Berlin

[wishingchair1]

Booked to go to Berlin in June fingers crossed for 3 nights with two daughters 9 and 12. Just wondering what cool things would be great to do whilst we are there. I know it is quite a contemporary city, so thinking lots of quirky stuff out there on top of tourist attractions.

[nixso29]

We visited Hitlers bunker while we were there it was very interesting

[Invisimamma]

Kadewe department store, is beautiful and the food court is lush.

Spy museum is a lot of fun, interactive exhibitions very interesting (not sure about covid times).

Berlin zoo also might be good for that age. Botanical Gardens too.

There's obviously lots of historical stuff too but unsure how interested preteens would be in that.

[wishingchair1]

The spy museum sounds interesting and Hitlers bunker.
Thinking of the zoo and aquarium for one day also. Thanks for the suggestions. Just hope the pcr bits are gone by june.

[RestingStitchFace]

The museum at Checkpoint Charlie is good.

The restaurant on the top floor of KaDeWe does an amazing breakfast buffet. And the revolving restaurant at the top of the Fernsehturm is good fun.

If you go out to the edge of the city, the Havel and the Grunwald are both lovely to explore. You can get a pleasure boat cruise around the Havel.

[Invisimamma]

There's the TV tower too, although we didn't do this I have heard it's good.
I was also gutted we missed our Reichstag tour as that looks impressive. You need to book a time slot in advance and fill out security forms.

[Jcee]

The Reichstag tour is great - as already mentioned you need to book well in advance of your trip but it's simple to do online. Make a chocolate bar at the Ritter shop, have a currywurst from an imbiss stand, ride the 100 bus around from east to west and my daughter, who went there at a similar age to your children, loved hunting out and finding the buddy bears everywhere too. I love Berlin, you'll have a great time!

[JustJam4Tea]

It’s a great city. Depending on their knowledge of history be really with them watching something about Berlin during the wall times before you go.

There is a fabulous chocolate shop Rausch Schokoladenhaus

[wishingchair1]

The restaurant at the tv tower, can you go for a drink or do you need to book a table for a meal. Its not showing for 2022 yet.

[Redhead37]

Check out east Berlin, you can see the differences as you walk east to west. A walking tour is great, if you don't, check the memorial to the dead - the museuem in the middle of town which commemorates the devastation of the jewish population in the Second World War. . Its humbling.

[TizerorFizz]

@wishingchair1
It’s not the real Hitlers bunker. That was destroyed. For obvious reasons. The bunker is a recreation. Personally I wouldn’t go.

We found the German History museum better at recapturing Nazi history. There also the holocaust museum. Berlin Lonely Planet guide is good and you can see what you are interested in from their recommendations. It’s fairly easy to travel for a day out of the city. We went to Charlottenburg palace. Visit Berlin is also a good guide but I find Lonely Plsnet dependable.

[Kinlocrhum]

Great bike tours of the Berlin Wall.

[TrixyTed]

My favourite bit was walking along the stretch of wall that's still standing that has been turned into an art gallery. Amazing 'graffiti'.

[TheRigatonini]

East side gallery

[PenOrPencil]

Ritter Sport Schokowelt, Tropical Islands Pool, Filmstudio Babelsberg

[percypig]

Berlin is a great city! A wander round Kadewe, is great, I wouldn’t even get a meal, but we did splurge on pic a mix and some treats from the top floor. Definitely do the Ritter Sport shop, Currywurst and for teenagers the shopping and food court in Mall of Berlin is worth a wander round.

We loved the spy museum, DDR museum and Game Science museum. I also enjoyed the Reichstag tour, the teenagers weren’t quite so keen!

I’d make sure you go to different areas, and take advantage of the diverse food scene. We had a great Vietnamese meal in Umami in Kreuzberg.

[percypig]

Oh yes, walking along the East side Gallery was also great!

[Bratnews]

Fat Tire Tours - I’d recommend them for a bike tour. Berlin is really flat so it’s not v strenuous 😀. This will cover all the essentials!!

