insect-looking play structure at a playground in Quebec City, Canada

Playgrounds around the World: Photo Essay

Wherever we travel, if we see a playground, my daughter always ask to stop and play, and we let her. She’s learned to be patient when when we drag her around museums, castles, and other “sightseeing” places we want to see, and we figure she deserves some fun time too.

In general, all playgrounds, event the smallest ones, have a slide, and possibly a swing or some other rocking structure. The bigger ones allow quite extensive climbing structures, and places to run around.

Some playgrounds are quite simple, but some, even small, are quite creative, like the insect-looking play structure in the featured photo above that we stumbled upon in Quebec City.

Here are a few examples of other playgrounds, from several places around the world, submitted by fellow travel bloggers.

Austria

playground in Austria, courtesy of Selim Family Raasta
playground in Austria, courtesy of the Selim Family Raasta

Samiya, from the Selim Family Raasta, wrote the following about this playground:

“Austria was the third country out of seven of our family road trip around Europe. The drive from Switzerland to Austria is simply stunning with gorgeous mountain views but for the same reasons – windy roads going up and down – it was taking a long time to get to our destination in Innsbruck. We pulled into a gas station thinking just to get coffee and fuel. We were pleasantly surprised to see a large play area in the back with gorgeous views of the Tyrol mountain range!”

Canada

Kings Castle Provincial Park on Prince Edward Island
Kings Castle Provincial Park on Prince Edward Island
Kings Castle Provincial Park on Prince Edward Island
Kings Castle Provincial Park on Prince Edward Island

The playground at the Kings Castle Provincial Park on Prince Edward Island is just part of the provincial park. Even though the play structures are a bit dated, the place is HUGE, and definitely worth a visit in my honest opinion.

My daughter loved the slides with turrets that looked like castles, and the pretend Cinderella carriage, while my son preferred climbing all the wooden structures build on that expansive space.

China

playground in Beijing, China, courtesy of Magdalena from Four Whitneys One World
playground in Beijing, China, courtesy of Magdalena from Four Whitneys One World

The above photo of a playground in Beijing, China, was taken by Magdalena from Four Whitneys One World.

Denmark

playground in Copenhagen, Denmark, courtesy of Terumi from An Emerald City Life
playground in Copenhagen, Denmark, courtesy of Terumi from An Emerald City Life

The photo above, taken by Terumi from An Emerald City Life, is included in her post “Copenhagen, Denmark with kids: a phototease.”

Poland

playground in Warsaw, Poland
playground in Warsaw, Poland

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this type of carousel in the U.S., which is too bad, because my son got quite a workout on it when he was eight – you have to pedal quite hard to make the carousel go round! Especially if it’s just you, or you and just one more child.

Russia

playground in Gorky Park, Moscow, Russia, courtesy of Globalmouse Travels
playground in Gorky Park, Moscow, Russia, courtesy of Globalmouse Travels

Nichola, from GlobalMouse Travels, wrote the following about this playground in Moscow, Russia:

“We loved the whimsical playground in Gorky Park, Moscow – simple fun with fairytale-like play equipment, all free to use and we spent the longest time playing here. There’s a great home-made lemonade stall nearby and plenty of candy floss (cotton candy) sellers nearby too.”

Serbia

playground in Belgrade, Serbia,  courtesy of Tangerine from A Travelogue by Brock and Tanj
playground in Belgrade, Serbia, courtesy of Tangerine from A Travelogue by Brock and Tanj
playground in Belgrade, Serbia, courtesy of Tangerine from A Travelogue by Brock and Tanj
playground in Belgrade, Serbia, courtesy of Tangerine from A Travelogue by Brock and Tanj

Tangerine from A Travelogue by Brock and Tanj wrote the following about this park near the Main Square in Belgrade, Serbia:

“We stumbled upon this place while meandering the streets of Belgrade. We cannot help but stop and snap pictures. We immediately heard the loud happy noises that children made. What I love about this playground is its homely and inviting feeling. 

There was a statue at the middle of this park, that turned out to be a “dog playground” wherein kids play as well and running. We just love the rusticity of it all.”

