4 ideas for a family weekend in Mazovia

Another active weekend in Poland is behind us, so it’s time to recommend new places. This time we will show you four 4 attractions for children in Mazovia, which are great ideas for a weekend or an extended stay with children.

The pandemic, the closing of borders, the uncertain future regarding the situation at home and abroad, and often lower wages, have caused Poles to flock to explore the most interesting corners of Poland instead of flying somewhere to the end of the world. And rightly so! We ourselves have started to focus more on Poland and can’t stop planning the next weekends. Even the opening of the borders has not made much of an impression on us, because we have discovered so many interesting corners of our country that we prefer to focus on what is more secure and safe. There will still be time for further travel.

This time we set off for Mazovia, which we had somehow skipped in our travel plans until now. Previously it was mainly Warsaw, we explored interesting places within the city limits, but this time we skipped the capital by a wide margin ;-)))

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We focused mainly on places geared toward families with children. So there’s no shortage of theme parks, but there’s also spending time in nature, exploring cities and learning about history. Because Mazovia is all about diversity, opportunities for both active leisure and blissful relaxation, city sightseeing and time in the countryside.

Table of contents

Attractions for children in Mazovia

So here are 4 suggestions for spending great family time in Mazovia.

Julinek Amusement Park and Kampinos National Park

Julinek is a theme park near Warsaw. Thematic, because everything is kept in the atmosphere…. circus. It was here that the famous Circus Base was located until the 1990s, and today it is home to the National School of Circus Arts, the only one in Poland that trains circus actors.

We spent several fantastic hours at this “circus,” during which the children were able to enjoy many attractions, including: playgrounds, inflatables, animation, learning circus arts, games and performances by artistic groups.

Entering here for the first time, you may feel a little lost and overwhelmed from the number of attractions, but after a while, after a short walk, such a feeling passes and everyone can find something for themselves at ease.

What we liked most about Julinek is that the park is divided into several completely different parts so as to tailor the attractions to the interests and ages of the children, while at the same time linking them thematically. In addition, at each attraction there are deck chairs and tables so parents have a chance to relax for a while (although, as it turned out in practice, we parents were more turned on exploring Julinek than lying down :) ).

The center of everything is the Large Circus Arena, a smaller circus tent and a stage. It is here that the life of Julinek is vibrant, it is here that the most is happening. Just approach for a moment, and right away the entertainers rouse the children to play, show tricks, teach them to spin the hula hoop, walk the tightrope, etc. From time to time there are various contests and competitions in which anyone can participate. The animations are interesting and engaging, with kids catching soap bubbles, throwing themselves with water balloons, stacking blocks and much, much more.

And what’s around? As we mentioned, there is a large creative playground with many attractions, including for the youngest; there is a tyrolean, a giant jumping cushion, there are sound and optical experiments, many ladders to climb and even more sand to sift through ;) Right next door is a climbing wall, mini golf, a little further away giant bowling and billiards.

But that’s not all! Within the Julinek Park there is the largest rope park in Mazovia, and for our part, we must add that at the same time the most creative of all we have seen so far ;) There are many interesting obstacles, the overcoming of which takes some effort. The most interesting routes are for people who are more than 130 cm tall.

Among slightly older children, inflatables are undoubtedly the most popular. Some are for toddlers, but the vast majority are for ages 4 and up, or even as young as 7.

In addition, there is also a small funfair in the park, where you can ride cars, fly planes or ride a train, but here the rides are charged extra.

Quite interestingly arranged is the space in the Big Arena itself. The main room, or arena, is used for workshops, performances by art and theater groups. During our visit, the theme was ecology and the performances were related to this theme – there were two performances a day, and admission was free. In the back there are former rooms where animals were kept (tiger house, elephant house), now they have been adapted into conference rooms, a restaurant area and even an indoor playroom for children. The climate is quite interesting, as anyone can feel like a caged animal here.

We mentioned the restaurant, so what are the catering facilities like? There are two restaurants in the park – a pizzeria and a restaurant with international cuisine, where you can also find Polish dishes. In addition, you can have a snack at foodtrucks (French fries, Mexican cuisine), eat ice cream, drink coffee and delicious, refreshing lemonade. No one will go hungry here :)

If you are planning to come to Julinek, we recommend looking at the schedule to see what the theme is for the upcoming weekend. As we mentioned, it was an environmental weekend during our visit, so the children learned how to give a second life to objects, there were performances and demonstrations about cleaning up the world.

If you are coming here from Warsaw, you will probably spend half a day here, or maybe even the whole day. However, if you are coming from afar, it is worth knowing that there is a hotel on the premises, also with a circus theme – B&B Julinek Park. It has standard rooms, family rooms and suites. Although from the outside it may seem like its glory days are behind it, the interiors are refreshed, the rooms clean and well-kept, with new furniture. It’s very neat and pleasant, so if you’re looking for a place to sleep in the area, this is a good choice. In addition, there is a camping area in front of the hotel.

