On first impression, Katowice may not seem like an obvious tourist destination for anyone, let alone families with young children. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. Several of the city's essential tourist sites will appeal to kids, and when the sun is out there is no shortage of fun places for families to explore.

Fun with the kids outside the Silesian Museum. Photo by Michał Jędrzejowski.

Don't Skip the Silesian Museum

Quite often, the first step to having a great family day out is to accept that what you want to do, and what your kids want to do are hardly one and the same. But that doesn't have to be the case with the Silesian Museum - one of Katowice's star attractions. Industrial heritage and Upper Silesia go hand-in-hand, but this superb, super-modern museum makes a visit to a former coal mine way more fun and interesting than it sounds. The multimedia exhibits here will keep kids just as interested in the complex story of the region as adults. This fantastic museum should be on everyone's itinerary - and the fact they've kept kids in mind when designing the exhibits is great news for families.

Interactive, hands-on exhibits make the Silesian Museum interesting for all ages.


Explore the Valley of Three Ponds

Located just south of the centre, the Valley of 3 Ponds in Katowice's most popular summer recreation area and full of lounging locals when the weather's nice, thanks to an artificial beach, a plethora of seasonal bars, food trucks and more within the park's vast natural surroundings. Families will find plenty of potential activities for their kids; the park features a free water park, several playgrounds, a labyrinth and water equipment rental (kayaks, SUP, pedal boats), plus plenty of sports courts and facilities, including a disc golf course. With plenty of food trucks, the entire area is ideal for picnicking, and a great place to let the kids run free while parents relax in the shade with a coffee or cold drink.

Taking it easy at the Valley of Three Ponds.​​


Silesia Park for the Win!

For a more activity-packed day outdoors, head to Silesia Park. Although technically in Chorzów, the park is easily accessed by tram, bus, or even bicycle - the latter of which will also come in quite handy for exploring the enormous 620-hectare (1,532-acre!) park to its fullest. Packed with attractions, you could spend days here alone, so plan your time and don't expect to do it all.

Legendia is basically a park within the park, and you'll have a hard time staying away if the kids find out about this one.


In the park's southeast corner you'll find Legendia - Silesia's oldest amusement park, today filled with a charming mix of modern and classic rides. Legendia has its own admission and hours, as does the wonderful Zoo next door, which happens to be Poland's largest at 50 hectares. If your kids are dinosaur fanatics, note that the Zoo also includes Dinosaur Valley - home to 16 large-scale dinosaur sculptures from the 1970s.

Dinosaur Valley is it's own attraction, inside the Silesia Zoo, inside Silesia Park!

This corner of the park also includes a third attraction in the form of the Elka Cableway, which offers sky-high views and trans-park transportation. A great way to get to the western side of the park, as well as get a sense of its sheer enormity, the cableway connects Legendia and the Zoo to historic Silesia Stadium and the Ethnographic Park - two more attractions worth considering, as well as to the Planetarium via a brand-new line.

The cross-park cableway has both open and closed carriages that offer great views over Silesian Park.

Sports buffs can take tours of Silesia Stadium, which was once the country's largest, and home to numerous national football triumphs and huge concerts by acts like U2 and the Rolling Stones. The neighbouring open-air Ethnographic Park is an excellent option for families, showcasing how rural life once looked in the region, with reconstructed houses, churches and windmills; one of the farms even has animals (goats, sheep and horses), which the kids will love.

Feeding sheep at the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park.


Unbelievably, it doesn't stop there. For kids bursting with energy, you can wear them out with a trip to the Silesian Rope Park. In recent years a beautiful Japanese Garden has been added to the park, and the historic Planetarium has also been modernised into Europe's best observatory and one of the region's best attractions. Located deep in the heart of the park, star shows are projected on the largest spherical screen in Central Europe and high-tech flight simulators take you up to the International Space Station; visit the Planetarium website to plan your visit.