Spain

local playground in Madrid, Spain
local playground in Madrid, Spain

This playground, right across the street from our vacation rental in Madrid, Spain, was tiny. I don’t know if in the U.S. anyone would even try to build a playground in a space that small, but this place was hopping with kids in the afternoons. There are tiny playgrounds like that throughout the city.

playground at a stop area in Spain
playground at a stop area in Spain

We were also very happy to see that pretty much all rest areas in Spain where we decided to stop during our road trip through Spain and Portugal had a playground. Again, it’s not a very big area, but it lets the kids use up some of that energy pent up while sitting in the car for hours. I wish the rest areas in the U.S. had playgrounds like that.

Switzerland

playground in Switzerland, courtesy of the Selim Family Raasta
playground in Switzerland, courtesy of the Selim Family Raasta

Samiya, from the Selim Family Raasta, wrote the following about the playground above:

“We went on a Europe road trip last summer visiting seven countries. Switzerland is one of them and it’s one of the prettiest and most expensive countries in Europe that we have been! This was during our visit to Gruyeres castle, a fantastic place for both adults and children. The castle grounds, market place, the views are all quite amazing. Also great to have a play area where the kids got to play and adults enjoyed views of Swiss Alps.”

playground in Bern, Switzerland, courtesy of Magdalena from Four Whitneys One World
playground in Bern, Switzerland, courtesy of Magdalena from Four Whitneys One World

The concrete maze “playground” above is quite different from the one the Selim family saw. This place, in Bern, was visited by the Whitney family (from Four Whitneys One World) and submitted by Magdalena.

United Kingdom

Jubilee Gardens on the South Bank (by the Thames) in London, courtesy of Sarah from Family Travel Times
Jubilee Gardens on the South Bank (by the Thames) in London, courtesy of Sarah from Family Travel Times

The photo above was submitted by Sarah, from Family Travel Times. It was taken at Jubilee Gardens on the South Bank (by the Thames) in London. Her son Robert also wrote a post about Parks in Paris – “Parks in Paris with kids.”

U.S. (Colorado)

playground in Dillon, Colorado
playground in Dillon, Colorado

Steve, from Passports & Coctails, submitted this photo from the Dillon Marina park in Dillon, Colorado. He wrote:

“Our kids love this park, because it offers lake and mountain views that we just don’t get at home (there are no 14,000 foot peaks in Nebraska). The kids love to swing and pretend that they are going to jump into the lake. We love the relaxing sounds of silence vs. the bustle of our city parks.”

U.S. (Florida)

Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, courtesy of Solo Mom Takes Flight
Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, courtesy of Solo Mom Takes Flight

Sarah, from Solo Mom Takes Flight, wrote a post for Trekaroo about the Sunny Isles Beach, Florida where the photo above was taken. There are more than NINE parks in just about 3 square miles of the Sunny Isles Beach!

Does there have to be a playground?

Sometimes there is no playground nearby, and the kids use famous landmarks to play on, if they can. Both of my kids enjoyed climbing up on the famous lions at the foot of the Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square in London, UK.

Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square, London, is not really a playground, but loads of kids have a lot of fun climbing up for a photo op with the lions
Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square, London, is not really a playground, but loads of kids have a lot of fun climbing up for a photo op with the lions

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this little tour from playgrounds around the world. If you ever see an interesting playground while you travel, take a photo and let me know. I’d be happy to do another “playground” post some time.

Invitation to #WeekendWanderlust Link Up

#WeekendWanderlust, hosted by Chris & Heather from A Brit and a Southerner, Jessi & Tara from Outbound Adventurer, Ashley from A Southern Gypsy, Justin and Lauren from Justin Plus Lauren, and yours truly, is a collaborative effort to share travel blog posts, and to discuss all travel-related things.

The hosts organize each week a link up through which travel bloggers from around the world can promote their posts, in exchange for a promise to give some attention to other travel bloggers. (One of the rules for linking up is to comment on three linked up posts.)

If the link up is still open, feel free to add a link to one of your posts below, then comment on three linked up posts. I welcome comments as well, of course, and will reciprocate as soon as I can.

