7 Super Family Day Trips in Attica

Meet the Magic Horses of Rafina

There are many delights on offer at the Magic Garden in the Karagianni estate in Rafina – a children’s playground, treehouses, hammocks and trampoline, for starters. But the undisputed stars of the show here are the miniature horses, guaranteed to charm visitors all ages. Magic Garden supports the important social work of the rare healing horses of Gentle Carousel Greece (originally from Florida in the United States). These beautiful therapy horses offer joy, strength and peace to many desperate patients young and old across Greece – and they will to both you and your little ones too!

From Pegasus, the magnificent winged beast of Greek mythology to Bucephalus, Alexander the Great’s beloved horse, horses have always been of great importance to the people of Greece and Magic Garden seeks to foster that special connection.

Watch a video of the miniature horses of Magic Garden here:

Burn Off Steam at Gardening

Gardening (Kipopedia) is the backyard playground of their dreams – if only their backyard was big enough! Urban space constrictions aren’t a problem at Gardening, a sprawling experiential play concept set out over 6,800 square metres of bucolic outdoor space in Pallini. There’s a 12.5 square metre floor trampoline; an Indian village, hobbit house, mini-market, wooden bike course; large sandpit, colourful climbing snake; sand football field and racquets; mini-farm and vegetable garden; worm and ant farm; pirate ship and tree-lined library.

Gardening also offers children from 4-12 years a range of creative experencies such as scientific experiments, imaginative workshops, painting and construction, film-making, dance, yoga and creative English clubs. For parents, there’s quite a stylish café where you can relax and keep tabs on your children’s antics through a closed circuit monitor.

Halloween in the Wild West

Treat the kids to a day of hair-raising spooky activities and ghoulish goodies at the Ranch, a thrilling Western-themed adventure getaway, nestled on 400 acres of natural pine forest in Sofiko Corinth (97km from Athens). From September through May, the Ranch is also open every weekend for daily excursions, games and special-themed events across its many facilities that include: horseback riding and barns; archery; climbing walls; football fields; basketball, volleyball and tennis courts; roller-blading enclosures; and an Educational Village where children can step directly into Greece’s rural past.

This year, the Ranch again hosts its popular Halloween Spooktacular from October 26-28 and on November 3-4!

Get Swinging at Malakasa

Laid out over 50 acres of lush forest, about 40 minutes from the city, one of Attica’s most brilliantly fun family day’s out awaits. Malakasa is an addictive green wonderland of Tarzan swings, zip slides (some up to 18m above the ground), challenging rope bridges, bungee ropes, trampolines, archery – even Paintball. The adventure park is well laid-out – and safe, thanks to park monitors and safety harnesses that must be worn everywhere. There are 4 different ability levels: starting from Squirrels for the littlest ones, right up to Eagles for the bravest adults.

Take a peek at the action here:

Farm Play at Perivoli

Perivoli Vari is a Natural Play urban farm allotment that is the perfect “I’m Bored” destination for small children. Perivoli combines fun with learning in regular themed workshops year-round.

In Autumn, your budding green thumbs can create ‘the magic of fairyland’ with pure and natural materials, Farm to Fork basics  (Wednesday October 24 and Sunday October 28) in Little Gardener workshops; Or Walk in the Garden (every Friday at 5pm and every weekend at 11am), to explore the Circle of Life and learn how to co-exist harmoniously with nature.

Journey Back in Time

If your child can’t possible picture a world before digital streaming or one-touch technology that does everything for them… they’ll greatly benefit from a family excursion to “Once Upon A Time” – a traditional green village in verdant Avlona where they’ll observe the simple joys and rewarding pursuits of days gone by. At this experiential theme park featuring a water mill, threshing floor, wood-fired oven and traditional wine house, they’ll see firsthand how things were done back in “grandma’s day”.

They’ll also learn how to have fun with animals (such as deer, ponies, rabbits, goats and sheep); and how to live in harmony with nature. There’s a well-equipped sports centre within the park where you’ll find a football pitch, basketball court, two tennis courts, two table tennis tables, a ballroom, martial arts hall and archery field. Once you’ve worked up a hearty appetite, refuel with delicious barbecue food and wood-fired pizzas.

Talk to the Animals

Lions, tigers and bears, oh my! Less than an hour’s drive from the city centre is the magical Athens zoo in Spata featuring all children’s most loved animals. The 20 hectare Attica Zoological Park houses over 2000 creatures and is split into main sections: the bird section is one of the largest in the world; while World of Reptiles has a fine collection of creepy crawlies guaranteed to raise shivers.

There’s also a Rare Greek Animals precinct with brown bears, wolves and foxes. Our personal favorites are the African Savannah section and the Planet of the Apes. The playground and petting area are also sure to please the small folk.

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