Student Discounts in Poznań: Where to Go on a Budget?

The ELS student card guarantees a 50% discount on public transport in Poznań and discounts from 30% to 90% in cultural institutions, sports facilities and catering establishments. Young people studying at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań University of Technology or the University of Economics can take advantage of free admission to museums, cheap theatre tickets and special price offers in districts such as Jeżyce, Wilda and the Old Town. The following guide has collected the most cost-effective academic reliefs in the capital of Wielkopolska.

How does the student tax relief work in MPK Poznań and the PEKA system?

The student discount at MPK Poznań is 50% for single tickets and the Semester Ticket and is available to students up to 26 years of age on the basis of a valid ELS card encoded in the PEKA system. The discount applies to all trams and city and suburban buses in zones A, B, C and D.

The most cost-effective travel option is the Zone A Semester Ticket for 120 days. Its price is PLN 202 for students who settle PIT tax in Poznań. People without tax settled in the city pay PLN 270 for the same ticket. When you buy the version with Poznań PIT, you pay only PLN 1.68 per day for unlimited rides, including the PST (“Pestka”) fast tram connecting Piąkowo and Winogrady with the Kaponiera roundabout.

If you drive occasionally, choose to pay from tWallets on your PEKA card. The first stop with a student discount costs PLN 0.43, the second and third PLN 0.26 each, and the next ones are even cheaper. Remember to place the card on the reader at the entrance and exit of the vehicle. The MPK Customer Service Point, where you activate the student discount, can be found, m.in, in the basement of the Kaponiera roundabout and at the Western Railway Station.

Cultural venues for pennies – Theatres, museums and cinemas for students

Poznań’s cultural institutions offer students free admission on selected days of the week or discounted tickets with a discount of 30% to 90% compared to the basic price. Going to the theater or museum often costs less than coffee in the Old Market Square.

Free days and cheap tickets in Poznań’s museums

Admission to the National Museum in Poznań at Aleje Marcinkowskiego is completely free on Tuesdays, and on other days students pay a symbolic price of PLN 1 for a ticket for the permanent exhibitions.

• Armament Museum at the Citadel: free admission to the outdoor and indoor exhibition on Fridays; A reduced ticket on other days costs PLN 10.

• Brama Poznania ICHOT (Śródka): a modern centre for the interpretation of history sells discounted tickets for PLN 18 (instead of PLN 28).

• Poznań City History Museum in the Town Hall: Tuesdays are the day of free admission to the permanent exhibition.

Last Minute Tickets to the Theatre and Opera

The Stanisław Moniuszko Grand Theatre in Poznań sells Last Minute tickets to students for PLN 20-30 30 30 minutes before the start of the performance. It’s a chance to see top-notch opera or ballet from the free seats in the audience.

The Nowy Theatre at Dąbrowskiego Street in Jeżyce offers student tickets with a discount of up to 40% (prices from PLN 35). In turn, the Polish Theatre at 27 Decembr Street regularly releases promotional pools of student tickets for PLN 20-25 for selected titles.

Studio cinemas with student price list

The Muza Cinema at Święty Marcin Street offers students tickets for PLN 14-16 as part of the cyclical “Cheap Mondays” campaign. It’s an iconic place with its own rooftop café terrace.

• Rialto Cinema (Jeżyce, Dąbrowskiego Street): student Thursdays with tickets at the price of PLN 16.

• Charlie & Lola Cinema (Rybaki Street): intimate screenings with discounted tickets for PLN 18.

• Chain stores (Cinema City Posnania/Kinepolis, Helios Avenida): student tickets cost from PLN 19.90 when purchased online in advance.

Sport and recreation – Where to have fun cheaper in Poznań?

Recreational facilities in Poznań offer students discounts of 20% to 45% on tickets to swimming pools, ice rinks and educational and natural spaces.

Malta Thermal Baths and Poznań Palm House

The Malta Thermal Baths at Lake Malta offer a student reduced ticket for sports pools at a price of PLN 28 for 3 hours. In the Aquapark zone, students take advantage of cheaper tickets as part of morning and afternoon promotions on weekdays.

The Poznań Palm House in Wilson Park in Łazarz makes its exotic pavilions available to students for PLN 12 (a normal ticket costs PLN 16). Walking through 10 pavilions full of tropical vegetation is a great way to relax during your session.

