With Euro 2012 kicking off in Poland this week, we continue our fans' guides to the country's host cities with Poznan, compiled by east Europe travel guide specialists inyourpocket.com
• Warsaw, Gdansk and Krakow city guides
Where to eat
Make Poznan's main square (Stary Rynek) your first stop for food and drink, with Brovaria bar easily the most popular choice. Don't be surprised to see a queue for a spot in the garden, which is well worth the wait. The bar snacks pair perfectly with Brovaria's in-house brewed beer (order the beer feast for piles of meat and seafood to share).
Traditional Polish fare can be found at nearby Ratuszova, which also sits on the square and has a garden filled with punters tucking into meat-stuffed pierogis (dumplings) and bowls of borsch. Outside the square seek out Vine Bridge, which calls itself the smallest restaurant in Poland (just three tables) and is certainly one of the most creative. The menu includes dishes you're unlikely to have seen before – meat in clay, anyone? – which are a throwback to the food made hundreds of years ago in Ostrowek, the area where the restaurant is located.
Where to drink
Again, Brovaria is the bustling beer centre of the square, a guaranteed good time with fellow fans. Those venturing further afield will be rewarded, especially if you stumble upon KontenerART. This is one of Poznan's most original venues – created by stacking a few shipping containers and filling them with art installations and a bar, KontenerART changes location each summer and is worth the hunt. Another local favourite is Kriek Belgian Pub & Cafe, which boasts 170 Belgian beers and the gregarious owner, Slawek, who is happy to discuss the merits of each one. Lastly, it's hard to knock 4zl beers on the square (hiked to 5zl for the tournament; still just €1 per beer), and Piwko Naprzeciwko is usually packed thanks to its budget prices and menu of snacks and appetisers that pair well (and cheaply) with half-litre beers.
The Poznan fan zone
Located on Wolnosci Square (Pl. Wolnosci), a two-minute walk from the main square, the fan zone will host up to 30,000 fans watching the games on outdoor screens.
What to see and do
Summer is the ideal time to explore Citadel Park, which is filled with historical sites. Your first stop here should be the Commonwealth graveyard, which is the final resting place for several of the serviceman who escaped from Stalag Luft III, and were captured and shot, during the second world war – the mass breakout that spawned the film The Great Escape.
Nearby the remains of a fortress built by the Prussians is home to the fascinating Museum of Armaments, which has an open-air display of military equipment and indoor exhibits of Polish military history. Keep the history theme going by visiting the June 1956 monument near the city's main train station. The two steel crosses commemorate the first rebellion against Soviet control in Poland, where dozens of workers were killed in demonstrations demanding better conditions. A less grim outing can be had at Ostrow Tumski (Cathedral Island), a small slice of land in the city that holds the immense Poznan Cathedral. It was here that Mieszko, Poland's first monarch, ushered the country into Catholicism in the 10th century, and the cathedral crypt holds his remains and those of some of Poland's other early rulers.
Where to stay
When not hosting major soccer tournaments, Poznan is the epicentre of conferences and fairs in Poland, which means visitors have plenty of choice when it comes to accommodation. Melody Hostel (+48 61 851 6060, singles €28-33, doubles €40-48, dorm beds €13-18) sits in the heart of the city and has a variety of rooms with freshly updated bathrooms and decorative themes inspired by musical eras (check out the disco room).
The Don Prestige (+48 61 859 0590, singles €80-130, doubles €88-138) has modern rooms as well as apartments for folks who like to have more space and a small kitchen to boot. Hostel Cameleon (+48 61 639 3041, singles €30-44, doubles €41-50) is at the boutique end of the hostel spectrum, with artsy, one- to four-bed rooms and a common room that football fans will relish: leather armchairs, a flatscreen TV and kitchen.
And though it might be beyond most sensible budgets, Blow Up Hall 5050 (+48 61 657 9980, rooms from €175) is worth a mention as perhaps Poland's most impressive hotel. More a work of art than a hotel, Blow Up's rooms are all unique and highly modern – Bang & Olufsen equipment, for example – and iPhones for guests to use to negotiate the hotel. The in-house bar and restaurant continue the swank theme and top-quality service.
For advice on accommodation in and travelling around Poland, see our Euro 2012 travel guide to Warsaw
• Further information: inyourpocket.com/poland Read More
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