Attractions for children in Wroclaw? Today we have for you three suggestions for attractions for children in Wroclaw :) All tested by a less than three-year-old with her parents. See what interesting things you can do with one weekend in Wroclaw.
Since the S8 road between Łódź and Wrocław was opened, the capital of Lower Silesia has become closer to us. We have a tremendous affection for this city and are eager to return here.
At first there was admiration and absorption of every monument and interesting corner. Nowadays we come here to relax, or we are here for interesting events. Weekends in Wroclaw are less intense every time, we find time to stop for a while and just observe, go to an interesting cafe or restaurant. There’s no pressure or pressure that we need to see as much as possible, because the truth is that we’ll probably come here again in a few months.
This time, however, the weekend in Wroclaw promised to be special. It was our first trip with four of us! So on board we had parents, a less than three-year-old and a newborn baby :) We decided that this trip would be entirely for Olive. We will focus on attractions for children, while we adults will discover Wroclaw from a whole new perspective.
Below we present to you 3 places we managed to see. We are confident that there is something for everyone among them. What’s more, adults won’t be bored either :)
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Table of contents
Well, this is an attraction not only for children ;-) We left the queue for last, more as an alternative if we have time left on Sunday, and this alternative turned out to be a hit!
And although the room where the mock-ups stand seems quite claustrophobic at first glance, you can spend a lot of time here admiring every last detail on the numerous mock-ups prepared on two floors.
And let’s add that there is something to see and, contrary to the name, not only mock-ups with trains. Here we have a mock-up with a train traveling through Lower Silesia with Sniezka in the lead, a mock-up with Wroclaw (by the way), shown life in the countryside, rescue operations, blissful vacations, numerous vehicles and events, all on more than 300 square meters of mock-up space.
What’s great is that every few minutes the time of day changes, and when it gets dark the lights in the windows and lanterns come on, and the mock-ups show night life.
Olive was delighted with the mock-ups! She could look at all the elements for hours, and would be most happy to touch each one. Philip, on the other hand, slept at his best and no noises or lights disturbed him.
And us? We were able to play with the camera on the new smartphone and test its capabilities ;)
What do you need to know? At the entrance there is an unguarded checkroom where you can leave your outer clothes and stroller. Inside, it’s quite cramped, with only stairs leading to the floor – the lack of an elevator is a downside here. It’s also noisy inside – the street noises from the mock-ups and visitors make the experience perhaps too intense for the youngest.
Check out our new post after visiting Kolejkowo in its new location: Kolejkowo Wrocław – Lower Silesia in Miniatura!
Although it is quite cramped, there was room for a children’s corner, in the style of “Tom and Friends,” of course.
Ticket prices: adult – 23 zlotys, concessionary – 17 zlotys, children under 3 enter for free.
Wroclaw Zoo
is considered the best zoo in Poland. Since the Africarium and Oceanarium have opened here, it is second to none, and we decided to see how it compares with the Singapore Zoo (okay, it’s on the losing end in advance, but is it really that far from the Asian giant?).
We went to the zoo on Saturday and assumed that we would spend the whole day here. And rightly so! We went in around 11:00 a.m., and we stayed until closing time, and we can’t write that we saw everything this garden has to offer. Before coming, we read about the long queues at the ticket offices, but still decided to take a chance and not buy tickets online (you can always do it on the spot if the queues actually turn out to be long). Fortunately, there were no queues at all.
And while we’re on the subject of checkouts, unfortunately this is the least pleasant part of a visit to the Wroclaw Zoo. A regular ticket costs as much as 50 zlotys – at first this price knocked us a little, but after a while we realized a few facts. Fortunately, Olive enters for free (ouch, we caught on), and 50 zloty is about 12 euros, which is less than in other facilities of this type in Europe…. It’s just that these PLNs are so impressive. In addition, it’s really a full day filled.
