10 Local Playgrounds For “Grown-ups” In Europe

No, playgrounds aren’t for children only. Our Spotters love to play, and invite you to claim back the playgrounds that used to be yours long ago. Leave your troubles behind for a moment, or for a whole day!

No kids and getting some weird looks? Our Bern Spotter Sebastian’s pro tip: shout a random children’s name from time to time and nobody will bat an eye….

Never grow up in Bern

Spielplatz am Schützenweg (by spielen in Bern)

Spielplatz am Schützenweg in Bern is a great playground hidden in between two residential areas, recommended by our Spotter Sebastian. Climb the treehouse, the rocket, the airplane, and the pirate ship. Or to enjoy the slides and DIY toys, the mini railway, and the rusty old car wreck!

The playground is a community center as well, with neighbors meeting up, children celebrating birthday parties, youngsters having drinks in the evening and everybody having a great time. Does it get any more local?

Be a star in your own play in Malmö!

Teaterlekplatsen (by JohiKuproductions)

Did you love putting on a show for your parents when you were little? This is the place to be to relive those moments! Teaterlekplatsen in Malmö is a themed playground where you can feel like the star in your own play! You have everything to organize your very own performance from the stage and theatre, a ticket booth, a “carousel” made out of different sceneries, and, as seen in the picture, a two-story castle.

Become king of the jungle in The Hague

Monkeybos (by Adam Frick)

Monkeybos in The Hagues is a whole play forest located just outside the city center. Here you can walk and play as much as you want. The trees are pruned specifically for climbing. Heaps of branches are assembled into sundry wooden huts/caves/igloos, rope ladders, and expertly placed tree stumps for skipping over the hot lava sandpits that seem to have taken over the jungle…

Play on a sculpture in Copenhagen!

White tube (by Hans Henrik Øhlers)

Want to play a game? Then let’s head to Copenhagen’s Guldberg Byplads – a modern urban space that functions as a town square and, most importantly, as a public playground for… adults. A main focus of the playground is the sculpture called the White Tube. Of course, it is really popular amongst children, but if you were to search for more photos of this sculpture, you will see a great amount of super-excited adults climbing the White Tube.

A little further down the street, you will find a 20 meter high and very steep tube slide. Our Spotter Cindy didn’t have enough courage to slide down the pipe, but maybe you will be brave enough to challenge yourself?

Claim your space in Glasgow Green Play Park

Glasgow Green Play Park (by Gill Davies)

Nobody seems to bother if bigger kids (adults who haven’t grown up) join in the fun at the brilliant Glasgow Green Play Park. There are no silly signs saying ‘only for children under 16’ here. “The only downside is the difficulty in getting children to leave.” says our Glasgow Spotter Gill.

Play with water in Hamburg

Planten un Blomen playground Hamburg

The big playground at Planten un Blomen park in Hamburg is the perfect place to play with water in summer. Our Spotter Inga Marie recommends coming early or in the late evening hours if don’t want to get in trouble with the four-year-olds and explain yourself to them…

A park for little and big monkeys in Oslo

Sørli Lekepark (by Eva Taucar)

Some playgrounds in Oslo are so cool that our Spotter Eva wants to – and sometimes does – climb around. Sørli Lekepark is her favorite. The playground is surrounded by several big murals and has a genuine local neighbourhood feel, something that is hard (I would argue impossible) to find downtown. And it’s close to the botanical garden!

A playground with a bar in Zagreb!

Trocadero playground Zagreb (by Iva Bezinović-Haydon)

As parents of two young children, our Spotter Iva and her husband often look for places where the kids can entertain themselves “for at least seven minutes” while the two of them talk. The Trocadero playground  in Zagreb has a very nice cafe bar with friendly and patient waiters. You might get funny looks from the children playing and adults drinking beer on the terrace if you proceed to have a go at the slides yourself, but: who cares!

An island with several playgrounds in Saint Petersburg

New Holland Saint Petersburg (by West 8)

New Holland Island is, as the name suggests, an island. It is also one of the oldest parts of the city, and started life as a shipyard. In recent years, it’s been thoroughly renovated.

New Holland Island has several playgrounds. One of them has a model of a ship originally built by Peter the Great. ‘Petr and Pavel’ is a one-of-a-kind playground with slides, ropes, canons, telescopes and steering wheels all inside a recreation which spans 26 meters long and 6 meters high.

An adults-only playground in London

KB02 Soft Play London

At KB02 in London there won’t be any children in your way in the line for the slides… They organize 18+ “soft play” parties where you can discover your inner child again, accompanied with a drink of course!

Last Changed Date: 2016-05-19 11:45:13 +0200 (Thu, 19 May 2016)