Krakow with Children: Exploring the Energylandia Park and Zoo

Sandra, who has traveled a lot with her children since childhood, once again confirms the fact that you don’t have to go far to have fun. Located not far from Lithuania, in Poland, the Energylandia amusement park is a real paradise of fun. Krakow and its zoo will be liked not only by children, but also by parents.

Krakow with Children: Exploring the Energylandia Park and Zoo – read this guide and plan a fun weekend trip!

Traveling with Children

Sandra, husband Remigijus and two daughters Migle and Rusne are true travel lovers. In addition, they also raise a puppy. They explore Lithuania together. During those long trips, Remigijus goes on vacation with his grandparents. Sandra and Remigijus have been traveling with their children since they were born. At the beginning, trips were limited to the frequent Vilnius-Klaipeda route. Both Remigijus’s and Sandra’s parents live on the beach. Therefore, they are very frequent guests there. Later, the family tried different places in Lithuania, and finally went abroad.

“We are active, adventurous people. We are always hungry for travel, so sitting at home all the time with children is not for us. The older girl went on her first trip to Italy with a camper when she was not even half a year old. The little one, who first tried Poland (Krakow), where we just tried how to travel by car with two children, after a month went to Portugal by car, so at that time she was only one,” – says Sandra.

The First Serious Trip with Children

Sandra would consider the first “serious” trip with her children to be a car trip to Portugal after the birth of her second daughter. “Until then, we also traveled a lot around Lithuania and neighboring countries, so this trip was not new to us or to the children. It’s just that it lasted longer, the time spent in the car was different.

I’ll admit, I felt some anxiety. It was summer time, the little one could hardly stand the heat. She got sick periodically, just before the trip the forecasters announced a heat wave sweeping through Europe. It was a little scary, but we reassured ourselves that we live in a civilized Europe, so we will definitely get the necessary help everywhere. And we got it.

On the way back, the little girl’s temperature suddenly rose, the prescribed medicines did not help, so she had to be hospitalized in Milan. There, my daughter was examined by a very benevolent doctor, and by the way to my surprise, all the staff were extremely helpful, no crooked, angry looks that we arrived unnecessarily, as sometimes happened in Lithuania. They examined him, gave him medicine, reassured him, sent him home, and we returned.

The journey itself was extremely easy for me. The eldest, who was 6 years old at the time, was used to traveling, so she was completely relaxed. The little one was very restless since birth, she didn’t sleep much, she didn’t fall asleep easily and only fell asleep while driving. She slept practically the entire time of the trip, allowing me to read a book, see some places sights, and spend time with myself” – Sandra shares her impressions.

Krakow with Children: Exploring the Energylandia Park and Zoo

Poland was discovered by Sandra’s family on their way back from the aforementioned Portugal. Fellow travelers who traveled with us suggested that we stop by on the way back. Energylandia was an amusement and water park in the south of Poland, in the town of Zator, very close to Krakow. Without thinking for a long time, they agreed to visit the water park and did not regret it.

It was the funniest part of the trip for the kids. The next year, on their way back from Italy, they stopped by again. The children were already grown up, so there was even more joy. So many good vibes for everyone. The family agreed that this was a very good end to the trip, helping to forget all the troubles of the trip and return home with only a positive attitude. As a result, visiting this place has become a tacit agreement of ours when returning from other European countries.

A year later, the family was going to visit here on their way back from Croatia, but the quarantine, its restrictions, and travel bans happened. Therefore, a little later, when the bubble of states opened, the family began to travel around Poland, choosing it as the main destination of the trip.

It was a 5-day trip during which we went through Bialystok, Warsaw and Lodz to Energylandia in Zator. During it, in addition to other entertainment, they’ve visited the zoo, museum, and they also visited the newly opened water park Suntago near Warsaw. This year, the family did not risk traveling further due to the spread of the coronavirus strain in Europe. They shortened the trip with the children even more – they traveled directly to Energylandia, stopping only in Krakow and the zoo on the way.

Is Poland Suitable for Traveling with Children?

“Is Poland suitable for traveling with children?” – we asked Sandra. And she answers: “what does suitable mean? Compared to what? Is Lithuania, for example, suitable? I think there is something for everyone. If we consider Turkish all-inclusives as a counterpoint, I would definitely say that no, Poland is not suitable for children.”

Sandra continues: “If we were to take entertainment as a measure, then yes –  our neighbors really have something to offer starting from Suntago, Energylandia, and Zoo gardens. We visited them in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Łódź, and Krakow. We liked the last one the most, the Copernicus Museum in Warsaw, which we still plan to visit. The same popular Veličko salt mines left a great impression on our girls. Various Dino parks, these and other places to visit with children in Poland are really plentiful, nature lovers could look around Augustaw surroundings, and we are also planning to visit them, also with children.