What’s more, you are even encouraged to overpay for your ticket – you can buy tickets that are a zloty more expensive, and the difference goes to animal protection. A penny won’t save a penny, and with the number of visitors, if everyone donated a penny, the zoo would get more than a million a year to help the animals! Yes, you read that right – what about Wieliczka, what about other museums or castles in Poland, it is the ZOO that is the most visited, ticketed place in Poland
[source]
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Initially, we walked through alleys and approached outdoor enclosures, as long as the weather was nice. At about 3 pm we were already tired, but we left for the end the most important attraction, the Afrykarium, which we could not let go.
This was our first visit to the Wroclaw Zoo, but you can see that the place is changing – there are many new, large enclosures, and several being modernized. You can see immediately which have been prepared anew, and which are still waiting for better times. And fact, some seemed terribly small and cramped (including the pavilions), but nevertheless the overall impression remains positive, as you can see that it’s going for the best.
We were particularly positively surprised by the enclosure for European animals, which is still under construction, but you could already see the bears in a very interestingly arranged space, which even had room for rocks and a stream. The bears can be observed from a special wooden footbridge built above the enclosures.
And how about the Afrykarium and Oceanarium? Is there actually such a wow effect? Well he was :) First of all, because there is such an interesting place in Poland at all. Secondly, we were most impressed by the aquarium with manatees and the tropical forest, where we could feel like…. at least in Singapore, where one is immediately struck by the high temperature and high humidity :)
In the Afrykarium we will see enclosures and aquariums with animals, plants, but also birds that fly over the heads of visitors. The main idea was to showcase Africa and its diverse water environment. And it worked – we have not yet seen individual ecosystems so interestingly portrayed in any facility. Here you can discover the Black Continent from a completely different perspective, because who would have thought that so many aquatic creatures inhabit Africa?
However, we were disappointed with the much-vaunted tunnel – it was crowded, little to see and the main attraction is a water turtle…. While the rest of it delighted us and is truly world-class, this tunnel is just a substitute for what can be seen in other places.
And finally, some practical information: on the garden grounds you can rent special strollers for children and for bundles for 10 zloty per day. A lot of people use it, and if we didn’t have our stroller we would be happy to take it too.
The gastronomic offer is… medium. Sausages, pork chops, casseroles and ice cream are king. We didn’t particularly enjoy it, although we had the impression that not all the food outlets were open so the selection was modest as well.
Ticket prices, as mentioned, are 50/51 zloty for a regular ticket and 40/41 zloty for a discounted ticket. If you enter with two children over 3 years old, it is already worthwhile to buy a family ticket for 160/165 zloty.
>> We also recommend our post about
Orientarium and Zoo in Lodz
!
Hydropolis is a relatively new place on the map of Wroclaw. After our admiration of EC1 in Lodz, we couldn’t miss this place. And while in EC1 in Lodz we learn about electricity generation and the history of the thermal power plant, here we can learn about the power and properties of water and a lot about the sewage system in Wroclaw.
Hydropolis is betting on a wow effect right from the start. To enter the building with the exhibition we have to overcome the water pouring from the roof of the building! Not just pouring, as the water stream is arranged in different patterns, so you can stand in front of the entrance like mesmerized and watch this water dance.
Fear nothing, however, once you approach the door, the water stops pouring across the width of the entrance and you will enter Hydropolis, safe and sound, without any problem. Before entering, you can use the locker room located downstairs.
You enter the exhibition in groups, every 6 minutes (although online tickets are purchased for the hour…). This is only intended to relieve the crowd, as everyone goes their own way after entering.
Well, maybe not exactly, because the first room is incredibly impressive, and everyone stays together anyway – it’s a large circular room with a large spherical screen, and in the very center is the planet Earth. In the background you can hear the voice of Krystyna Czubówna talking about the role of water on our planet, with numerous interesting facts and impressive numbers and comparisons. This is the beginning and introduction to our Hydropolis tour.
