Are you looking for an idea for May Day 2024 while constantly asking yourself where to go for a long weekend with your child? Here are some interesting ideas and suggestions for you, along with tips on where a May trip with children is sure to be a success!
For us, every long weekend is an opportunity to spend time together somewhere on the road. Working full-time, we try to make the most of every such opportunity, so we either go for 2-3 nights in Poland or match a few days of vacation and combine some further trip. The key, however, is to plan vacations wisely.
May is the perfect time when we just need to take 2-3 days off, and we can afford almost a week’s vacation. And although it must be admitted that this year it falls exceptionally unfortunate (May 1 is a Sunday and May 3 is a Tuesday) it is worth even this one extra day to plan well. Or would you rather take 4 days and have more than a week off? In this post, we give you suggestions for both a 2-3 day getaway and a week-long trip.
Whether you have days off and can afford to take a vacation, we encourage you to explore interesting places. All the more so, because May vacation with children is a great excuse for closer and farther trips :) Why not take a trip to the mountains for May? A May trip to the Mazurian Lake District sounds great, too. How about a May trip to the seaside after all? Or abroad?
We present many ideas, with something for everyone whether you prefer cities, nature, monuments or active recreation.
Just remember that it can even snow in Poland on May Day, which is why we’ve long been settling for nice weather if we’re going somewhere close. When planning trips to Poland, we either prepare adequately for rain and colder temperatures, or look for places with covered attractions. We try to plan family trips in such a way that the weather is not an obstacle. And yet, if you prefer to be guaranteed weather then you can always escape to a warmer country for a week.
Check out some of our ideas and suggestions for your upcoming family May trip! Divided into categories, but the order is random :)
Table of contents
May vacation with children abroad:
1. Saxony
Our most interesting discovery from before the pandemic and a place we recommend to all families traveling with children. Very close to Poland, lots of attractions for children, great infrastructure, and even for bad weather there will be attractions here.
What do we particularly recommend? Fantastic theme parks (such as. located just across the border, the Mysterious Land of Turisede, the Dinosaur Park near Bautzen or the Belantis amusement park), zoos (we especially recommend the Zoo in Gorlitz and the Leipzig Zoo), museums that have adapted expositions for children (e.g. Hygiene Museum and Transport Museum in Dresden) castles and palaces introducing the stories of princesses and knights, a steamboat cruise on the Elbe River or bicycle tours on well-prepared bike paths.
Check out our post on family travel in Saxony, and we also recommend our comprehensive video on attractions in Saxony:
2 Vienna
You can get to Vienna by plane or drive (see our post How and what to get to Vienna). It is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and there are plenty of attractions waiting for the little ones as well.
So what can we do here with the children? Go to the special Zoom Children’s Museum within the MuseumsQuartier, go crazy on the carousels in the Prater Park, see dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, check out the Butterfly House and the Music House, dress up as the residents of Schönbrunn Palace, and see the world’s oldest zoo.
We wrote more about these and other sights in our post on Vienna and children’s attractions in Vienna.
3. Budapest
Another weekend city, but on a slightly smaller budget than Vienna. Budapest has a lot of interesting sights, although it does not abound with as many typical children’s attractions as Vienna. Nonetheless, children will certainly enjoy the fantastic playgrounds – we especially liked the one on the slope of Gellert Hill (the adults had fun too ;) ).
With children it is worth looking at
thermal pools
, although when planning your stay check which ones you can enter with minors ;) Aquaworld aquapark, located away from the center, will also be a great attraction.
We wrote about Budapest with a baby here.
4. South Tyrol
How about going to the mountains? Even if the winter madness is behind you, or you are not a fan of winter sports, there is always something to do in the mountains. We spent a few days in South Tyrol, which, in addition to beautiful nature, has fantastic agritourisms on offer. They are affiliated with Roter Hahn and thus provide specific comfort and conditions within the categories. Here you will find facilities fully geared toward children, with animals, gardens, plant breeding, playgrounds and additional activities. These are organic farms that serve dishes mostly composed of local products.
There is plenty to do in the area, although attractions for those who enjoy active recreation predominate. You will easily find hiking trails of different levels (also accessible to families with baby strollers), and let’s not forget the beautiful Dolomites!
We wrote about what to do in the area here.
5. Morocco
If you need guaranteed weather then we suggest Morocco, such as.
