While Poznań is not the first city on the travellers itinerary, it does have a habit of surprising all who end here. Crowded with churches and cobbles and colourful burgher houses, the old town is a collage of architectural styles and stuffed with delicate looking churches and esoteric museums. Serene and quiet in the winter, Poznań comes out of its shell each summer. A major cultural and economic centre, it’s during this period when the city earns its reputation as a city of trade fairs. Its success as a fair centre stems partly from its location on a road that starts in Paris, ends in Moscow, and hits all the major cities in between. If you’re arriving during a trade fair then we sincerely hope you’ve booked your hotel in advance, else start getting used to sleeping under park benches.