For the afternoons when kids have energy to spare and the playground won't cut it. These places give them walls to climb, real ice and roller rinks, bowling lanes, laser tag arenas and karts they can drive themselves. Most are indoors, so they work in summer heat and on rainy days. Here's what we checked, from the bouldering wall at RockWay to the karts at Kartland.
RockWay is an indoor climbing center with 300 square meters of walls set with overhangs, roofs, slabs and corners, for both roped climbing and bouldering.
The kids' program takes children through to their teens, with instructors turning climbing into games for first-timers and steady training for keen ones. There is also a competition team, and the gym runs one-day climbing trips to crags around Attica.
The Wall is a sport climbing park in Pallini, set on about 4,000 square meters. Its main outdoor wall stands 14 meters high, with room for 30 climbers on ropes at the same time, and a separate bouldering area has short routes climbed without ropes. A café, changing rooms and a shop for climbing and outdoor gear sit beside the walls.
SportsPark is a large indoor entertainment center with auto-scoring bowling lanes, a 600 m² black-light laser tag arena themed as a space battle, and an enclosed disco roller rink.
The renovated soft play has a jungle climbing frame, a trampoline and a small Mundialito soccer pitch. There are also bumper cars, a mini train, billiards, ping pong, and a cafe and restaurant for parents.
Ice n Skate is a year-round rink with an 800 square meter pad of natural ice. Kids can skate freely, take figure skating lessons, or join ice hockey and curling programs. Staff help pick skates and give beginners balance tips, and a supervisor is on the ice on weekends and holidays.
A café overlooks the rink, and there is a skate shop, lockers and a party room.
Volta Cloud is the roller and lounge branch of Volta Fun Park, on the third floor of Athens Metro Mall. Kids put on roller skates and lap an indoor rink styled in pop and disco.
There is also DigiWall, an interactive climbing wall built on video game technology, and a corner of virtual reality games. The venue hosts birthday and name day parties, with the space set up to order.
Super Bowl is a big games hall with 25 bowling lanes spread over three rooms, two roller skating rinks styled on the 1970s, 28 pool and snooker tables, and 10 ping-pong tables. A café serves club sandwiches and waffles with ice cream between games.
Kids' birthday parties run on lanes fitted with bumper rails, with balls and shoes sized for children.
A two-floor indoor entertainment center inside the Colosseum shopping center. Downstairs are 12 bowling lanes with automatic scoring, billiards tables and a snack bar.
Upstairs, kids get a roller skating rink, three trampolines and a 200 m² supervised play area with ball pits, slides, inflatables, mini football and a two-story play structure. Galaxy Wars, a separate laser tag arena, sits in the building next door.
Royal Bowling is an indoor games hall with 15 bowling lanes, a roller skating rink, billiard and ping pong tables, and arcade and board games. A kids' playland sits alongside the lanes.
Kids' birthday parties take over the hall with black light, light effects and dance music, and include bowling, skating, food and decorations.
Bowling Center Ilion is a 2,000 m² indoor games hall built around 12 bowling lanes. Billiards tables and virtual reality games share the same floor, so kids who tire of bowling have somewhere to go next. It suits school-age kids and teens more than toddlers.
A ten-pin bowling alley that also has virtual reality games, video games, ping pong and billiards under one roof, so kids can switch between them in one visit.
The venue hosts kids' birthday parties, with food and decorations planned around what the family asks for. It suits a mixed group: older kids and adults bowl while younger siblings move on to the games.
Exit War's kids arena is a laser tag course built for children. Players suit up in tactical gear and split into teams, then hunt each other through a dark, lit-up indoor maze.
It suits kids who like running, hiding and competing in a group, and it often hosts birthday parties. Very young or nervous kids may find the dark and the noise a lot.
A forest adventure park at Malakasa where kids clip into a harness and work through rope courses strung between the trees, with zip lines along the way. The courses are graded by age group, from Squirrels for the youngest up to Eagles for teens.
Off the courses there is archery, a bungee trampoline, a climbing wall, pedal go-karts and an obstacle game called Operation Tarantula, plus picnic areas.
Kartland is an outdoor go-kart track on Leoforos Anthousas in Pallini. Older kids can drive small karts on their own, and two-seat karts let a parent take the wheel with a younger child riding beside them.
It suits kids who like speed and want to drive for themselves. Children who dislike engine noise or wearing a helmet may find it too much.
