Berlin with young children

[cudbywestrangers]

Dh and I have booked a few days in Berlin next week with ds1 (3.5) and ds2 (9 months). We've booked an apartment and really looking forward to it!!!

I'd really value the advice of anyone who has been with small children for some hints and tips!

Firstly, are we better putting ds2 in the buggy or would it be easier to just have him in a backpack? I imagine we will use public transport to get around and I know wouldn't fancy the buggy in London...

Secondly, ds2 is still breastfeeding and has a midmorning and midafternoon feed. Do any of you know what attitudes are like to breastfeeding in public. I have no problem being as discrete as I can with a wriggly baby but it's usually fairly obvious what I'm doing even if no flesh on display...

Finally, any recommendations for where to eat and things to do would be appreciated.

Thanks

We have been to Berlin twice - once in Feb (when the dds were 5 and 3) and once in July (when they were 7 and 4). It was very, very cold when we went in Feb (ice floating down the river cold), due to this, they have Kinder Cafes - cafes with children in mind, you might pay a couple of euros for each child, but you are indoors, warm and there is cake. Much, much nicer than any kind of softplay hell you have been to in this country.

The Reichstag is well worth a visit (dd1, then 7, loved the headset (the children's version was only available in German, so she just had the adult one)).

Public transport was very easy to use, and as such, it doesn't really matter where you stay as everywhere is equally accessible. Germans are pretty child friendly, somwon't be fazed by pushchairs on the u-bahn/s-bahn, and i cannot imagine breastfeeding being a problem either. In fact, at a guess, i would say it would be less of a problem than here (ie not at all).

We loved Berlin, hence going a second time (when it was boiling) not long after our first visit.

Thanks for your reply! We're off tomorrow so trying to get packed and really looking forward to our trip will get the reichstag booked and make sure we hang out in some kindercafes!

We went a few months ago. The trains are really easy to use, but they do tend to be packed. I probably would expect difficulty with a buggy. We were standing room only st pretty much all times of the day or evening. Think London tube in rush hour. Expect it to be very cold as well. So hats, gloves, heavy jackets, walking shoes. The buggy will be good when walking round though. And uou walk a lot.

My favourite things were the topography of terror museum, it was hugely fascinating and distressing in equal measure, and the Segway tour was brilliant , the latter clearly not suitable with kids. I can't imagine there would be an issue with breastfeeding. Alexander platz is great for shops and restaurants/ cafes. Check point Charlie museum we found interesting but not wow. Seeing the remnants of the wall was interesting, thought provoking and very sad.

We also did another museum, I can't recall the name, but showed the evolution of Germany and its attitudes over the years and that was also interesting.

Brilliant! Thanks!!! I went when I was 17 so expecting it to be very different...

Oo, you need to bring photo id to go to the reichstag - don't forget, or they won't let you in!!!

Thanks for the heads up, wouldn't have thought of that!!!

We just came back. Today! DS is almost 5. We did the Bus Tour. Then went to Brandenburg Gate. The zoo is fabulous esp their monkey section. Also walked from Toography of Terror down to Checkpoint Charlie. They have a 'Panorama Berlin' thing that recreates the wall which DS loved. Had hot chocolate at Fassbender and Rausch. Reichstag is always a big hit. Public transport is very easy indeed so I wouldn't worry. The Kinder cafes are great. And yes it is very very very cold! Much colder than London today.

We went to Berlin with our then 1 year old last October. We loved the kinder cafes. We had breakfast in the rotating Sky Tower one morning, which was a lovely experience. We went to the holocaust memorial and the wall, which were both places DS could wonder around a bit. He also loved the sea life centre; we thought it was a big small and naff. The Pottsdammer Platz (sp?) market was also great, and busy and interesting. The only place the buggy was a bit annoying was Alexanderplatz, where we found transferring between lines, on different floors and on street level confusing. Other thing we found helpful was our fabric baby seat. Lots of cafes and restaurants didn't have baby seats at all.