Reichstag Tour.

Olympic stadium - its worth going out on the train to visit.

Hitlers bunker is under a car park next to a block of flats!!

Perhaps an outdoor swimming pool as it shd be nice and hot.

Just wander around lots of things to just look at

[Philandbill]

I love Berlin, I lived in Germany (not Berlin) for a couple of years a long time ago so may be biased. After a long gap we took our DDs a couple of years ago, 11 and 14 at the time so a bit older than yours.
Lots of things to see but especially liked-

• DDR museum, DD2 especially enjoyed "driving" a Trabi.
• sitting by the Spree in the evening light near to the Reichstag
• Berlin Zoo - (not the Tierpark) the bigger zoo with the pandas

-Pergamon Museum as they were wowed by the Ishtar gate. My favourite thing there, the Pergamon alter, was closed for renovations so we have an excuse to return. Pergamon is like a smaller version of the British museum, so inevitably concerns about appropriations...

• The Holocaust memorial near the Brandenburg gate is very moving. We also found the Museum of German Resistance very interesting. It's small but accessible and tells the story of the people the (few) brave resistance were trying to help so it doesn't glorify the resistance. Berlin has a really challenging history and I don't feel that you can visit Berlin, even with teens/ children, without addressing this.

Have you got somewhere to stay OP? Travel around the city is very easy on the S-bahn or U-bahn.

[Caspianberg]

The holocaust museum is worth going to, but can be upsetting so be prepared to leave if the children want to.

A walking tour or two are the best way to see lots and the tour guides are experienced with lots of facts and interesting finds you might miss otherwise. Definitely worth the expense.

[JE17]

My DC enjoyed the visit to the Reichstag. We didn’t book a full tour as I thought the DC might get bored (9 and 6 at the time), so we only visited the glass top part of the building, it’s very impressive. As mentioned above, you need to book well in advance.
DC also enjoyed the DDR museum, it’s small but there were a lot of hands on exhibits.

[dreamingbohemian]

We used to live in Berlin, I'd recommend:

A boat tour on the Spree

For the Wall, go to the Bernauer Strasse memorial instead of Checkpoint Charlie

The zoo is nice, it's next to lots of shopping as well, and there's a trendy rooftop restaurant called Neni next to it where you can watch the animals below

Depending when you go in June, the outdoor pools will be open -- the one in Monbijouplatz is really nice, with a park next door for a picnic

Ice cream! Berlin has the best ice cream and it's really cheap, there are shops all over

I see someone mentioned Tropical Islands -- this would be a great day trip, go early! It's really something.

If you haven't booked a place to stay yet I'd recommend something in the Prenzlauerberg - Hackescher Markt corridor, it's one of the most charming parts of the city with loads of restaurants and shops

[wishingchair1]

Brilliant suggestions, lots for me to think about. I've booked a hotel the hotel briston berlin, has a pool and spa. So should be ok for swimming. Looked at tropical Island, which looked fab but as only a short trip.
I like the idea of the boat trip, walk across the wall with graffiti.
I never know how much to pre book and to go with the flow. So much history with Berlin aswell. The bike tour do you get info? Or is it diy?

[Laney79]

DDR museum is fab, the reichstag is beautiful (and for a treat you can go to the restaurant for posh cake and tea!) but you need to book in advance. The east side gallery is great...if they like computer games there's a really cool computer games museum too. X

[JazzyBBG]

Do a walking tour you find out so much and see all the main places.

We went up the TV tower for cocktails - you can also eat there but both have to be booked.

There is a restaurant above the zoo called Monkey Bar and Neni (not sure on second part) that also has great views.

Just wandering down by Museum Island is lovely.

Great place have a fab time!

[wishingchair1]

Back again after re looking at all the suggestions. Thanks all. I've seen something called the berlin welcome card, that includes free transport and discounts off things like the TV tower. Would anyone know if its worth it.