What’s interesting and worth noting is that the Julinek Amusement Park is located in the Kampinos National Park and you can start from here on one of the many trails winding through the Kampinos. These range from short walking routes of a few kilometers to bicycle routes of several dozen kilometers. Many of them lead to interesting museum facilities or nature trails, but just walking through the wilderness and swamp areas along with looking for plants and animals is a good idea. We enriched our walk with a picnic, in one of the many shelters by the nature trail.

Be warned, there are a lot of mosquitoes in Kampinos at the moment, so be sure to take some mosquito repellent with you.

Practical information

Julinek Park is located about 35 km from Warsaw, near Leszno. There is a large, free parking lot in the Julinek Park area.

Note, there are two types of tickets to Julinek: with and without attractions. For £10 you can enter, but without being able to enjoy all the attractions. A ticket with inflatables, rope park, climbing wall, performances, etc. costs £58 (children under 4 enter for £1).

Illusion Farm

The Illusion Farm is another fantastic point on the map of Mazovia for spending an active day for the whole family.

It’s not only a place where we can experience optical illusions and delve into illusion techniques, but also have fun on playgrounds, ride carousels, jump on inflatables, have a barbecue, etc. So don’t let the name of the facility mislead you and get ready for a huge dose of wide-ranging entertainment :)

We were at the Illusion Farm a while after opening and stayed until the very end, and we still feel we missed a lot. It’s a large area and it’s a good idea to plan your stay with a map so that you can move efficiently between different parts. Especially since there are queues for some attractions, so you need to plan wisely where, when you will go.

There are queues for some of the exhibits, but we can’t say that there are crowds on site. Although we saw a queue for the checkout at the beginning, inside people spread out to different parts and do not feel crowded. Even though we were there on a Sunday, which is the day when it should be the busiest, it was really very pleasant. Of course, there have been queues for attractions, but this is now mainly due to regulations that many attractions and exhibits can only be entered by families, with no strangers (such as the Twisted House or the Flying Mystery Cottage).

At the very beginning, it is a good idea to find out what attractions and performances are planned for the day and at what time. They take place on the main stage and are great fun for big and small, e.g. illusionist shows, balloon show – they engage and entertain. It is, of course, worth being a while early to get a seat.

We could write and write about the permanent exhibits, exhibits and attractions of the Illusion Farm. The first attraction, as soon as you enter the Illusion Farm, is the Museum of Illusions, a corridor with various illusions, holograms and experiments. Strain your eyes and mind here ;) A piece further on is the most distinctive building – the leaning yellow house, or Flying Mystery Cottage. From the outside it may be nothing, but when you go inside the miscreant goes crazy :) This is where the biggest queues are, but it is worth the wait (we recommend coming here at the very end, because then there is a chance of the smallest queue).

Further on, the attractions double and triple. There is mini golf, a rotating house, a corridor of mirrors, a troll village, a roller coaster, 3d selfie photos, merry-go-rounds, inflatables, boat pulling, a pirate island…. There are attractions for the thrill-hungry, full of speed and wind in the hair, there are calmer rides, and there are attractions where you have to move your head, put something together, find your way through the maze. Everything is well laid out, and as you walk around the park you enter different themed sections.

For the youngest children, there is a special enclosure with bunnies (not real ones!), there are slow carousels where you can enter with your parents, a playground with a sandbox, an enclosure with animals, a musical clearing, a train – even the less than one and a half year old was overjoyed.

Not to mention the 4-year-old, because for Olive it is a real paradise. Great creative playgrounds, inflatables, monkey grove, merry-go-rounds, roller coaster, ride on horses, experiments, magic tricks…. we had a hard time leaving here ;)

Unfortunately, we did not manage to take advantage of the water attractions, as the area with pools was still closed.

What do the catering facilities look like? There are several restaurants and bars on the grounds of the Illusion Farm, each specializing in a different cuisine: there is a pizzeria, burgers, pea soup, traditional Polish dishes, and there are also stands with ice cream and waffles, so no one will leave hungry.

Practical information

The Illusion Farm is located between Warsaw and Lublin, and there is ample free car parking on site.

A normal, 1-day ticket costs 55 zlotys, for children under 16 – 49 zlotys. Toddlers up to 100 centimeters enter for a zloty. We encourage you to buy your tickets online – you then bypass the queues at the on-site box office, plus you get a 5% discount.

If you are looking for accommodation in the area, the closest place to stay is Talaria Resort & Spa.

Radom and the Radom Village Museum

The Radom Village Museum is an open-air museum that brings together objects from the immediate vicinity of Radom (within a radius of up to about 50 kilometers). It is worth reserving at least half a day for a visit to the open-air museum – it is a large area, and there are about 60 monuments of folk architecture to see.