Marrakech
. You can read different opinions on the Internet and in guidebooks when it comes to Morocco with children, but we were delighted. Fact, there are no playgrounds or attractions typical for children, but this didn’t bother us at all, and in fact allowed us to focus on other aspects.
Beautiful mansions, gardens, courtyards, museums, souks and very, very open Moroccans made this one of the more successful family trips.
View this post on Instagram.
You can find a link to a post about Marrakech with kids here.
6. Singapore
However, if you are thinking of traveling even further afield, Singapore is worth considering. Singapore for a few days! Is it worth it! Singapore, in our opinion, is a destination worth taking for a few days. An additional advantage is the direct connections from Poland.
Of course, it’s ideal to combine this with other countries in Asia to offset the carbon footprint, but it’s also worth considering Singapore as a vacation destination and not just a stopover on your trip.
You can read more about attractions in Singapore here, but we also recommend you read our post 6 things you need to know before you go to Singapore with your child.
7. Legoland in Billund
A rather expensive option, but just right for a short weekend getaway when you don’t want to take extra vacation days. It is highly, highly encouraged that an outing to Billund should not be considered a day trip.
In addition to the famous Legoland, check out Lego House – it’s worth spending a day on each of these attractions.
We wrote about our weekend in Billund here: Legoland and Lego House.
Family City Break in Poland
If it’s a typical City Break, but locally, we definitely recommend Wrocław, Toruń Tricity or…. Lodz!
--- autopromocja ---
Szukasz atrakcji dla dzieci w Polsce?
Polecamy naszą książkę!
Szukasz pomysłu na weekendowy wypad z rodziną w Polsce? Już teraz możesz zakupić naszą książką, z dokładnie 104 atrakcjami dla dzieci w Polsce, czyli 104 pomysłami, które pomogą zaplanować weekend lub tygodniowy wyjazd w Polsce, dla całej rodziny.
Książka wydana jest w miękkiej okładce, zawiera aż 360 strony pełne inspiracji, opisów, naszych ocen oraz praktycznych informacji. Jest to idealna propozycja z bazą pomysłów na każdy dzień w roku!
104 atrakcje dla dzieci. Polska z pomysłem >>>
--- autopromocja ---
1. breslau
Wroclaw is one of our favorite cities in Poland, to which we return quite often. Who hasn’t been and looked for Wroclaw’s dwarves? After all, it’s interesting fun for adults too ;)
However, when it comes to attractions typical for children, there is plenty to choose from, especially since both younger and older children will not be bored.
Be sure to visit the best zoo in Poland– Zoo Wroclaw, learn about the role and properties of water in Hydropolis and see the fantastic models in Kolejkowa. You can read about these places in the post about attractions for children in Wroclaw, or you can see more attractions in Wroclaw in this post.
2. tri-city and surrounding areas
Somehow, we rarely get to the Polish seaside in summer. We would sooner pop out on a winter or May weekend than during the holiday season. We recommend you Tri-City and the surrounding area for the May Day weekend, when it is not yet crowded, it is too cold for beach and sunbathing, but there are still many attractions and places to visit. As you know, we are not very lucky with the weather, so attractions for inclement weather in the Tri-City we have tested ;)
So what can we do locally? Of course go to the beach! Even if it’s cooler or windier, after all, there’s nothing stopping you from going for a walk, and catching a decent dose of iodine in the process. Outside the Tri-City, we recommend for walks such as the headland in Rewa or the promenade on the Hel Peninsula.
What else is there to do with children? Take a look at the Experiment Science Center in Gdynia, meet aquatic animals at the Ocean Park in Wladyslawowo or the Aquarium in Gdynia, see the special children’s section at the World War II Museum in Gdansk, look for murals in Gdansk’s Zaspa…. Well there is something to do!
3. Toruń
The city of gingerbread and Copernicus is recommended for the May weekend.
We were last in Torun in January 2019, when it was quite cold, so it was a waste of days wandering around the city.
Thanks to this, we discovered that also in Torun we can easily find interesting places for children of all ages, even in bad weather. Let’s start with the most popular places like the Planetarium and gingerbread museums (there are two: the Living Gingerbread Museum and the Museum of Torun Gingerbread). The hit for us, however, was the Mill of Knowledge Modernity Center, where even two-year-old toddlers will have a lot of fun.
We described these and many other interesting places in Torun here, and there was a separate post about the Knowledge Mill(click).
