Festive 3 Nights in Poland, Poznan and The Magical  Ice Sculpture Festival.

We will all meet at the airport before boarding our flight to Poznan. Upon arrival we take our private transfer to our accommodation where we will be staying for the next 3 nights. The B&B Hotel Poznan old Town is in a great location right in the heart of the old town surrounded by beautiful historic buildings. A buffet breakfast is included each morning. There is wifi and  coffee making facilities in all rooms.

Throughout the tour we will be staying in twin rooms but there is an option to have a room to yourself for the trip. If you wish to have a room to yourself for the 3 nights the supplement will be £90.. The supplement will be payable at the same time as the balance.      

After storing our luggage at the hotel we will discover the secrets behind St. Martin’s Croissants, Poznan’s symbols, culture and history during an interactive show at the Croissant Museum. (rated in the top 3 things to do when visiting Poznan)

This evening we will discover Poznań by means of a hilarious  guided feast tour, a mixture of eating and sightseeing. We are going to eat 3 carefully selected meals of local cuisine, starters at one restaurant, a main course in a second and dessert in a third one and learn some facts about Polish and local food traditions. And by “eat” we mean “eat”, not “taste” – as the portions are big enough to replace a full dinner so that nobody leaves hungry. The tour will end around 9pm back at the hotel

The Christmas markets will be in full swing by mid December they are open from late morning until 21.00 in the evening so we will have plenty of opportunities to visit during our trip 

Old Market Square (Stary Rynek, 9 minutes walk from our hotel) – Set against the historic backdrop of the Renaissance Town Hall, this square features a towering Christmas tree, traditional wooden stalls, and an outdoor ice skating rink. 

Freedom Square (Plac Wolności, 4 minutes walk from our hotel) – Known for its vibrant atmosphere, this location features a historic 1946 Ferris wheel providing panoramic views of the city lights,and  a classic Venetian carousel

The Travel Buddies trips work on the basis that as long as you are having a good time then that is what matters, if you don’t feel like coming on one of the excursions or joining the rest of the group for dinner one evening then that is absolutely fine. This is an adventure for everyone and there is nothing worse than having to go somewhere/do something that you don’t really fancy!

Feel free to do as much or as little research as you like, some members will know what they would like to visit as soon as they book the trip, Others will just turn up at the airport and have not researched at all. Either is absolutely fine. We all have different ideas as to what constitutes a great time away! 

Today is a free day to do as we please, but there is a wonderful thermal Park at Malta Lake that we have visited as a group a few times before if you would like to do this. ( Di will be going) 

Malta Lake  is a short tram ride from Poznan centre. (Tram fare not included but just a few pounds)
On the edge of the lake sits Termy Maltanskie. A thermal park and Sauna World which consists of several types of saunas, including: with colour therapy, outdoor saunas, flower laconium, Turkish bath, snow cave, graduation tower, multimedia showers or a tepidarium with heated loungers. 

There is also a thermal outdoor area and the waters are lovely and warm. We can buy tickets that allow us 3 hours to spend here in the sauna world and pools area. (approximately £20) After the experience we can head back to the hotel. 

Please note that the sauna area is a textile free zone but towels are allowed. 

Poznań’s Town Hall stands dominant on its cobbled Old Market Square. At 12pm daily, crowds gather to watch two mechanical billy goats appear and lock horns. Legend has it that a chef took his eye off the venison dinner he was cooking and headed out to find a replacement meat, where he found two grazing goats. The goats wrangled out of his grasp, ran up the clock tower and began butting each other in front of a crowd – much like today.

This evening let’s wrap up warm and head to Lumina Park’s dendrological garden. A 1.5 kilometre route winds through the park where there are over 200 illuminations. The perfect winter wonderland.

The Ice Sculpture festival should be getting into full swing today as well. We will take the tram today to the ice sculpting event.

Many countries are represented from around the world as teams of 2 work all day transforming blocks of ice into stunning sculptures. Watch the magic unfold throughout the day.

There is a Christmas gift market with handcrafted goods and plenty of food and drink stalls too, you may wish to just pop here for a couple of hours or stay until the end and even get to vote for the best sculpture.

Dinner locally at a traditional restaurant

This morning after breakfast we will take our private transfer to the airport for our flight home.