Berlin with Kids

[mikado1]

Heading to Berlin at the end of July. Would love some tips on what to see/do and where to eat. Ideally would like some free/cheaper options as well as ticketed venues. Thanks in advance!

How old are your kids and what area are you staying in? We've been to Berlin recently with our kid twice. Love the place

We took our's to the Zoo , the Reichstag building which they enjoyed exploring, a walk through the Tiergarten and pizza overlooking the boating lake. We took them to see the Brandenburg gate and went up the TV Tower. The Amplemann store was fun for them to pick some cool souvenirs . We also did the Lego museum. They enjoyed posing for photos with the street art at the Eastside gallery too.

We had a great time as a family as Berlin is really family friendly. Potsdammer Platz is also fun to walk around too.

There's a couple of chocolate shops too that have huge chocolate sculptures of bears and iconic Berlin buildings but the name escapes me now but there is one close to Gendarmenmarkt.

Thank you both! 😊
Kids will be 11 and 8.

We're staying next to East Side gallery.

Zoo Berlin - one of the best zoos you’ll ever visit, plus it has Giant Pandas!
DDR Museum - way more hands-on and entertaining than I thought it would be
FEZ Berlin (free) - a little way out of the city centre but worth it
Labyrinth Kinder Museum
Computer Games Museum
Futurium (free)
Deutsches Technikmuseum and Science Centre Spectrum
ANOHA (free) - you need to book a time slot and sessions get booked up a few weeks in advance
Spy Museum

L’Osteria - kids can watch the food being made losteria.net/en/menu/bambini/
Schnitzelei Mitte

Fabulous! Vielen Dank!

The story of Berlin museum is great and includes a tour of an underground bunker from the Cold War, although I would say to look into it and whether you think it is suitable for your youngest in particular. The espionage museum is also good, and I second the PP who said about the DDR museum. Going up the tv tower after dark gets you a cool view.

Tiergarten is good for a free activity, including going up the victory monument in the centre for a great view. Depending on how long you’re there, a trip out to Potsdam can be good too

You can get city passes that give you good discounts for attractions and include tickets for public transport. We used the Welcome card so it’s worth looking at to see if you would go to enough places. It’s also worth a browse of the website just to get ideas.

4 days

Thank you so much.

the Spy Museum - get the U Bahn to Potsdamer platz, it's on the opposite square (I think Leipziger platz?)

There's a lazer maze

also, a day trip to Potsdam is never wasted

Our kid is younger so we've done loads of playgrounds! Jockels Biergarten in Kreuzberg would be fine for older ones - big beer garden with a large shaded playground - can get food there too.

If you fancy drinks with a view, Klunkerkranich on top of the Neukölln Arcaden shopping centre is ace. Cool DJs on, young hip international crowd, usually 5 euro entry. Gets busy so get down when it first opens! They do food too sometimes but our kid is picky so we had to go get frites elsewhere. Family friendly - sandpit for young kids.

We enjoyed Sommerbad Neukölln outdoor pool and slide. Templehof garden is a short walk away - Klunkerkranich is about 20 mins walk from both.

Get kebabs in Berlin! Way nicer than kebabs in the UK. Also falafel.

Sticks'n'Sushi in Potsdamer Platz if you're in the area - great family friendly fusion food.

We spent a lot of time in Prenzlauer Berg area, but it seemed more for families with young kids.

Berlin Zoo and Aquarium are good - been three times!

Just to add that it's a massive city, so it might be better grouping things to do by area. The zoo is huge too so would be a big chunk of the day

The BVG transport app is useful and you can book tickets on it easily - some deals there where you get discounts on tourist tours

You may need to pre book attractions especially in summer. We went just after covid and sone stuff we wanted to do was booked already. Also be aware of rules on public transport re validating tickets as there were officers placed specifically to catch tourists who had misunderstood the rules and fine them. But otherwise it was a fantastic city.

Thank you. Can you remember which were important to book in advance?

The spy museum is great.

Also really enjoyed a guided bike ride.

Love the sound of guided bike tour.. ok for 8yo too do you think? Would be given a helmet?

Oh my god, get the train to tropical islands. It’s amazing!

https://www.tropical-islands.de/en

Another vote for the Spy Museum, very interactive and the whole family enjoyed it.

Berlin is a great city for a family trip.

Yes you get helmets. Out guide was called Thor. Imagine that, the god of thunder taking us round Berlin.

The place we went with was fat bike tours. You'd need to check re the age range though.

Placemarking - we're there in August with young teens. Thanks for the tips so far.

We used to live in Berlin, it’s a great city. All the suggestions so far I would also recommend.

Other suggestions - KaDeWe a large department store a bit like Harrods. The food court at the top is amazing. The chocolate shop is Rausch Schokoladenhaus. they have amazing chocolate sculptures. There’s a Ritter chocolate shop nearby where you can design your own chocolate bar (if it’s still there). I know you’re only there for 4 days but if you need a break the cinema at the Sony centre Potsdamer Platz shows films in Original Language so US or UK Films will be in English. The shopping centre at Potsdamer Platz is also nice (nice food court).

There are 2 zoos in Berlin both are great.

We loved Karls- Erdbeerhof which is a bit out of the city but you can get there by train/bus.

Tropical Islands is brilliant. Quite a way out of Berlin but you could go for the day.

Definitely bike tour. It’s so easy and safe to cycle around Berlin.

The ice cream shops are fab.

You’ll have a fantastic time.

Thank you. Is there another Waterpark you would recommend that's not quite so far? I found one that looked good a few months ago but stupidly didn't bookmark it!

Lake swimming at Strandbad Wannsee (west) or Müggelsee (east).

1 hr boat trip/water taxi through Mitte. Lovely and cool on a hot day and you see lots.

This is on at the Pei-Bau (Deutsches Historisches Museum) atm and is fascinating - prob suitable for both dc, esp if the 8yo is a thoughtful type - really thought-provoking https://www.dhm.de/en/exhibitions/roads-not-taken-oder-es-haette-auch-anders-kommen-koennen/

If not too hot and you're OK with walking, a walk starting at Zoo through the Tiergarten, Reichstag/Brandenburger Tor and up Unter den Linden to the Fernsehturm is a great way to see lots. Plenty of places to stop and rest on the way.

The Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse is more serious but worth a visit - there's a small museum there too.

Ursprung cafe in Dussmann bookshop is lovely.