POSiR ice rinks and swimming pools

The Poznań Sports and Recreation Centres provide the Chwiałka ice rink on Wilda and the Malta ice rink for students at a price of PLN 13-15 per third (60 minutes). Renting equipment on site costs PLN 10.

• Chwiałka Swimming Pool (Żelazka Street): a student ticket for the indoor pool costs PLN 13 per hour.

• Rataje Swimming Pool (Piastowskie District): reduced admission at the price of PLN 14/h.

Where to eat cheap student lunch in Jeżyce, Wilda and Old Towns?

Cheap student food in Poznań is based on iconic milk bars and neighborhood bistros, where a two-course dinner with an ELS card costs from 15 to 25 PLN.

Proven milk bars

• Milk Bar “Santos” (Korzenna Street): serves traditional Polish dinners. The soup costs from 4 PLN, and you can close the second course with salad in the amount of 15-18 PLN.

• Milk Bar “Pod Kwadratem” (Jeżyce): serves home-made dinners, including lazy ones and dumplings from PLN 13 for a large portion.

• Milk Bar “Słoneczny” (Wilda): near the Chwiałka area, you can eat a full two-course dinner here for about PLN 20.

Premises with a discount on an ELS card

Pyra Bar at Strzelecka Street gives a 10% discount on the entire menu upon presentation of a valid student ID. You can eat a variety of potato casseroles and pancakes at a price of PLN 18-24.

The iconic Spaghetti Piccolo window at Wrocławska Street and Ratajczaka Street feeds students with pasta with sauces from PLN 11 for a small portion and PLN 14 for a large one. This is the fastest hot meal on the way between lectures in the center.

Summary of student discounts in Poznań

The table below collects the key places in Poznań that offer the most attractive discounts for students:

How to get the most out of discounts in Poznań?

• Activate the relief on the PEKA card: Go to the MPK POK (e.g. on Kaponier) and link the ELS card to the city system.
• Report PIT in Poznań: Indicate the Poznań address in your tax return to reduce the price of a semester ticket from PLN 270 to PLN 202.
• Plan for free museums: Use Tuesdays for the National Museum and City Hall, and Fridays for the Armament Museum at the Citadel.
• Aim for Last Minute tickets: Come to the box office of the Grand Theatre 30 minutes before the performance for a cheap ticket.
• Never throw away ELS: Carry a physical card with you or activate mLegitymacja in the mObywatel application.

Student Parties & Nightlife – Where do beer and drinks cost the least?

Student nightlife in Poznań is concentrated around Wrocławska and Półwiejska Streets and clubs in the area of the Old Market Square, where student beer costs from 7 to 10 PLN on designated nights, and admission to the premises is completely free.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are the traditional days of academic events in the capital of Wielkopolska. In the Cuba Libre club at Wrocławska Street, students with a valid ELS card enter free of charge throughout the night and take advantage of dedicated promotions at the bar.

The Vodka and Beer Pump Room at Wrocławska Street and the Embassy on the Old Market Square maintain a fixed price list for students. Shots and a small beer cost from 8 zlotys there, which makes these places the main meeting points before going out to larger clubs. The Tama facility at Niezłomnych Street organizes music events with a pool of cheaper discounted tickets for students of art and music universities.

Free study spaces – Libraries, co-working and quiet areas

The Adam Mickiewicz University Library at Ratajczaka Street and the Main Library of the Poznań University of Technology at the Piotrowo Campus provide students of all Poznań universities with free individual and group study zones, access to high-speed Wi-Fi and computer workstations with licensed scientific databases.

The new building of the Raczyński Library at Wolności Square offers modern, air-conditioned rooms for quiet work. You can make a project for classes in comfortable conditions without having to order a café coffee route. Access to the science zone is free of charge after obtaining a reader’s card.

In the Stary Browar Shopping Center at Półwiejska Street, there is a free co-working zone equipped with electrical outlets and wireless internet. It’s a comfortable space to work with your laptop during the window between lectures in the city center.

Services, hairdresser, health and shopping – How to save money in everyday life?

Poznań’s medical universities, cosmetology schools and partner establishments offer students free or discounted up to 70% hairdressing, dental and dermatological services as part of practical classes and student clinics.

