Getting Around Poznań

Travel within Poznań using buses and trams is efficient, fast and cheap; driving a car through the Old Town's maze of one-way streets, on the other hand, can be confusing indeed, and the centre is best negotiated either on foot or by taking a cab. In this section you'll find all you need to know about getting around the city with general ease via tram, bus and taxi.

Heading into Poznań over the Chorobry Bridge.

Public Transport

Poznań is criss-crossed by dozens of tram and bus routes, which represent your best method for getting across town and beyond between 05:00 and 23:00 (night trams and buses run less frequently outside of these hours). The skeleton key to unlocking this system is Jakdojade (jakdojade.pl/poznan) - Poland’s best transport website/app. This free service (we recommend downloading the app) will tell you (exactly how to get to your destination using live transit connections based on your location. It includes trams and buses (you’ll need the latter to get to the airport), and will even guide you to the necessary transit stop on foot, and tell you exactly what kind of ticket you need. If you enter your bank details you can also buy your ticket and validate it through the app, which is truly handy.

If you prefer a more offline approach, paper transport tickets can be purchased by card from automated machines on most trams and buses (tickets are the same for both), as well as at many transit stops. Like the routes themselves, the galaxy of ticket options is far too complex to discuss here; know that you likely won’t be leaving ‘Zone A’ unless you’re travelling far outside of the city-centre (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 5 or 6 stops. A 45min ticket for 6zł may be the safer bet, but if you plan on travelling often, you may also want to consider a 24hr or 48hr ticket. Another option if you are here for a few days is the Poznań City Card which gives you free unlimited use of the public transport system as part of the price.

Note that if you purchase a paper ticket, you must stamp it immediately upon boarding the tram or bus in the small machines on-board (even if you bought your ticket on-board; ask a stranger if you aren’t certain how to do it). Plainclothes inspectors regularly patrol the lines handing out costly fines to those without valid tickets.

Lastly, those over the age of 70 ride for free, as do kids until age 5 (no ticket required!). ISIC and student cards are valid for discounted tickets, but you must carry your ID and be under 26.

Useful Transport Apps

Taxis

Not the dodgy enterprise it once was, most taxis are reliable and use their metres without any fiddling around. Calling ahead should get you a better fare, but if you hail one from the street make sure you choose a clearly marked cab with a company name and phone number displayed, as well as a sticker demarcating prices in the window. Taxis are now legally obliged to give you a printed receipt at journey's end further limiting the likelihood of any funny business. You should expect to pay 6zł for entering the taxi followed by 2,5zł per kilometre. Prices rise on Sundays, holidays, late at night and for travel outside of the city limits.

Tipping Taxi Drivers in Poznań

Whether or not to tip your taxi driver is a point of contention. Many Poles do not consider taxis a service that necessitates a tip and thereby, if you're Polish, the driver may not expect one. But double standards being what they are, it's anticipated that foreigners will leave a tip, in which case 10% is appropriate, or simply rounding up the bill. We leave it to you.

Car Rental

All most travellers need to rent a car in PL is 18 years of age, a credit card (not debit), and a valid foreign driver's licence. Be aware, however, that those from countries that didn't ratify the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (United States, China, Australia...) cannot legally drive on their home licences; technically an International Driver's License is required in those cases (in the US these are issued by AAA for a fee). If you don't have a license in line with the Vienna Convention, or the required IDL, you may be denied the ability to drive a rental car. Though some car rental companies (the dodgier ones) will still rent you a car (since it's good for their business to ignore international law), be aware that you are assuming full liability if you get behind the wheel; not only can you get a citation from the police, but if an accident were to occur, you would be fully responsible for any damages, regardless of the circumstances.

If you're looking to leave the country in your rental car, be aware that you can't cross the borders into Ukraine, Belarus, or Lithuania in a rental car.

Bike Rental

Poznań has put enormous effort into cycling infrastructure in recent years, and may now be the most bike-friendly city in Poland. With smooth surfaces and copious bike lanes around the city centre, plus many interesting areas/attractions just beyond, we strongly encourage visitors to explore Poznań by bike.

Embarrassingly, Poznań no longer offers a bike share system (shut down in 2022), but a decent number of electric bikes are available around the centre of town via the Bolt transport app. You can also contact the companies listed below to rent regular bicycles and electric-assisted bikes, as well bike repair services.

Electric Scooters

Although agitating to some, electric motorised scooters provide a relatively cheap, easy, efficient and environmentally-friendly way to get around the centre of Poznań. At the moment the most useful e-scooter apps to have on your smartphone are Dott (electric bikes also available), Bolt (electric bikes also) and Lime (also available through the Uber app). All three have similar prices, services and restrictions. Note that scooters are automatically slowed down in high volume areas like the market square. In fact, you can only end your ride in a designated scooter parking spot without getting a large fine, so make sure you know where you're going to leave it before setting off on a scooter.

Electric scooter parking near Wrocławska Street in Poznań.

Rideshare

You'll be happy to know that some of the rideshare apps likely already on your phone will work in Poznań, including Bolt, Free Now and Uber. [These services connect riders to local drivers for cashless transport transactions via their popular mobile applications.]

Rideshare services and taxis are basically indistinguishable in Poland at this point, with drivers typically operating on multiple platforms at the same time. Note, however, that there are some local drawbacks to choosing rideshare services over licensed taxi drivers. Specifically, drivers working for rideshare services like Uber and Bolt 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.

Poznan