#WeekendWanderlust link up logo
#WeekendWanderlust link up logo


42 thoughts on “Playgrounds around the World: Photo Essay”

  1. This is a great post idea, Jolanta and you got some great playground pictures with the backdrops of some world’s gorgeous scenery. We visit the playgrounds too- everywhere we go and I would love to bring you some pictures from the Munich’s beer gardens’s playground for a unique perspective on side by side fun:)
    Victoria @celebratetheweekend recently posted…BOSTON BIRTHDAYS.My Profile

    1. Thank you for reading, Victoria! I’m glad you liked the post, and yes, I’m looking forward to your playground photos in Munich and elsewhere.

  2. What a great post! It is interesting how different they all are! My favorite is the pumpkin coach!
    We stumbled upon an exercise/playground in Granada. The kids had a ball though heaven knows no one actually needed any exercise after the long hike uphill to get there! 🙂
    Natalie, The Educational Tourist

    1. Thank you for reading, Natalie! It’s funny how even after a long day of walking, sightseeing, and so on, the kids still have so much energy, isn’t it?

    1. Thank you for reading, Shobha! I’m glad to know you stop at playgrounds as well. It’s so interesting to see the differences in design, isn’t it? Maybe we should do a collective “Playgrounds of Europe” ebook? 😉

    1. Thank you for reading, Anda! Yes, we have seen quite a few playgrounds around the world, and it seems we’re not the only ones. It’s fun to see photos from places we haven’t been to.

    1. Thank you for reading, Beth! Yes, the King’s Castle is a fun place to visit. And not really very crowded, because it’s tucked in a corner of the Prince Edward Island.

    1. Thank you for reading, Katja. I’m glad to hear you travel the same way. The kids to need some down time, and where better to do that than at a local playground. We have not been to the Jubilee Gardens, but we might try to next time we’re in London.

    1. Thank you for reading, Heather! Nice backdrops are great for parents to gaze on while the kids play. 🙂 Personally, I like the quirky playground in Quebec City, in the featured photo above the title. It was a small place, surrounded by buildings, but the kids had a blast!

  3. I’m absolutely enchanted by the pumpkin carriage (as well as the cute little pumpkin inside the carriage). It reminds me of a really wonderful amusement park here in New Hampshire called Story Land. I used to love to bring my kids there when they were small. It is filled with quaint kid-sized amusements and objects such as that. They out-grew it before I did. In fact, I would still go if anyone would go with me! LOL! Cute post idea 🙂
    Erin recently posted…Leaning Forward: Navigating The Bumpy Road Toward ChangeMy Profile

    1. Thank you for reading, Erin! The pumpkin carriage WAS cute, and thank you for your kind words about my daughter. I had been to Story Land with my son, but my daughter had never seen it. The King’s Castle is a park, not an amusement park, and the day we were there it was rather empty. It felt like we had the whole place to ourselves!

    1. Thank you for reading, Sarah. Yes, I was really happy to see playgrounds at rest areas in Spain. It was just the thing for my daughter after sitting in the car for a couple of hours.

    1. Thank you for reading, Samiya, and thank you for contributing! That was a fun post. My daughter liked looking at the photos. Maybe we’ll even visit some of those playgrounds in the future!

    1. Thank you for reading, Charles! I don’t think I know how to play North East South West, but it sound like fun!

    1. Thank you for reading, Kristy! Yes, it’s important for kids to play outside, wherever they live. Some of the playgrounds give the kids quite a workout!

    1. Thank you for reading, Kate! And yes, most people without kids probably just walk past playgrounds without giving them a second glance. We cannot. And since my daughter loves having photos taken, we have quite a collection of playground photos. Looks like we’re not the only ones.

  4. Wow, there are some great playgrounds featured in this post! My all time favourite is one just near the Eiffel Tower just off Avenue Anatole France. The playground is pretty standard, but when you look up you see your kids playing with the Tower in the background – pretty amazing!!

    1. Thank you for reading, Rachael! I agree, a playground just by the Eiffel Tower must be a neat place – the kids will get their playground fix, and parents can just gaze around and enjoy being in Paris!

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