Located just below the southeast shore of Lake Rusałka, Poznań's pretty but somewhat neglected Botanical Garden boasts a vast 22 hectares and over 7,000 varieties of plants from various climates and ecosystems. Free to visit and open year-round, the garden is a recreational and educational park owned by the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, and its history dates back to 1922 when it was only a 6 hectare plot. The park includes several greenhouses (not open to the public), a large Alpinarium, a snazzy two-storey exhibition pavilion with an art gallery and cafe, several enormous standing stones that look like they took great trouble to bring here, and a lovely ballerina fountain designed by Margaret Węcławska - a graduate of the Poz Academy of Fine Arts. Worth visiting on a nice day, though note that it is quite popular on weekends. To get here, take tram no. 8 from Plac Ratajskiego to Ogrody, or consider renting a bike - it's a 4km trip from the Old Town.
