The long weekends and holidays are coming. A lot of us want a change of scenery, some rest and to see something new and interesting. The big Polish cities like Warszawa, Kraków, Poznań or Gdańsk are always attractive destinations. In each of them you can find places which will please our demanding children and areas which will guarantee a nice and reasonably peaceful rest. Every parent knows that there are few things as annoying and likely to rain on our parade as a whinging and boring kid.

Everybody who has been to the Old Town in Gdańsk knows that it is a picturesque place, full of relics, monuments, and charming corners. I think that you should see Długi Targ Street with the Fountain of Neptune, the Żuraw (crane) on Motława – which is the emblem of Gdańsk – and the museum dedicated to the people connected with the harbour. You should also visit Artus Court with the Historical Museum of Gdańsk, the Amber Museum and, in my opinion, the most beautiful little street – Mariacka, where you can find picturesque townhouses and galleries with silver and amber jewellery. This kind of walk is interesting and relaxing for adult visitors, but it may test the patience of even the most resilient children.

To those of you whose children have had enough of old walls and potsherds and can't eat any more ice-cream, I recommend taking a break and going to the Maritime Culture Centre near the Żuraw. Here you can let the children play while visiting the exhibition "People-Ships-Ports".

The exhibition takes up an area of nearly 400 m2, but it is well organized so you can let your bigger children play too. Smaller children will need supervision and help during play. The exposition consists of a couple of parts. In each of them you and your children can and even must use every exhibit. In the first part about the sea and technology you can learn how a whirlpool and tsunami are born, see how a manual chain hoist works, and the youngest visitors can decide which animals should live in the ocean.

At the centre of the exhibition there is a big ship with a deck, tackle and chests, which your children, impersonating port workers, can carry in a trolley to the warehouse. Using the crane, you can find out if a sack of rice is heavier than a pack of cotton or a chest of bananas. There is also a pool where the children can pilot a few remote-controlled models of ships – as long as their fathers give them permission.

In another part of the exhibition you will find out that reloading a container ship isn't an easy job. Lego lovers will find a corner where they can build in peace. In the part which tells us about the life of a sailor you can dress up as a skipper or a pirate, put on a life jacket, look at a lifeboat and look into a bathyscaphe. Bigger children and lovers of computer games will be interested in taking part in a rescue motorboat voyage.

These elements are only a part of the exhibition. The visit lasts one hour. The next 55-person group comes in on the hour. It is worth planning the visit for a specific hour and buying the tickets earlier. I recommend leaving your luggage in the locker room with the overhead lockers. Handbags and backpacks will effectively inhibit your fun. When you leave don't forget to drag dad away from the pool with the remote-controlled model ships.

In the same building you can see another exhibition "The Boats of the People of the World". You may eat dinner in the "Cała naprzód" restaurant on the fourth floor. We didn't eat there, but you can be certain that apart from the yummy food, a beautiful view of the heart of old Gdańsk awaits you.

I recommend it!

Read also:
Whale Park in Rewal
Time machine
Minimundus, i.e. around the world with Phileas Fogg