Kids in Prague

Indoor Playgroud Europark Shopping Centre, Prague 10

Indoor Playgrounds on 28 March 2009 by Darina

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I always knew that there was an Indoor Playground in EUROPARK Sterboholy Shopping Centre but what I didn’t know was that they don’t look after children there at all so my plans got ruined the minute we arrived. I was hoping to leave Marcus supervised at the playground, meanwhile Nikki would be soundly sleeping in the pram and I could check out all the boutiques. Instead, I had to sit with both of them at the Destky Koutek (Indoor Playground).

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The website says it is open for kids aged 3 years and up but no one really checks and much younger children were in evidence there. I think it is wrong to leave kids under the age of 5-6 alone unsupervised but some parents did! The entrance to the playground is free and there isn’t anything like a fence or gate. You just walk in and you child can easily race off around the rest of the mall. Some of the climbing attractions were rather difficult to climb on and I myself had problems keeping my balance. Besides this, the boys had great fun but I had to be constantly aware of their location.

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This Indoor Playground is nothing like any others in Prague. Here it is more like an outdoor playground, no coffee, no babysitting, no safe toys, just you who has full responsibility if your child breaks its leg on the hanging bridge. The official website says that there is always some administrator looking after the running of the Detsky koutek. Yes, there was a woman present calling herself “a cleaner and keeper”. She sat on a chair, read newspapers and eventually told me she does sometimes keep an eye on the kids while their parents go shopping. But this is usually when the kids are regular guests and she knows the parents a bit more. I can imagine they give her some “pocket money” for it. Again, maybe with older kids why not, but no way with my demolition squad aged 2 and 3 years.

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I don’t wish to scare you away. We had a lot of fun. Its is decorated like an Aztec city with caves. At the entrance the kids will be smitten by a big Aztec mask decorated as a waterfall. The inside is mainly built from wood and has red toboggan as well as very wide slide more suitable for smaller children. There were plenty of dark corners to play hide and seek (or scare smaller kids as one elder bully did to my boys). One thing I didn’t understand was why there was so little light. i think it had something to do with creating the right mystique mood of magic Aztec culture (or, to hide all the mess they don’t clean and that cannot be seen in the proper light….lets stay optimistic though).

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There is a TV room with cartoons constantly on and that is where some of the parents left their kids and went shopping.

So in case you want to do shopping without your kids take a Daddy or a Nanny with you and they’ll be happily amused in this playground. Please excuse the picture quality, it was very challenging taking pictures in such bad light.

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OPEN: Every day 09:00 - 21:00

ADDRESS: Europark Shopping Centre, Nákupní 389/3, Prague 10 - Štěrboholy

DIRECTIONS: By Car: Europark Shopping Centre is easily accessible from all sides. It is positioned directly on a highway called Jizni Spojka - that by-passes Prague. The mall is also right at the end of Cernokostelecka and Prumyslova streest. Right next door is one of the biggest car bazars, Auto Esa. By Bus: Europark provides free buses that travel from Metro Station Skalka - green line A and metro station Haje - red line C. You can also use the bus number 163 (from Depo Hostivař in Dolní Počernice) Take it to bus stop Obchodní centrum Štěrboholy

FURTHER INFORMATION: http://europark.cz/detsky-koutek (in Czech only)