From here you move to the next room – the Depths. Here we learn about organisms that live very deep in the water even at depths of up to 11 km! We get a sneak peek at the bottom of the oceans, we can enter a capsule that explores the seafloor, learn about the wrecks found on the ocean floors and read about disasters, such as the famous Titanic.
The next room is Aquatic Animals. As we enter here, a school of fish with a shark “swims” over our heads. Here we learn about different species and interesting facts about them, such as through videos and animations.
Further on is the relaxation area where, on glowing white recliners, we can either look at the Amazon forest or the night moon. The atmosphere here is calm and peaceful, with pleasant sounds in the background conducive to relaxation, and there is perfect humidity. Of course, with two children, there is no chance to rest, so we quickly left them ;-)
Then, one enters a room showing the history of water engineering, i.e. not only ships, but also machines and tools that help transport water and its further use. It is also a journey into history, as you can also look at old inventions. Here there is also a ship exhibition, where we can look at models from rafts or catamarans to large container ships or cruise ships.
The next room is the City and Water, something for fans of all kinds of mock-ups :) This is where we spent the most time! We saw what kind of path water covenants on the example of Wroclaw, i.e. how water is distributed, where the intakes are, what happens to wastewater, etc.
On top of that, we saw various elements of the sewer system in Wroclaw on an interactive map. There are large, touchscreens on which you can highlight the various elements and learn, for example, how the city’s pipes are run and where the various elements of the city’s sewer system are located. A very interesting feature is the map added here of the areas flooded during the 1997 flood of the millennium.
If someone doesn’t have enough attractions, you can play the role of a dispatcher and choose different scenarios for water distribution such as a football game (did you know that the highest water consumption occurs at halftime of a football game, of course? ;-)).
The next and final room is about water found in the environment. We can see the water cycle in nature, look at artificial snow, see how clouds form, etc.
And that would be it. How do we evaluate Hydropolis? It is certainly a place that teaches and shows water not only by the phenomena occurring in nature, but also the influence and participation of man. The knowledge is conveyed in a very attractive way and is sure to answer many questions that parents do not know the answers to.
Unfortunately, like EC1, it is more for older children. Olive was only interested in some of the exhibitions, but most are dedicated more to school-aged children. We parents liked it better, but we would have to come here on our own, because it takes more time and quiet to study the various descriptions and use the interactive exhibits.
We also have a sense of some insufficiency. Perhaps we expected more space and more exhibits and interaction. A little more history of the place. Or maybe we just compare them too much to the Lodz attraction ;) We will probably return when the children are older.
And some practical aspects: Most importantly, there are no toilets in the area of the exhibitions themselves! Remember to use them before you enter ;)
A regular ticket costs 27 zloty, and a discounted ticket costs 18 zloty. Children under 3 years of age enter for free. Tickets can be purchased in advance online, for a specific time.
There is a cafe in the building with the exhibition, where you can have a pretty good cup of coffee and eat something sweet.
We have shown you three completely different attractions in Wroclaw that will make a family weekend in the city more pleasant. These are interesting places for children of different ages with different interests :) We liked the ZOO and Kolejkowo the most, and we will return to Hydropolis when the children grow up, because it is a pity not to take advantage of such interestingly transmitted knowledge about the world.
Besides, remember that Wroclaw is also a beautiful Old Market and its surroundings, and there is something for everyone here :)
And you, what places for children in Wroclaw do you recommend?
We also recommend the photo gallery:
Zobacz galerię wszystkich zdjęć z Wrocławia >>>
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Pierwszy lot samolotem z dzieckiem?
Polecamy naszą książkę!
Przed Tobą lot z dzieckiem samolotem? A może planujesz dalszą podróż z niemowlakiem i nie wiesz czy dasz radę tak daleko lecieć samolotem?
W naszej książce znajdziesz 240 stron pełnych praktycznych porad i wskazówek jak przetrwać lot z dzieckiem lub niemowlakiem bazując na ponad 6 latach naszego doświadczenia!
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