MULTILINGUAL FAMILY
IN LONDON

This trip took place in summer 2024. Details may have changed since then, but I thought it would still be worth sharing some of the places we enjoyed as a family.

In July 2024, we spent a week in Prague with our 30-month-old daughter.

My husband was attending a conference that offered childcare during the day, and I had optimistically imagined spending a few peaceful mornings catching up on work while she happily played with other children.

Unfortunately, our daughter had other ideas.

The moment we left her at the childcare centre, she burst into tears and demanded to know where Mummy had gone. After a brief but memorable attempt, we admitted defeat and I found myself unexpectedly spending the entire week on solo toddler duty.

In hindsight, it was probably a blessing in disguise. Instead of working, I ended up exploring Prague through the eyes of a two-year-old, discovering playgrounds, toy shops, miniature trains, and child-friendly museums that I would never have found otherwise.

Prague may not be the first European city that comes to mind for a family holiday with young children, but we found plenty to keep our toddler entertained throughout the week.

If you’re visiting Prague with a toddler or preschooler, here are some of the places we genuinely enjoyed.

Výtopna Railway Restaurant

If your child loves trains, this restaurant is almost guaranteed to be a hit.

Located just off Wenceslas Square, Výtopna is famous for its miniature railway system. Tracks run throughout the restaurant, and tiny trains deliver drinks directly to your table.

One thing we noticed in Prague was that children’s menus were much less common than in the UK. Výtopna, however, not only had a dedicated children’s menu, but also included a small gift afterwards, which immediately earned bonus points from us.

Our daughter was absolutely delighted when we arrived. She spent the first ten minutes pointing excitedly at every train that passed our table.

The food was perfectly decent, but what I remember most was the beer. Perhaps it was simply the joy of finally arriving in Prague, but that first Czech draft beer remains one of the best I drank during the entire trip.

The Children’s Museum at the National Museum

The Children’s Museum, located in the New Building of the National Museum, was another pleasant surprise.

Although the museum is aimed at children aged four and above, our two-year-old still spent around 1.5 hours happily pressing buttons, turning wheels, and interacting with the exhibits.

The museum is highly interactive and encourages children to explore through play rather than simply looking at displays.

We booked a combined ticket that included both the Children’s Museum and the main National Museum. Looking back, I think the Children’s Museum alone would have been enough for a toddler, but the combined ticket worked well for us.

At the time of our visit, entry was organised in timed slots and needed to be booked in advance. As this was two years ago, I would recommend checking the museum’s website for the latest information before visiting.

The Playground

If I had to recommend just one place for families visiting Prague, it would probably be this.

“The Playground” is a huge toy store in the city centre that was formerly a Hamleys. Calling it a toy shop almost feels misleading because it functions more like a giant indoor play space.

Our daughter loved it so much that we ended up returning several times throughout the week.

There were Brio train tables, Lego stations, kinetic sand, construction toys, water play areas, a carousel, a giant slide, and even a small arcade. Parents could sit with a coffee while children were immersed in whatever had captured their attention that day.

In many ways, it felt like a children’s museum, toy shop, and indoor playground rolled into one.

It also became one of those places where conversations with other parents happened naturally while the children played.

Sometimes the best travel discoveries are not the ones listed in guidebooks.

This was certainly one of ours.

📌 Update (June 2026): Unfortunately, The Playground has permanently closed. It’s a real shame, as it was one of our favourite spots in Prague. Hopefully, something similar will open in the future.

Butterfly House

Tucked away inside The Playground is a small butterfly exhibition called Butterfly House.

It’s not particularly large, and I probably wouldn’t make a special trip across the city just to visit it. However, if you’re already at The Playground, it’s a lovely addition.

Colourful butterflies flutter freely around the tropical space, occasionally landing on plants, walls, and sometimes visitors.

I later noticed a few online reviews complaining that the attraction only takes five minutes to see. Perhaps that’s true if your goal is simply to walk through and leave. We spent closer to 20 minutes there.

In fact, I could happily have stayed longer, but our daughter eventually decided that weaving enthusiastically through the other visitors while shouting at full volume was a much better use of her energy. At that point, it felt wise to make a strategic exit.

📌 Update (June 2026): The Butterfly House is currently temporarily closed. Please check the latest information before planning your visit.

National Technical Museum

This was probably the attraction I was most excited about before the trip.

Our daughter was going through a serious vehicle obsession at the time, and the National Technical Museum promised trains, cars, aircraft, and all sorts of engineering displays. It sounded perfect.

Unfortunately, this was one of the few places that didn’t quite work for us.

Part of the problem was entirely self-inflicted.

It was one of the hottest days of the trip, with temperatures hovering around 30°C. For reasons I still don’t fully understand, I convinced myself that walking there with a buggy would be perfectly manageable.

It was not.

The museum sits on higher ground away from the city centre, and by the time we got there, I felt as though I had completed a minor endurance event.

Our daughter coped far better than I did, helped in part by what may have been her first ever McDonald’s milkshake.

Once inside, the museum itself was impressive. The collection covers everything from transport and astronomy to photography, printing, and mining technology.

The problem was that most of the exhibits were designed to be looked at rather than interacted with. While I found them interesting, our transport-loving toddler quickly lost interest and repeatedly informed me that she would like to go home.

One unexpected highlight, however, was a children’s play area featuring Merkur construction toys.

