Runjoying #02: Power Up Your Conference Days: The Best Running Route in Poznań

In recent years, the biggest, most spectacular event featuring top stars of the scene in Central Europe has undoubtedly been Impact CEE !

And since our Newsletter is about running alongside business travel it’s no surprise that we’ll start our running recommendations in Poland with Poznań 💪

Multi-day conferences are a blast of knowledge and experiences, but they can also overwhelm you with the volume of content and networking meetings. But come on, if you’re staying for a few days, it would be a shame not to pack your running shoes and jog a few (or more) kilometers to take a breather from all the events around you 👌

In Poznań, you’ll meet plenty of runners. The city hosts one of the three marathons that are part of Poland’s Golden Series (alongside Warsaw and Kraków), and on its many running paths, you’ll always come across smiling people greeting you 🖐

We encourage you to try out a route that lets you see several key spots in Poznań’s city center while also circling the largest body of water in the city — all in about 10 km 😎

• You’ll pass the remarkable Imperial Castle, which over the years has served as the seat of various institutions and armies and now functions as a cultural center 🏰

• You’ll see some important architectural landmarks of Poznań, like Okrąglak, Plac Wolnosci, and, of course, the Old Market Square itself. 🌆

• If you plan your timing well, you’ll get to see the famous goats battling on the Poznań Town Hall 🐐🐐

• You’ll jog around Lake Malta … and take a moment to escape the hustle and bustle of city and conference life 🌳🌳🌳

👉 The route goes through the city center and around the popular Lake Malta, especially busy in the summer. We usually run through cities on weekdays in the mornings, but if you want to try this route on weekends, we highly recommend going in the early morning or late evening.

Running route through Poznań’s city center and around Lake Malta:

1. Start near the MTP Congress Center, where most conferences in Poznań take place. Nearby are the Mercury and Sheraton hotels, but you can join the route from any point in the city center (if you do, we suggest adding an extra loop around the center for a bit of sightjogging 😉).

2. Head towards the Imperial Castle, stop for a moment, and admire this extraordinary building from different angles.

3. Continue running towards the old town, passing Okrąglak and Plac Wolnosci on the way. During the Christmas season, you’ll find a magical Christmas market here 🤶.

4. Like a true champion, run to the Poznań market square. At 12:00 or 3:00 PM, you can catch one of the city’s main tourist attractions—the goats battling on top of the Town Hall!

5. Passing the Stare Koryto Warty Park  and jogging along a section of the river, you’ll feel like you’re leaving the city center. Cross the Święty Roch Bridge and one of the campuses of the Poznań University of Technology, and you’ll reach the shores of Lake Malta.

6. … now run around the lake. Use this time to relax, set your own pace, and enjoy the views from different angles. There are plenty of attractions around the lake—Malta Thermal Baths, Malta Ski, two hotels, and more. The area is constantly evolving as Poznań works to create a recreational hub around it.

Note: Until the end of Q1 2025, there are cleanup works underway, so … the lake is currently without water 😏. While this might detract from its charm, it’s also a unique opportunity to see the area in a different way!

Return to the city and your hotel using the same route or one of the parallel streets in the city center, like the recently renovated Święty Marcin. 

Reward yourself with Poznan special - St. Martin's croissant. Should give you a nice boost with its 480 calories from butter, sugar and poppy-seed filling

Poznań is one of the best places to run in Poland! Of course, this isn’t the last route we’ll recommend here. Before summer, we’ll “visit” Cytadela Park, Wartostrada, and Sołacki Park and Lake Rusałka, where the ImpactRun takes place alongside ImpactCEE (we highly recommend this atmospheric run!).

Have we convinced you? Will you grab your running shoes on your next visit to Poznań?

Excuses:

For families: At the edge of Lake Malta, you’ll find the Poznań Zoo—always a great choice for kids 😁. You can also take the family to the Rogal Museum, where you’ll make the legendary Saint Martin’s croissants. Don’t forget to visit the Imperial Castle or drop by the cozy Muza Cinema.

For work: ImpactCEE, ImpactCEE, or … ImpactCEE? 😋 But not just that—Poznań’s conference center hosts many themed events, including Poznan Game Arena or the Pyrkon Fantasy Festival. The music business gathers at the NEXT FEST Music Showcase & Conference. Whatever your industry, you’ll likely find something for yourself in Poznań.