The question every parent should answer is not whether the environment is adapted for the children, but whether they themselves are adapted. Are you in the mood to actively travel with your children, to be with them, their whims, bad moods and, of course, joys here and now, around the clock, for a few days or a week”, – Sandra shares her advice.

“It’s no secret that prices in Lithuania are not lagging behind many other European countries, we don’t feel bad anywhere financially, entertainment for children is cheaper in many places than in Lithuania. Of the countries we have visited with children, the prices in Poland are the friendliest” – Sandra shares the benefits.

The Biggest Challenge when Travelling

For many, the challenges of travel are the change of time, changes in the environment. However, the biggest challenge for Sandra’s family, both at home and on trips, is the daughter. Traveling is easy for them.

“The most important thing is to stock up on water and snacks in advance, take a few favorite toys, remember the games that can be played in the car, and also plan the time of the little one’s sleep so that kids can rest during the car ride.

Also you need to plan the stopping points carefully, because it would be really difficult for children to be in the car all day. And it is also very important to be in the right mood. We need to understand that there will be challenges as everything is at home, and we need to prepare having them in mind. This aspect of the trip is my favorite”, – Sandra does not hesitate to give advice.

The ENERGYLANDIA Park

Mother Sandra advises that on all trips, including Energylandia, you have a backpack with snacks, water and spare clothes, just in case. Energylandia is not only a huge amusement park, but also a very cool water park, where pools are suitable for both the smallest and older children. There is also a water amusement area, so we suggest you bring your swimwear.

The park is so big that you probably won’t be able to get around it in a day, and you don’t need to. If you are traveling with children, pull straight into the children’s area, which is immediately after the entrance on the left.

Right here is the pool area, where, if you intend to spend more time, you will be offered a sunbed, which you will definitely not get later. Plan to spend the whole day here, taking your time and enjoying yourself. You will have to stand in lines for a while. If you are traveling on the weekend you will have to stand longer. It’s amazing to watch how children, unable to wait for their turn at home, manage to stand here for a dozen minutes.

Food places, toilets are clean and suitable for children, everything is there, there are no worries about it. But with candy, ice cream and toy stalls, which provide many temptations for children, it is a bit more complicated. Therefore, we would suggest immediately discussing with the children how much you plan to spend there.

Krakow with children

Krakow with children

Krakow with children

ENERGYLANDIA park

Krakow with Children: Exploring the Energylandia Park and Zoo

Krakow with Children: Exploring the Energylandia Park and Zoo

ENERGYLANDIA park

ENERGYLANDIA park

The Krakow Zoo

The only downside of this zoo is that after you park your car in the parking lot, which is located below, you have to walk a little far to the zoo itself. Therefore, if the children are smaller and if there is an opportunity, we would suggest that you drive to the zoo and drop off the children (with adult supervision, of course). Until they buy the tickets, park the car in the parking lot, which is about 1 km away, and come on foot.

“Next, as always, water and snacks, without them we are nowhere. We usually choose vegetables, fruits, pieces of meat. I take advantage of the fact that a hungry child eats everything, it’s better to fill up already with nutritious than worthless snacks. Then, just like everywhere – we go, look around, discuss, take photos, don’t get lost, cover up our anger with hugs, and end the excursion with ice cream”, – laughs the mother.

Krakow with children

Krakow with children

Krakow with Children: Exploring the Energylandia Park and Zoo

Tips for Parents who are Afraid to Travel with Children

“Don’t travel far and for a long time, because courage is the most important thing when traveling. It’s the attitude. If you believe you can, you will. After all, it is natural to accept the whole process of travel as if it were home. Accept it, it only happens in a different environment every day.

But if it’s very, very magical (new to you), I would first suggest trying smaller one-day trips. You can visit a park near the house, a garden at the other end of the city. Also consider visiting a museum or an exhibition. You can also visit a celebration in another city, an amusement park in another part of Lithuania. Maybe a trip to the sea will do. You get the point – there are so many beautiful places in Lithuania, so if you are afraid to travel further, start with those first. Appetite increases when you eat, so they say. Bon appetit!”, – Sandra wishes.

Upcoming Travel Plans

“We have many plans, but unfortunately, they are being adjusted by our work and the restrictions of the coronavirus. If everything went according to plan, in the fall we would take two last-minute flights somewhere we have never been. Before Christmas, we are planning a trip to Lapland with our children. In the spring together we would fly to Turkey or Bulgaria as we also want to try an all-inclusive pool vacation. In the summer, after the end of the school year, we would definitely go to Energylandia. Perhaps we would try another European theme park, such as Disneyland. And, of course, the same can be said about our short trips around Lithuania. We probably won’t rest until we explore every corner a few times.” Sandra laughs happily at the end of the conversation.

This article is an original article prepared by “Travel 4 kids®”. Copying and use without permission is strictly prohibited.

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