I had never heard of Merkur before, but quickly realised they were the Czech equivalent of the metal construction sets I remembered from childhood. Armed with a screwdriver that she would normally never be allowed to touch at home, our daughter spent a surprisingly long time pretending to build things.

Looking back, I suspect we simply visited a little too early. I can imagine older children getting much more out of the museum than our two-year-old did.

The best part for me ended up being the view outside. The museum sits on a hill overlooking Prague, making it a lovely spot to pause for lunch before heading back into the city.

Farmers’ Saturday Market

The weekend finally arrived, which meant my husband was no longer tied up with conference commitments.

After spending the week navigating Prague alone with a toddler, having another adult around again felt like a luxury.

On Saturday morning, we headed to one of Prague’s farmers’ markets. It was exactly the sort of place I enjoy when travelling: food stalls, local produce, musicians performing in the background, and plenty of people-watching opportunities.

Although we’d only recently had breakfast, we decided to try a sausage served with slices of bread from one of the market stalls.

This turned out to be a mistake.

At some point, my husband cut our daughter’s piece of bread in half. For reasons known only to toddlers, this was apparently unacceptable. She immediately burst into tears, threw the bread onto the ground, and demanded that it be returned to its original state.

Within minutes, we had a full public toddler meltdown on our hands.

As every parent knows, there are moments when all thoughts of ideal parenting strategies disappear and survival becomes the only objective.

In desperation, I returned to the stall and asked whether it might be possible to buy another piece of bread.

The seller kindly handed me one free of charge!

To this day, I remain convinced that he single-handedly restored peace to our family that morning.

To help everyone recover, we took a small river ferry nearby. The journey lasted only a few minutes, but the combination of sunshine, fresh air, and being on a boat instantly improved everyone’s mood. Particularly our daughter’s.

Kingdom of Railways

Of all the attractions we planned specifically for our daughter, this was probably the one I had been most excited about.

Kingdom of Railways features a huge miniature railway network recreating parts of Prague and the Czech Republic, complete with moving trains, tiny buildings, and detailed landscapes.

The promotional photos looked fantastic.

Our first impression, if I’m being honest, was slightly less enthusiastic.

The exhibits felt a little dated in places, and some parts weren’t operating during our visit. For a moment, both my husband and I wondered whether we had made the right choice.

Fortunately, our daughter disagreed!

While she enjoyed the miniature railway displays, what she really loved were the interactive elements. There were train and bus simulators, areas where children could climb aboard vehicles, and a soft play spaces where she happily burned off what seemed like an endless supply of energy.

We ended up staying for almost two hours, and by the end of our visit, we were all thoroughly satisfied.

One thing I’ve learned as a parent is that attractions are often judged less by how impressive they look and more by how engaged your child remains. By that measure, Kingdom of Railways was one of the biggest successes of the trip.

Charles Bridge Playground

One of my favourite travel discoveries came from a very specific search.

A few months earlier, during a trip to Barcelona, we had stumbled across a playground with a spectacular view of the Sagrada Família. Watching our daughter play while enjoying one of the city’s most famous landmarks felt like the perfect combination of sightseeing and parenting.

Naturally, I wondered whether Prague might have something similar.

That’s how we found the playground near Charles Bridge.

The playground itself is fairly simple, with swings, slides, and a few climbing structures. The real attraction is the location.

While children run around burning energy, parents can enjoy views of Charles Bridge and the surrounding historic district without constantly dragging reluctant toddlers through another sightseeing stop.

It felt like one of those places designed by people who genuinely understand family travel.

We didn’t stay particularly long because of the heat, but I imagine it would be especially lovely in spring or autumn, when the weather is a little kinder.

Vojan Gardens

For our final stop, we visited Vojan Gardens.

The gardens themselves aren’t especially large, but they have a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere. The highlight is the peacocks that roam freely throughout the grounds, while visitors quietly stroll through the shaded pathways.

What struck me most was how naturally everyone seemed to coexist with the birds. Nobody was chasing them, feeding them, or trying to get the perfect photograph. People simply shared the space.

It felt calm in a way that many city parks don’t.

After several busy days of sightseeing, it was a lovely place to slow down before heading home.

A Few Unexpected Toddler Highlights

Watching Construction Sites

During our visit, major construction projects seemed to be taking place throughout Prague.

For most adults, this was probably an inconvenience, but for our two-year-old, it was a dream come true.

Excavators, cranes, dump trucks, cement mixers—every walk through the city became an opportunity to stop and observe heavy machinery in action.

Some of her most enthusiastic reactions all week had absolutely nothing to do with museums, castles, or famous landmarks.

Prague Airport’s Children’s Areas

Another pleasant surprise was Prague Airport.

Many airports now include children’s play areas after security, but Prague also had small play spaces in other parts of the terminal, including near baggage reclaim.

As parents, we’ve spent enough time waiting for luggage to appreciate thoughtful details like that.

Even though we didn’t have long to use them, it was a small touch that made travelling with a young child feel a little easier.

Final Thoughts

When I think back to Prague now, I don’t immediately remember the famous historical sights.

I remember miniature trains delivering drinks. A toy shop that became our second home for a week. A ferry ride taken in the aftermath of a bread-related toddler crisis. Peacocks wandering through a quiet garden.

Most of all, I remember discovering that travelling with a two-year-old often means letting go of your carefully planned itinerary and embracing whatever captures their attention instead.

Travelling with young children has a way of shifting your perspective. You still see the destination, but you also see it through their eyes.

Looking back, those are often the moments I remember most.