For the afternoons when kids have energy to spare and the playground won't cut it. These places give them walls to climb, real ice and roller rinks, bowling lanes, laser tag arenas and karts they can drive themselves. Most are indoors, so they work in summer heat and on rainy days. Here's what we checked, from the bouldering wall at RockWay to the karts at Kartland.
RockWay is an indoor climbing center with 300 square meters of walls set with overhangs, roofs, slabs and corners, for both roped climbing and bouldering.
The kids' program takes children through to their teens, with instructors turning climbing into games for first-timers and steady training for keen ones. There is also a competition team, and the gym runs one-day climbing trips to crags around Attica.
The Wall is a sport climbing park in Pallini, set on about 4,000 square meters. Its main outdoor wall stands 14 meters high, with room for 30 climbers on ropes at the same time, and a separate bouldering area has short routes climbed without ropes. A café, changing rooms and a shop for climbing and outdoor gear sit beside the walls.
SportsPark is a large indoor entertainment center with auto-scoring bowling lanes, a 600 m² black-light laser tag arena themed as a space battle, and an enclosed disco roller rink.
The renovated soft play has a jungle climbing frame, a trampoline and a small Mundialito soccer pitch. There are also bumper cars, a mini train, billiards, ping pong, and a cafe and restaurant for parents.
Ice n Skate is a year-round rink with an 800 square meter pad of natural ice. Kids can skate freely, take figure skating lessons, or join ice hockey and curling programs. Staff help pick skates and give beginners balance tips, and a supervisor is on the ice on weekends and holidays.
A café overlooks the rink, and there is a skate shop, lockers and a party room.
Volta Cloud is the roller and lounge branch of Volta Fun Park, on the third floor of Athens Metro Mall. Kids put on roller skates and lap an indoor rink styled in pop and disco.
There is also DigiWall, an interactive climbing wall built on video game technology, and a corner of virtual reality games. The venue hosts birthday and name day parties, with the space set up to order.
Super Bowl is a big games hall with 25 bowling lanes spread over three rooms, two roller skating rinks styled on the 1970s, 28 pool and snooker tables, and 10 ping-pong tables. A café serves club sandwiches and waffles with ice cream between games.
Kids' birthday parties run on lanes fitted with bumper rails, with balls and shoes sized for children.
A two-floor indoor entertainment center inside the Colosseum shopping center. Downstairs are 12 bowling lanes with automatic scoring, billiards tables and a snack bar.
Upstairs, kids get a roller skating rink, three trampolines and a 200 m² supervised play area with ball pits, slides, inflatables, mini football and a two-story play structure. Galaxy Wars, a separate laser tag arena, sits in the building next door.
Royal Bowling is an indoor games hall with 15 bowling lanes, a roller skating rink, billiard and ping pong tables, and arcade and board games. A kids' playland sits alongside the lanes.
Kids' birthday parties take over the hall with black light, light effects and dance music, and include bowling, skating, food and decorations.
Bowling Center Ilion is a 2,000 m² indoor games hall built around 12 bowling lanes. Billiards tables and virtual reality games share the same floor, so kids who tire of bowling have somewhere to go next. It suits school-age kids and teens more than toddlers.
A ten-pin bowling alley that also has virtual reality games, video games, ping pong and billiards under one roof, so kids can switch between them in one visit.
The venue hosts kids' birthday parties, with food and decorations planned around what the family asks for. It suits a mixed group: older kids and adults bowl while younger siblings move on to the games.
Exit War's kids arena is a laser tag course built for children. Players suit up in tactical gear and split into teams, then hunt each other through a dark, lit-up indoor maze.
It suits kids who like running, hiding and competing in a group, and it often hosts birthday parties. Very young or nervous kids may find the dark and the noise a lot.
A forest adventure park at Malakasa where kids clip into a harness and work through rope courses strung between the trees, with zip lines along the way. The courses are graded by age group, from Squirrels for the youngest up to Eagles for teens.
Off the courses there is archery, a bungee trampoline, a climbing wall, pedal go-karts and an obstacle game called Operation Tarantula, plus picnic areas.
Kartland is an outdoor go-kart track on Leoforos Anthousas in Pallini. Older kids can drive small karts on their own, and two-seat karts let a parent take the wheel with a younger child riding beside them.
It suits kids who like speed and want to drive for themselves. Children who dislike engine noise or wearing a helmet may find it too much.
