The city's main Tourist Information Center (Stary Rynek 59/60; tel. 61/852-61-56; www.poznan.pl) is open in season (May to mid-Oct) weekdays from 9am to 8pm, Saturday from 10am to 8pm, and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Off season, the open hours are Monday through Friday from 10am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm. It's conveniently located on the Old Market Square and is a good place to pick up walking itineraries, maps, and advice on rooms. Pick up a copy of Poznan, In Your Pocket (5 z), which has coverage of the city. The Polish IKS magazine (3.90 z) has its cultural events listing in English. Another information point is the City Information Center (Ratajczaka 44; tel. 61/851-96-45; www.cim.poznan.pl), which is good on cultural activities and sells concert tickets. They are open weekdays 10am to 7pm and Saturday 10am to 5pm. If you hire a guide, it's best to incorporate the Parish Church, Cathedral Island, and Zamek in your tour. This will take 3 to 4 hours. Contact the Tourist Information Center on the Stary Rynek 3 days in advance to book a guide. The prices are 190 z for 2 hours, 260 z for 3 hours, and 320 z for 4 hours.

Getting Around

Most of the attractions can be covered on foot. Poznan has an efficient public transportation system of buses and trams. Tickets can be bought at Ruch kiosks (or nearly anywhere they sell newspapers and tobacco) and cost 3 z for rides of 30 minutes. There are also day and weekly passes priced at 12 z and 32 z, respectively. You can also consider getting the City Card (Poznanska Karta Miejska) at the tourist information center. It's a package of access to public transport and discounts at selected museums, hotels, and restaurants. It comes in 1-day (30 z), 2-day (40 z), and 3-day (45 z) formats. The city is gradually ceding more road space to bike lanes. Bicycles can be rented from Malta Bike (Jana Pawa II; tel. 510/316-118; www.maltabike.pl) and from some of the hostels in the center.

Getting There

By Plane -- Poznan's Lawica International Airport (Bukowska 285; tel. 61/849-23-43; www.airport-poznan.com.pl) is 5km (3 miles) west of the city center. It has grown in importance and has direct flights not only to Polish cities, but also to a number of major European cities. Express bus line "L," regular bus no. 59, and night bus no. 242 take about 30 minutes to get to Poznan's central train station.

By Train -- Poznan lies on one of Europe's main east-west train lines, stretching from Paris and Berlin to Warsaw and Moscow. The train station (Dworcowa 1; tel. 197-57) is 2km (1 1/4 miles) from the town center. It's a 15-minute walk, or a short tram or bus ride, to the center.

By Bus -- Poznan lies on major national and international bus routes. The PKS bus station (Dworzec Autobusowy; Towarowa 17/19; tel. 61/664-25-00; www.pks.poznan.pl) is near the train station.

By Car -- Poznan is on the main Berlin-Warsaw Highway E30. The tolled highway is a dream to drive on, but make sure to set aside about 30 z for tolls. Unfortunately, the road is not yet upgraded all the way to Warsaw. On the stretch from Warsaw to Lódz (122km/76 miles), you'll still have to drive the old (but free) highway. From Warsaw (325km/202 miles), the journey takes about 4 hours.

Keep Exploring