The tour is highly recommended with a guide who will tell interesting facts and stories related to each building, show what other visitors will not see. During the guided tour, we were so engrossed in the stories and tales that no additional descriptions of the objects were necessary. The guides have everything in their little finger :) Each object is a different story, every prop in the chamber is here for a purpose. We were very surprised how detailed the story can be told not only about the buildings, but also about life in the countryside in the 19th and 20th centuries.

As it is in an open-air museum, the whole thing revolves around village life, too. You can see homesteads, houses, chambers. By comparing the various facilities, we can not only learn about their history, but also see how they changed over the centuries, how richer and poorer farmers lived. Of course, one should be aware that this is a beautified village, without dirt and stench, but even so, one can largely imagine what life here might have been like in previous centuries.

In addition to country houses, we can also see manor houses, windmills, religious buildings, cellars, barns, and even a wooden fire station! Also noteworthy is the church of St. It is also the home of St. Dorothy of Wolanow, which currently hosts weddings, communions and baptisms. All monuments are arranged to reflect the layout of ancient villages.

Temporary exhibitions are held in some of the buildings, and so, for example, the Folk House is currently hosting an exhibition on folk costumes and materials, and the Granary is showing pottery.

The big fun for the little ones is the animal enclosure, where geese, chickens and Radomir the goat live. A lot of fun will be had at the wooden playground right at the entrance to the open-air museum.

The place is extremely picturesque. Unsurprisingly, it has served as a film set for many movies and music videos.

It is worth coming to Radom to see this unique museum. Of course, we wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t stop for a while in the center of Radom. Unfortunately, we passed more time in the open-air museum than we planned, so we only had 2-3 hours left in Radom itself. However, this was enough for us to hop over to the Tourist Information, where we received very detailed directions and recommendations on what to see. We especially recommend getting maps and walking routes around the city.

So we set off for a stroll down Zeromski Street peeking into backyards while looking for counterparts of Wroclaw’s dwarves. In Radom, in the city center, you can come across sculptures – symbols of the city, such as Sofix boots, Lucznik sewing machine, Malwa telephone, military bicycle and many others. Nothing but to take the map in hand and go in search of 14 such symbols! We just don’t know who had more fun searching, us or the kids? ;)

There are several buildings on Zeromski Street that are particularly noteworthy, such as the Gothic St. Peter’s Church. St. The church of St. Catherine of Alexandria and the monastery of Fr. Bernardine monks, the building of the former Trzebinski printing house (a listed building, unfortunately, badly deteriorating), the Karsch palace and atlanta supporting balcony, and the City Hall building.

Another important point on the tourist map of Radom is the Town Square and the buildings located around it: the houses of Gąska and Esterka (the oldest bourgeois tenement houses in Radom), the New Town Hall, the Piarist college, which houses the Malczewski Museum.

Unfortunately, we were not able to reach Grodzisko Piotrówka, which gave rise to the settlement and later the center of trade and craft development.

Practical information

On Mondays, the Radom Village Museum can be visited for free. A regular ticket costs 17 zloty, and a discounted ticket costs 9 zloty.

There is paid car parking on site (2 zl/day).

Suntago Water World

Finally, one more place to include in your vacation plans. A place that was lavishly opened and immediately closed due to an epidemic. Fortunately, everything is slowly returning to normal, aqua park activities as well, so we can confidently visit Suntago as well.

It is currently the most interesting aqua park in Poland, which aims to be an answer to Berlin’s Tropical Island. This is because Suntago relies on a tropical climate: there is a constant temperature of about 30 degrees, plus nearly 350 palm trees have been planted here, making it full of greenery.

But let’s focus on the most important thing – water attractions, and there are plenty of them here – 32 slides await visitors, including Jungle Eclipse, which is 320 meters long. There are both kamikaze type slides, a rainbow slide on which 8 people can slide in parallel, a funnel slide, slides with pontoons…. Most for people who are at least 120 cm tall.

There are, of course, several pools, including a pool with artificial waves, a rapid river, thermal pools, and pools with health properties. A paddling pool and a water playground await children. In addition, Suntago has two zones for people over 16: Relax and Saunaria.

You can read more about Suntago in a dedicated post and see a video of a report on the stay:

Practical information

An all-day ticket to the Jamango zone for people 16 and older costs $109. A ticket for children who are less than 120 centimeters tall costs 89 zloty, and for toddlers under 3 years old the ticket is a symbolic zloty.

Summary

We hope that with these 4 ideas we have encouraged you to visit Mazovia, which of course offers many more places and attractions than those described above. For the most part, however, these are places we have only discovered for the first time, and we encourage you to do the same!

These places, are fun not only for the little ones, also parents will not be bored – we ourselves have a lot of fun discovering such places, and even more from sharing them with you :)

If you know of any other interesting places in Mazovia let us know in the comments! We would love to visit them too :)

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