group for the duration of the party. We agree the route individually – it can run along Święty Marcin Street, through Rondo Kaponiera (the Kaponiera Roundabout) and on towards the Old Market Square and Ostrów Tumski. On board you’ll find a professional sound system and club lighting, and you can add catering, a bartender or photo coverage. You’ll find the details on our tram parties in Poznan page, along with packages for specific occasions, such as a stag do or a birthday.

Practical tips

• One day – the Old Market Square and the goats at noon, the Fara and Wzgórze Przemysła, then Ostrów Tumski, Brama Poznania and Śródka in the afternoon.
• Two days – on day two, add the Enigma Cipher Centre, the Citadel and Jeżyce, or an afternoon at Malta.
• Getting around – you can explore the Old Town and Ostrów Tumski on foot, while the quickest way to Malta or Jeżyce is by tram, known in the local dialect as a bimba.
• Opening hours – museums close on different days of the week and some attractions are seasonal, so check opening times before you visit.

Things to do in Poznan: frequently asked questions

What should you see in Poznan in one day?

The easiest plan combines the Old Market Square with the town hall and its goats, the Fara and Wzgórze Przemysła, followed in the afternoon by Ostrów Tumski with its cathedral and Śródka with its mural. These places are close together, so you can cover most of the route on foot.

Which Poznan attractions are best on a rainy day?

You can spend time indoors at the Croissant Museum, the Enigma Cipher Centre, Brama Poznania and the museum in the town hall. Termy Maltańskie is another good idea – there, the weather hardly matters.

Can a group of friends book a party tram in Poznan?

Yes. We organise private tram parties for practically any occasion, with offers for both smaller groups of up to 30 people and larger ones. The price and details are agreed individually, depending on what you have in mind – find out more on the TramParty Poznan page.