Where to stay in Poznań
Poznań divides street parking into three zones with different days and prices, and since 1 September 2025 visitors pay the standard tariff while registered residents pay less. The Old Market Square itself is closed to most cars, so the car decides the area as much as the sights do.
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How the areas differ
The Old Town centres on the Old Market Square, 141 m on each side, with its townhouses and the goats that appear on the Town Hall tower. The Citadel, the city's largest park, is a 15-minute walk from the square, and the Old Brewery mixes shopping, art and business.
East of the Old Town, Ostrów Tumski holds Poland's oldest cathedral, from the 10th century, where Mieszko and his son Bolesław Chrobry, the first rulers of Poland, were buried, next to Śródka. West of the centre, Jeżyce lies around the Rynek Jeżycki market, about 3 km by road from the square. Łazarz lies south-west around Rynek Łazarski, with the international fair grounds on ulica Głogowska inside the district.
Staying with a rental car
The rates below are in force since 1 September 2025 and were still shown on the city road authority's page in October 2026. In the central zone covering the Old Town estate, visitors pay PLN 9.50 for the first hour, PLN 11 for the second, PLN 13 for the third and PLN 9.50 after that, Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 20:00. The central zone in Jeżyce, between Roosevelta, Polna and Kościelna, charges PLN 7.50, PLN 9, PLN 10 and then PLN 7.50 on the same days. The blue zone, which covers Wilda, Łazarz, part of Jeżyce, Ostrów Tumski, Śródka, Zagórze, Berdychowo, Piotrowo and św. Rocha, charges PLN 5, PLN 6, PLN 7 and then PLN 5, Monday to Friday only, with Saturdays free.
Registered residents who pay tax in Poznań and join the OK Poznań programme pay less, PLN 7.50 for the first Old Town hour, so a visitor cannot count on the lower figures quoted for locals. The page lists no Sunday hours.
The Old Market Square has been controlled by bollards since 1 October 2024: vehicles up to 3.5 t enter by ulica Wielka and leave by Wodna between 06:00 and 10:00 for deliveries and services, and after 10:00 only municipal services and residents. The surrounding streets, among them Wroniecka, Żydowska, Wielka and Franciszkańska, have been pedestrian since March 2024. These are rules of 2024 with no 2026 confirmation found, and whether hotel guests may drive in was not verified, so ask a hotel near the square how arrivals work.
GetCar's car rental page for Poznań compares local and international rental companies. The A2 passes Poznań on its concession stretch between Nowy Tomyśl and Konin, which charges PLN 40 for a car on each of three 50 km sections since 11 March 2026; the Świecko to Nowy Tomyśl stretch from the German border cost PLN 18 at the rate of September 2024, which the operator said in March 2026 was unchanged.
Tax and registration rules for a guest
Poland's local visitor levy, the opłata miejscowa, applies only where a city council adopts it, capped at PLN 3.46 a day in 2026. Quub found no Poznań resolution introducing it; unverified as of October 2026.
A foreigner staying in Poland up to 30 days needs no residence registration. Short-let flats carry no national ID number yet: the bill that would require one passed committee on 17 September 2026 and awaits its second reading in the Sejm.
When to book what
The blue zone is free on Saturdays and the two central zones charge on Saturdays, so a Saturday in Łazarz or Ostrów Tumski costs nothing in street parking, while the Old Town zone charges. Drivers coming from Berlin cross the German border, where Poland has extended its checks to 30 March 2027. Non-EU travellers from outside the Schengen area pass through the Entry/Exit System on arrival. Compare prices on this page before booking.
Which area for which trip
A first visit on foot: the Old Town.
The cathedral and the river: Ostrów Tumski and Śródka.
A longer stay between the centre and the airport: Jeżyce.
Weekday-only parking charges near the centre: Łazarz.
Questions
What do visitors pay to park in Poznań?
On the rates since 1 September 2025: PLN 9.50 for the first hour in the Old Town zone, PLN 7.50 in central Jeżyce and PLN 5 in the blue zone.
Is parking free on Saturdays in Poznań?
In the blue zone, yes. The central zones in the Old Town and Jeżyce charge Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 20:00.
Can a guest drive to a hotel on the Old Market Square?
Under the 2024 rules only vehicles for deliveries and services enter from 06:00 to 10:00, and residents and municipal services after that. Ask the hotel how guests arrive; hotel access was not verified.
How far is Poznań airport from the centre?
The tourism board gives 7 km; by road it is about 9 km to the Old Market Square. Buses 159 and 148 and night bus 222 serve the airport.
Is the A2 to Poznań a toll road?
Yes. Between Nowy Tomyśl and Konin a car pays PLN 40 for each of three 50 km sections since 11 March 2026.