Kids & Families

Get vertical in Stacja Grawitacja and check out the other fun activities on p.60.

Warsaw has a tonne of sightseeing, but not all places are suited for youngsters� You can only expect them to be quiet and respectful in museums for so long� There must be something else to do in this town, right? Yup! The first step to having a great family vacation abroad is to accept that what you want to do, and what your kids want to do are hardly one and the same� That said, there’s no reason you can’t find common ground in Warsaw’s major attractions�

Helpful Hints & Ideas

The perfect choice is to go to the Copernicus Science Centre (p�45), which will not only keep the kids entertained with the games and interactive nature of the museum, but the adults with also have a whale of a time too� The Warsaw Rising Museum (p�55) is super-modern and highly interactive, with kid specific educational zones� The approach to Jewish history at POLIN (p�51) is equally as interactive, and appropriate for pre-teens and upwards�

If action-packed indoor attractions interest you more, Warsaw also has Stacja Grawitacja (p�60) for trampolining madness� Hulakula Leisure Centre (p�60) not only has bowling, but an indoor playground for the kids to run wild! MK Bowling Entertainment Centre (p�61) is also a great venue for adults and families with kids� Alternatively, get artsy with the ceramic painting workshops offered by Pomaluj.art (p�61), or expand your mind (and have fun playing tricks on it) in the World of Illusion (p�61) - essentially an educational museum, but also great for selfie pics!

Sometimes the best thing to do is simply take a charming walk along the Royal Route (p�30) and onward to the Old Town (p�24), where in the warmer months, the area has a family atmosphere� Other outdoor leisure activities could include a visit to Łazienki Park (p�36) with plenty of cute squirrels, peacocks and ducks around! For more animals, check out Warsaw Zoo (p�63)! Don’t forget that Warsaw has plenty of parks to choose from, all with play areas for the kids to jump, swing, duck and roll, with all the central ones marked on our maps at the back� The Vistula Boulevards (p�44) are great for those wishing to walk, bike, skate or play in specially installed play areas for the kids� For general cycling, we highly recommend using the Veturilo city bike hire service (stations marked on our maps, available Apr-Nov), with plenty of cycle lanes across Warsaw to ride safely�

Remember a time before everyone could play games on their phones? A time when even having a gaming console was considered a luxury for kids? For those that didn’t have this, arcade games, and pinball machines in-particular, were a damn cool form of entertainment (and minor obsession)� Relive those days in this fun pinball museum containing over 90 machines you can play on, some of which date back to the 1930s, with walls adorned in old school arcade posters� To get there, travel to the ‘Plac Zawiszy’ bus/ tram stop, or take the short walk from the ‘Rondo Daszyńskiego’ Metro station�QB‑9, ul. Kolejowa 8A, MRondo Daszyńskiego, tel. (+48) 600 63 31 15, www. pinballstation.pl. Open 12:00‑22:00; Fri, Sat 11:00‑24:00; Sun 11:00‑22:00. Admission 40/35zł; kids under 12 25zł.

Warsaw Zoo

Opened in 1928, Warsaw Zoo covers an area of 40 hectares and attracts some 500,000 visitors each year� In total there are 12,700 animals here, across 500 species� Conditions have improved dramatically in recent years, though a visit here will do little to change any opinions you have on locking animals in cages� It was bombed at the beginning of the conflict and by 1945 all the animals had either been killed, deported to the Third Reich, eaten by locals or escaped into the wild� Zoo director, Jan Żabiński, became something of a hero; wounded during the 1944 Uprising (p�54), he helped save countless lives by sheltering Jewish orphans inside the grounds of the zoo�QH‑3, ul. Ratuszowa 1/3, MDworzec Wileński, tel. (+48) 22 619 40 41, www.zoo.waw.pl. Open 09:00‑17:00. From November open 09:00‑16:00. From December open 09:00‑15:30; Sat‑Sun 09:00‑16:00. Admission 20/15zł.

Warszawianka Water Park

The best pool complex in Warsaw, the extensive facilities include saunas, steam rooms, snow cabins, solariums, loads of slides, a playground for the kids and more� Prices range from 69-95zł/52-71zł all day, 23-38zł/18-30zł per hour and 39-62zł/30-47zł for 2�5 hours (yes, the pricing is weird)� Happy Hours are on offer with a fixed price Mon-Fri 17�50/9�50zł per hour from 09:00-15:00�QH‑16, ul. Merliniego 4 (Mokotów), MWierzbno, tel. (+48) 22 854 01 30, www.wodnypark.com.pl. Open 06:00‑22:00; Sat, Sun 06:30‑22:00. [Spa open 11:00‑22:00; admission 46‑ 82/36‑63zł].