4. lodz
Where would we not recommend our home town to you ;-)
Still somewhat overlooked, although more and more people are finding that it’s worth a weekend visit with their children. The post-industrial, revitalized city of Lodz, full of murals, fairy-tale sculptures, and cinematic touches, is an interesting idea for a several-day trip. With children, we especially recommend checking out EC1 (there’s Street of Elements for the little ones) or Manufaktura, jogging in the many playgrounds in the parks, going to the Wave or looking for sculptures known from fairy tales.
You can find an entry about attractions for children in Lodz here.
May weekend in nature in Poland
And finally, some more interesting suggestions for spending May with children, this time more in nature :)
--- autopromocja ---
Szukasz atrakcji dla dzieci w Polsce?
Polecamy naszą książkę!
Szukasz pomysłu na weekendowy wypad z rodziną w Polsce? Już teraz możesz zakupić naszą książką, z dokładnie 104 atrakcjami dla dzieci w Polsce, czyli 104 pomysłami, które pomogą zaplanować weekend lub tygodniowy wyjazd w Polsce, dla całej rodziny.
Książka wydana jest w miękkiej okładce, zawiera aż 360 strony pełne inspiracji, opisów, naszych ocen oraz praktycznych informacji. Jest to idealna propozycja z bazą pomysłów na każdy dzień w roku!
104 atrakcje dla dzieci. Polska z pomysłem >>>
--- autopromocja ---
1. Zaborek Wilderness
A beautiful place in Poland about which we could write only in superlatives. In a quiet, peaceful area hides an atmospheric guesthouse with wooden buildings, mostly from Podlasie.
There is a great atmosphere, guests are accommodated in separate facilities, there is plenty of room for toddlers, and delicious food…. what more could you want?
We wrote about the Zaborek Wilderness here.
2. the Giant Mountains
Mountains are always a good option ;) We with the little ones usually go to the Karkonosze, and so far we have mainly stayed overnight in Karpacz or Szklarska Poreba.
These are good bases for both hiking trails and attractions for those who like more passive recreation ;) So what can we do with children in the area? First of all, go to the mountains! Well, okay, you can also take a gondola ;) We recommend driving up to the treetop path in the Czech Republic, just over the Polish border.
Check out the treetop path walk in our short video:
And if you don’t like heights, you can at least see Szklarki Waterfall, Kamieńczyk Waterfall or see the entire Lower Silesia in miniature.
We wrote about what to do in Karpacz, among other things, here.
3. castles of Lower Silesia
How about being more historical and revealing? Castles and Palaces of Lower Silesia are a fantastic place to develop children’s imagination. Knights, princesses, rich rulers, mysterious legends, interesting stories…. all the more so because on the May weekend there are often special shows, workshops, performances that will also interest the youngest!
We wrote about castles in Lower Silesia here.
4th Mazury
Don’t let uncertain weather be an obstacle for you to go to typical vacation destinations.
Our latest discovery from January this year, shows that the Masuria region is beautiful even in winter! We make no secret of the fact that a fantastic hotel, which we found at the last minute, contributed greatly to this. We would love to come back here for May, because the warmer it gets, the more opportunities for active recreation appear here.
View this post on Instagram.
If you are looking for good accommodation, we recommend the Natura Mazur hotel.
See also our posts about Masuria:
- Masuria – what to do in Masuria actively and with children?
- Accommodation in Warmia and Mazury – hotels, guesthouses, campsites – what to choose?
Summary
Of course, there are many more ideas for a May trip with children, here we have selected only a dozen points based on our past experience, where you are sure to have a nice time with the whole family.
--- autopromocja ---
Szukasz atrakcji dla dzieci w Polsce?
Polecamy naszą książkę!
Szukasz pomysłu na weekendowy wypad z rodziną w Polsce? Już teraz możesz zakupić naszą książką, z dokładnie 104 atrakcjami dla dzieci w Polsce, czyli 104 pomysłami, które pomogą zaplanować weekend lub tygodniowy wyjazd w Polsce, dla całej rodziny.
Książka wydana jest w miękkiej okładce, zawiera aż 360 strony pełne inspiracji, opisów, naszych ocen oraz praktycznych informacji. Jest to idealna propozycja z bazą pomysłów na każdy dzień w roku!
104 atrakcje dla dzieci. Polska z pomysłem >>>
--- autopromocja ---
Have we helped you a bit in deciding where you will spend your upcoming May vacation? In Poland or abroad? :)
PS: You ca read about other tips for traveling with a child here and in the post: attractions for children in Poland.