The University Dental Center of the UMP at Bukowska Street in Grunwald conducts dental treatment performed by senior students under the direct supervision of professors. Conservative treatments, stone cleaning and inspections are completely free of charge for students under the NFZ fund or cost a fraction of market prices.

Hairdressing salons and beauty schools located in Jeżyce and Łazarz are regularly looking for models for free haircuts, styling and coloring. You can find announcements about available dates on local social groups, e.g. “Free Hairdresser Poznań”.

Scientific and language bookstores in the vicinity of Wolności Square grant a 10% discount on academic textbooks upon presentation of an ELS card. On the other hand, in chain grocery stores in Poznań (e.g. Carrefour, Auchan), designated days of the week offer student cashback or a 10% discount to the mobile application.

Poznań off the beaten track – Free recreation and hidden places

Poznań has more than 20 open city parks, including the Citadel Park, the Sołacki Park and the Morasko Meteorite Nature Reserve in Piątków, where recreation, picnics and admission to natural areas are completely free of charge throughout the year.

Sołacki Park is the most picturesque green area in the city, located within a 10-minute walk from the student Jeżyce. It is an ideal place for waste after classes at Adam Mickiewicz University or the University of Life Sciences.

Around Lake Malta there are free recreational paths for runners, roller skaters and cyclists. In the summer season, free outdoor cinemas, workshops and concerts are held in the Municipal Container zone on the Malta River and on the banks of the Warta River.

Śródka and Ostrów Tumski offer free walking routes combined with a tour of the architecture and the famous 3D mural. Crossing the Jordan Bridge from Śródka to Ostrów Tumski is one of the most popular walking routes among Poznań students.

Discounts for international students and Erasmus+ participants

Foreign students studying in Poznań are entitled to a 50% discount on MPK Poznań travel and discounts in cultural institutions on the basis of a Polish ELS card issued by the Poznań host university or an ISIC card.

The local student sections of ESN UAM, ESN PUT and ESN UEK help foreigners to obtain PEKA cards and activate travel discounts at MPK Customer Service Points. Dedicated events from the “Erasmus Nights” series in clubs on Wrocławska Street provide free entry and discounts at the bar.

Holders of the international EYCA (European Youth Card) up to the age of 30 benefit from discounts in Poznań’s museums, hostels and selected catering outlets on the same terms as Polish students.

A complete list of student opportunities in Poznań [Wielka Tabela]

The table below collects the most important discounts, free days and price deals in Poznań divided into categories:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Up to what age are student discounts valid at MPK Poznań?

A 50% discount on public transport travels by MPK Poznań is available to students of first- and second-cycle studies and long-cycle master’s studies up to the age of 26. PhD students are entitled to discounted travel on the basis of a doctoral card up to the age of 35.

2. Will part-time students get a Semester Ticket for PEKA?

Yes. The mode of study (full-time or part-time) does not affect the right to a discount. Every student with a valid ELS card will buy a Semester Ticket at a reduced price.

3. Does the ISIC card work on MPK Poznań trams?

No. During inspections in MPK Poznań vehicles, only the Polish Electronic Student Card (ELS) or mLegitymacja in mObywatel is accepted. The ISIC card, on the other hand, is useful in Poznań’s museums, theaters and hostels.

4. How to prove PIT settlement in Poznań for a cheaper PEKA ticket?

You need to submit a statement in the PEKA Online system or go to the MPK Customer Service Point with the first page of PIT for the last year (with the address in Poznań) and the official confirmation of receipt (UPO). The entitlement is uploaded to the PEKA card for one year.

5. Where to eat a cheap student lunch closest to the Morasko Campus?

The nearest cheap food can be found in student canteens on campus (e.g. at the Faculty of Biology or the Faculty of Political Science) and in bistro points at the Sobieski PST loop in Piątków.

6. Is there a student discount for travel on Koleje Wielkopolskie from Poznań?

Yes. On trains of Koleje Wielkopolskie and POLREGIO, there is a statutory student discount of 51% on single and monthly tickets for people up to 26 years of age.

Poznań creates great conditions for students to live cheaply if you can use the city’s amenities. The purchase of a Semester Ticket for PEKA with Poznań PIT pays for itself after a month of regular travel. By combining free days in museums, screenings in studio cinemas and meals in milk bars in Jeżyce and Wilda, you will drastically reduce the costs of everyday functioning in the capital of Wielkopolska.