Kids & Families � � � � � � � � � � � �

In addition to bouncy floors, Stacja Grawitacja (p.58) also boasts the best 3D VR gaming experience in Poland!

Warsaw has plenty of sightseeing, but not every cultural site is going to engage your youngsters� The first step to having a great family vacation abroad is probably to accept that what you want to do, and what your kids want to do, may ot be one and the same� That said, there’s no reason you can’t find common ground in Warsaw’s major attractions�

Helpful Hints & Ideas

Copernicus Science Centre (p�44) is the obious choice, as it will not only keep the kids entertained with interactive exhibits, but adults with also have a blast too� The Warsaw Rising Museum (p�53) is also highly interactive, with kid specific educational zones� The Dollhouse Museum (p�60), on the other hand, is the very antithesis of modern, showcasing over 120 historical dollhouses�

If the weather is terrible, Warsaw has plenty of action-packed indoor attractions� Stacja Grawitacja (p�58)offerstrampoline and virtual reality madness, while Hulakula Leisure Centre (p�58) not only has bowling, but an indoor playground for the kids to run wild� MK Bowling Entertainment Centre (p�59) is also a great venue for adults and families with kids� Alternatively, get artsy with the ceramic painting workshops offered by Pomaluj.art (p�59), or expand your mind (and have fun playing tricks on it) in the World of Illusion (p�59) - essentially an educational museum, but also great for selfie pics! Lastly, as it’s the holidays, wear your kids out by looking at Warsaw’s lovely decorations at Wilanów or the Multimedia Fountain Park, and go ice skating in the Old Town (p�10-12)!

Museum of Dollhouses, Games & Toys

A small, charming and antiquated museum fittingly located right in Warsaw’s Old Town� Showcasing over 150 highly detailed historical dollhouses, plus various other minature settings, the museum’s two permanent exhibits - ‘The Bygone World of Dollhouses’ and ‘Religious Toys’ - both show unique handcrafted models, costumes and toys, while also demonstrating how tastes and fashions have changed over time� The museum bills itself as an exciting experience for kids from ages 5-105 (you read that right), and, to prove the point, those below 100cm and above the age of 100 get in for free� You’ll also find another small branch not far away, which hosts temporary exhibits (currently toys from the PRL-era) at ul� Krzywe Koło 2/4 (F-4)�QF-4, ul. Podwale 15, MNowy Świat-Uniwersytet, tel. (+48) 517 49 00 47, www.muzeumdomkow.pl. Open 11:00-19:00. Tickets 12/9zł. Group tours available in English, Polish and Russian.

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�52), 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 09:00-15:30; Sat, Sun 09:00-16:00. Admission 20/15zł.

Warszawianka Water Park

The best indoor pool complex in Warsaw, the extensive facilities include saunas, steam rooms, snow cabins, solariums, squash courts, 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 11:0022:00; admission 46-82/36-63zł].