Berlin with Teenagers - help!!

[Eastmeetswest1]

I am taking 4 teenagers to Berlin and will have 5 full days there. I have hopefully worked out some 'fun' things to do with them but would really like them to learn about Berlin's history and visit the main sites - The Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie (Museum), Berlin Wall, Holocaust Memorial.

My first question is - have I missed anything blatantly obvious and secondly can anyone who has been recommend the best way to visit them all / get them (and me) to learn the history in a fun way) - I'm thinking they won't thank me for booking a walking tour as much as I'd love to. Was wondering if there was perhaps a bike tour that would be youngster suitable or book separate tickets and make our own way around. I think they might listen to someone bringing everything to life that isn't me / them having to read placards. Is a particular hop-on hop-off bus worthwhile. I have so far only booked flights and accommodation for the 7 days (no travel around the city yet). Thanks!

Potsdam is great if you want to go further back into Brandenburg history - one of my DC was pretty fascinated by tales of Frederick the Great at Sanssouci , and it's a bit less grim than (eg) Topografie des Terrors. Although Wannsee is out on the same train line if you do want more WW2 history.

If you want to go up the Reichstag Dome, book well in advance - we tried to book two weeks before we left the UK and that was too late.

www.fattiretours.com/berlin/

We loved our bike tour with this company!

The museum at Checkpoint Charlie is truly dreadful, so much random stuff thrown haphazardly into rooms, it's like your Grandad's shed got attacked by a crazed wombat. I would recommend the Berlin Wall Memorial museum instead, and the DDR museum.

My teens quite enjoyed the Pergamon museum and the Neues museum too. Also the zoo has pandas.

Oh. The 100 bus and the 200 bus do the same routes as the Hop on tour buses so we just used them to get about.

A day trip to Tropical Islands: https://www.tropical-islands.de/en

DH took DD when she was 15; apart from the historical/cultural things, they enthused about www.rausch.de/en/chocolate-house (brought me back some) and also for a change of pace took a train out to Spreewald en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spree_Forest and paddled around the waterways there.

I was also going to say a visit to the Rausch chocolate house. Hot chocolate there is lovely (don’t add the cream option though).

https://www.rausch.de/schokoladenhaus

The technikmuseum is good for an half day trip and is easy to get to by public transport.

https://technikmuseum.berlin/en/visit/

• Ritter sport used to do chocolate making session.
• Fernsehturm then shopping Center off Alexanderplatz.
• DDR museum.
• Berlin Zoo.
• In summer there is a beach
• wall art at Berlin Wall

Thanks everyone. Will get everyone to school and then digest all the posts......

Roads Not Taken exhibition at the Deutsches Historisches Museum - on until end of next year. Very thought-provoking.

A lot of the museums people are mentioning are commercial ones - they're 'fun' experiences but some of the more understated non-commercial places are well worth a visit too. The Grenzerfahrungen museum at Friedrichstrasse (in the building where those permitted to crossed from west to east back in the day) is worth a visit, as is the Wall memorial (very poignant).

My middle dc went to Sachsenhausen with school aged about 11 - I did think it was quite early but they handled it very well. There's also the Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt in Mitte https://www.museum-blindenwerkstatt.de/en/first-of-all/ And the Jewish Museum - they're very good at outreach and education.

One of the one- or two-hour boat trips are good, or you can do a somewhat longer one along the canal down to (or from) Kreuzberg/Neukölln.

The Pfaueninsel is gorgeous - a bit of a trek but they run a historic double-decker bus there (or used to) from Wannsee station, which is a lot of fun.

DDR Museum and watch the film Good Bye Lenin! before you go (is sweet and funny as well as a great way to explore this part of history through a teenager’s perspective).

Wow, thank you everyone.... and I thought I would be struggling to fill 5 days. I think I could spend a fortnight with all these suggestions.

I have now read / written down all the suggestions and will look where they are all located and try to come up with a vague plan for each day to avoid teenager complaints of my feet are sore! Each and every idea is appreciated!

@Eastmeetswest1 did you have a good time? Any tips in addition to the many helpful posts from previous posters?

Hi, yes we went and had a great time. We used Google Maps on my phone to get around - was very easy though it took me a day or two to realise this..... I planned and took the train from the airport into Berlin... Only to discover on the day that the train didn't stop at Berlin Zoo stop due to weekend engineering works.... And went a different route (wasn't they only person) so that was a nuisance. Using Google Maps or similar app tells you what train / metro / buses to get.

On the first day we did a bike tour with Fat Tire Co (spelling ?). Was great and saw all the main attractions. Also got a recommendation of where to go for lunch that day.

They enjoyed the Spy Museum - though they didn't really read all the info but enjoyed all the interactive stuff.

Visited KaDeWe - browsing / enjoyed a cake and drink on the second from top floor.

The Reichstag was also good - though again I would of liked them to read more. Went early one morning to reserve tickets out you can apply in advance.

Finally, I begrudgingly paid to go up the TV Tower and yes the views were there. They persuaded me to have a drink at the top as they were tired (not cheap) but let myself and one of the youngsters read more of what we were looking out at. They say it was the best thing - I think the bike tour / Spy Museum / Reichstag more so but what was good at the bottom there was 3D interactive experience that you pay extra for showing ing the difference between a family in the east and west and it was very good.

Oh I also took them to The Blue Man Group - I had seen them in New York. Google them. They loved it. I got a discount somehow.

There is a hotel a few minutes from the TV Tower that I believe you can go up to the roof bar and get almost the same views for a fraction of the price - wish I'd tried that and couldn't find any of the traditional bars to experience that.... And if you're looking for anywhere else, I'm getting braver and would recommend Budapest. We had a blast - adventure caving, circus, Parliament, street food, the Ruin Bars, Shoes on the Danube... Again ran out of time.... Loved it.

@JellyBabiesSaveLives your description really made me laugh!

Just FYI for anyone else reading for Berlin recommendations - I understand the fabulous Pergamon Museum is sadly currently closed for refurbishment.