Edited by Elodi Troskie
Berlin is a great place to visit if you’re traveling with kids whether it is summer or winter there is something to do for everyone. This is one of the most international, diverse cities in the world, which means there is something for everyone. All the beautiful public parks, creative playgrounds, cool places to eat and other interesting attractions like the famous Berlin Zoo will make sure you never have to wonder how to keep your kids entertained in Berlin! Here are my suggestions for the best things to do in Berlin for families with kids.
Getting around Berlin
No matter where you stay in Berlin, the city’s public transport makes it really easy to get around – especially when traveling with kids. All the must-visit spots around the city are connected by the underground train system, or buses and trams. Berlin’s public transport is child-friendly, and many trams and some buses even have special areas allocated for parents with strollers. Bus 100 is one of the best routes to sightsee Berlin’s most important attractions, starting in West Berlin and stretching all the way to East Berlin. This route will take you pass really cool places like the Berlin Zoo, Museum Island, Alexanderplatz, the Kaizer Wilhelm Memorial Church and the Brandenburg Gate. This is a great way to kickstart your Berlin trip! A travel tip for families is to get the Berlin Welcome Card, which will grant you unlimited travel on the public transport system. Three accompanying children up to the age of 14 can travel for free on this card! If you’re planning on moving around the city quite a lot, this pass will make your life much easier. It also comes with a bunch of discounts and special offers on attractions all over the city.
Explore the city by bicycle
Depending on the age of your kids, a bicycle tour to sightsee Berlin could be a really cool activity for the whole family. This is quite a popular thing to do in Berlin in summer, so there’s a ton of guided bike tours available in the city. You can choose from a variety of tours that cover different areas and attractions, for example, street art, the Berlin Wall, and alternative Berlin. If you don’t want to do this in a group, you can rent a few bicycles and hit the streets of Berlin on your own! If your kids are still young, it might be a good idea to steer clear of the busy city center and to branch out to the outskirts of the city where things are a little slower-paced. A good place to explore by bike is the Tiergarten, just a stone’s throw away from the charming Charlottenburg (more on this later!).
Visit the Berlin Zoo
As the oldest zoo in Germany and home to the richest variety of species in the world, the Berlin Zoo is a must-visit. There are more than 20 000 animals from more than a thousand different species living in this massive natural space. This is one of the best places to visit in Berlin for kids. They’ll be introduced to animals they’ve never seen before, like gorillas, bears, elephants, and tons more. The zoo is big on species conservation and encourages visitors to learn about responsible animal tourism – great for kids to hear about! There are special tours and programs available for children, like the petting zoo, adventure playground, and panoramic window to watch the hippos play underwater. The zoo is located out of the city center and can be reached by bus, train, S-Bahn, or U-Bahn (work out the fastest way to get there on BVG). Day tickets are 15,50€ for adults and 8€ for children up to the age of 15. If the zoo doesn’t present enough animals, you can move on to the Berlin Aquarium just next door (you can buy joint tickets for both the zoo and the aquarium).
Eat all their favorites
Berlin has a number of child-friendly cafes and restaurants offering outside playgrounds and indoor activities to keep kids busy while their parents sip on a pint of German beer. The first place I suggest families visit is Café Kiezkind, where kids can play in the splash pool and water slide or ride around on scooters and tricycles – the perfect spot to visit for breakfast or lunch. For rainy days, the café has a heated indoor sandbox as well as a variety of board games, toys, and craft supplies to make sure the weather doesn’t get in the way of any fun. Another really cool place to visit is the Prater Biergarten, one of the biggest and best-known beer gardens in Berlin. Parents love the relaxed vibe, extensive range of local beers, and typically German food menu, while kids love the on-site playground and mouth-watering pretzels, jacket potatoes, and sausages.
Jump at the trampoline park
I can’t imagine that there’s a kid (or parent) who wouldn’t enjoy a couple of hours at a trampoline park! Berlin’s Jump House is one of the biggest trampoline arenas in Germany with more than 120 trampolines in over 4 000 square meters. Because everything is indoors, this is the ideal activity to do with kids on rainy winter days in Berlin (also a great idea for a special celebration, like a young one’s birthday while in Berlin!). From simple trampolining to dodgeball, basketball, and advanced climbing courses, there will be something for every member of the family. Some of Jump House’s latest additions are Sky Ninja, an obstacle course with zip lines up to 11 meters above the ground, and Video JUMP, virtual technology that guarantees hours of entertainment. Prices start from 14€ for an hour’s worth of jumping, and tickets can be booked online.
Visit Gardens of the World
Gärten der Welt, or Gardens of the World, is an enormous space the size of about 60 football pitches featuring ten international gardens. Each garden is inspired by a different country, like the Chinese Garden of the Recovered Moon and the tropical Balinese paradise. Throughout the year a series of events are hosted to join in with every theme, for example, the Japanese cherry blossom festival and the Korean tea ceremony. This is a unique way to get a glimpse of different landscapes around the world and learn about international cultures. There is so much to see and so much ground to cover that you can spend an entire morning exploring the beautiful gardens. Keep an eye on the events taking place in the gardens during the time you visit Berlin to make sure you don’t miss out on anything!
Take a trip to the countryside
Berlin is a metropolitan, fast-paced city, but if you want to break away from the busy city life, you don’t need to go far to get a taste of the countryside. The Alte Fasanerie farm will make for the perfect day trip to get some fresh air and to do something out of the ordinary with your kids. This farm is family-friendly and offers special recreational activities for children between the ages of 6-12. The farm shows the different parts of life in the countryside with its vegetable plantations, home-style restaurant, and farm shops selling fresh, home-grown products. Taking the day to venture out of the city is a fun way to expose kids to nature and have them learn something new! If you visit during summer, you might even catch a cool farm festival! Visiting hours are from 10:00 until 17:00 every day.
Hang out at Volkspark Friedrichshain
Berlin has so many amazing outdoor spaces that it would be a shame not to visit as many of the city’s public parks as possible. Established in the 1840’s, Volkspark Friedrichshain was Berlin’s first public park. The idea was to create a space where people from all over the city could come together to socialize and attend events and festivals throughout the year. Volkspark Friedrichshain has faithfully been doing just this for almost two centuries now! This is a good place to visit with kids because not only is there more than enough to keep the young ones busy, but the older kids and grownups can join the other visitors in having a barbeque, playing beach volleyball or head to the area surrounding the Samariterkirche, where you’ll find a hub of cafes and bars. This is a very popular spot for families to visit over weekends, so it won’t take very long for your kids to make friends!
Go shopping
Shopping opportunities in Berlin are endless, and not just for the grownups! If you’re looking for children’s clothes, toys, and other accessories, Berlin won’t disappoint. La Fraise Rouge is a clothing store selling garments for babies and toddlers. They also stock accessories like kids’ school backpacks and soft toys. The cool thing about this shop is that you can get your little one’s name or initials embroidered on any of their items – a special way to commemorate the trip to Berlin! For toys, head to Ella und Monster, where you’ll find anything from racing cars, old-school toys, and princess attire. Another interesting store to visit is the green concept store, Lila Lämmchen. All their children’s clothes are made of natural textiles, and the Lila Lämmchen shoe shop and Lila Grün selling adult fashion pieces is just around the corner.
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