I will be in Berlin towards the end of this year for a business conference. I have a day or two free, and would like to see a city in Poland, if possible. The closest city I can find by train, is Poznan, and it looks beautiful! I would love to see other cities as well and am willing to consider a two day trip to Poland from Berlin.
I welcome any recommendations!
Since you don't have a lot of time, pick a city where you're minimizing time in transit: Szczecin, Poznań, or Wrocław are good choices. Don't count out buses (Flix) or short flights either (that could put Gdańsk in contention).
Poznan is indeed well worth a visit with its combination of Polish and German culture, and it's less than 3 hrs on the train from Berlin (use Ostbahnhof, which is a much easier station to handle than Hauptbahnhof).
Your two days will not be enough to put in a second city, but if you can extend your trip to Poland, Torun is another beauty.
In Poznan I've found the NH hotel a good place. It's some 15-20 minutes walk from the station, and about the same time to the Rynek (Market Square).
I would suggest doing the Berlin to Poznan route too. That was my intention on this last trip since I have only seen that route once ie, in 2001, going from Berlin to Warsaw... very .interesting countryside was what caught my attention.
I was in Poznan last week and agree that it is very much worth a trip. It doesn't have as many museums as Wroclaw (or Gdansk), so it's ideal for a short visit.
Poznan is a very cute, clean, green and liveable city. Lots of charming cafes and dessert shops without big tour groups. Bear in mind that this is a convention city and therefore hotels can be fully booked during busy season.
If you are into specialty coffee, then visit Brisman, whose owner just won the World Championship in June. I was there last year, it's very good!
For handmade donuts and good coffee, head for this place:
Pączuś i Kawusia
I stayed at a sleek boutique hotel, Ilonn Boutique Limanowskiego. Fantastic value. Hotel City Park is a part of a big complex with an indoor pool and spa. We went to their restaurants and bar--both great.