For rain: water, science and activity under a roof

Szczecin has several places where a child can spend a whole day indoors and a parent does not have to think up activities every hour. The most obvious choice is the Fabryka Wody (Water Factory) on 1 Maja Street. According to the venue's website the water zone has 16 pools and 6 slides, and alongside it there are, separately, a sauna and spa zone and a sports zone with a sports pool, a climbing wall and a bowling alley. The complex also includes an educational centre with exhibits, so water mixes there with science.

If a child would rather touch than swim, a good address is the Maritime Science Centre on Łasztownia, in a building modelled on a ship's hull. The permanent exhibition consists of five zones, and most of the exhibits are devices for hands-on experiments. The Wikipedia entry speaks of 212 interactive devices, the centre's website of more than 200 exhibits. The Chlap zone is a water playground with dams, locks and water cannons, designed according to its description primarily for the youngest. The centre also has a planetarium and workshops, including model-making and boatbuilding.

For children interested in vehicles there is the Museum of Technology and Transport, set up in a historic tram depot in Niebuszewo. The Motoexperimentarium has 15 interactive stations, and among the exhibits is a simulator of a Konstal 105Na tram with a visualisation of a piece of real Szczecin on the windscreen. The depot also holds seven trams, three buses and cars from Syrena models to Fiat 126p.

Climbing, illusions and a bunker

For children who need to burn off energy there is Big Wall: a climbing centre with a panel up to 15 metres high and a bouldering room with a wall 4.5 metres high, with a soft mat. According to the venue's website, equipment can be hired on site, and belaying courses are organised for beginners.

In the city centre there is the Be Happy Museum, a museum of optical illusions, colours and games. According to the museum's website the exhibits may be touched, and there are illusions, ball pits and fairy-tale sets, and the whole venue is under a roof. Of a completely different character is the Military Technology Museum in a bunker on Międzyodrze-Wyspa Pucka. The foundation that runs it writes that the exhibitions are created by voluntary work and the museum opens on dates it announces, so its website should be checked before a visit.

For good weather: a bathing complex and parks

When it gets warm, first on the list is Arkonka in the Arkonka Forest. According to the venue's website the pools are open in summer. The largest of them, Morze (the Sea), covers 4,990 m2 and is up to 40 centimetres deep, with fountains and a water playground. Szczecińska Majorka has an artificial river, and Łezka a depth of 60 to 90 centimetres. The grounds also have slides, an artificial beach, a playground and a skatepark.

For a walk in the forest the best choice is Zdroje Forest Park, that is 173 hectares of the Beech Forest. According to Wikipedia the Family Trail, among others, leads through it, and there are viewpoints, educational paths and designated places for a campfire. If a shorter walk is enough, it is worth looking into the Rose Garden. Różanka has more than nine thousand roses in 99 varieties, the Bird Fountain with four concrete geese, and a playground. The garden is the end of the pedestrian and cycle Golden Trail, which begins at the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes.

In the centre two large complexes offer a green breather. Jasne Błonia is a historic square with 213 plane trees which, according to the Visit Szczecin service, form the largest cluster of this species in Poland. The avenue leads from there on to Kasprowicz Park. Stefan Żeromski Park covers about 22 hectares and has about 177 species and varieties of trees and shrubs, with sculptures among them. The park lies in the Old Town, and its history goes back to cemeteries closed in 1900, when the park was laid out here.

How to combine it into one day

It is best to make the plan according to the weather of the day. The Museum of Technology is right next to Kasprowicz Park and Jasne Błonia, so after the science at the simulator it is easy to move on to the grass. Różanka is a good end to a longer walk along the promenade from the centre. The water park and the Maritime Science Centre are suggestions for a whole day if the forecast leaves no illusions. Each of these places gives its opening hours and admission rules on its own website.