10 Things to Do with Kids in Berlin

When traveling with children, you have to be aware that their interests may differ from yours. So, no matter how much parents enjoy a museum, it's quite likely that the little ones will get bored after a while. For this reason, you should plan activities designed especially for them.

The advantage of the German capital is that you'll have no trouble finding things for children to enjoy. Among other things, you can take them to wonderful parks with areas just for kids, visit museums that are sure to catch their attention, or, if you're feeling daring, even take a hot air balloon ride.

With an area of 3,500 square meters, booking tickets for the Legoland Discovery Center is a must if you are traveling with children. It is one of the most visited places by Berlin families and tourists with children between the ages of 3 and 10, the recommended age range for the activities on offer.

In addition to admiring spectacular Lego constructions, children can play and create their own structures. There is also a 4D movie theater, attractions, and Merlin's library.

One of the areas of this center is Miniland, where children (and adults) can see Berlin's most famous monuments made from Lego pieces.

Practical information

• Price: from $24
• Opening hours: 10:00 to 17:00 every day. Last admission is at 15:00.

For approximately $38, I recommend that you don't miss the opportunity to book tickets for a Die Welt balloon ride. Unless you're afraid of heights, this is one of the activities that children will remember most from the entire trip.

The balloon, held by a steel cable, takes off every 15 minutes from near Checkpoint Charlie. During the flight, you will be able to see the Brandenburg Gate, get a view of the Spree River, and see the Reichstag from a different angle.

Practical information

• Price: from 38
• Duration: approx. 15 minutes

If you're traveling with children or teenagers, don't miss out on booking tickets for Dungeon Berlin, where you'll discover the most terrifying history of the German capital. A unique and original family activity!

Your ticket includes access to a total of 10 recreations of Berlin's most terrifying moments, accompanied by an expert guide and various actors and actresses who will entertain you throughout your visit. You'll meet key historical figures such as the White Lady and the Dark Jester, take a raft ride, and experience a fall from a height of no less than 12 meters in complete darkness.

There are a wide variety of times available so you can fit this activity into your vacation schedule. Please note that this activity is not recommended for children under 10 years of age.

Practical information

• Price: from $21
• Schedules: your ticket is valid at the time you book. There are shows in English every day at 11:40 a.m., 1:40 p.m., and 3:40 p.m.

With a little skill, you can add a touch of mystery and fun to your visit to Berlin with children. Just visit a few places where they will discover interactive experiences, optical illusions, and wax figures that will leave them speechless. Here are a few options:

• Body Worlds exhibition in Berlin: Discover the most impressive aspects of the human body through more than 200 figures that perfectly recreate muscles, organs, and tissues. A visit that combines science and curiosity in equal parts.
• Tickets for Illuseum Berlin: Experience a journey full of optical illusions, sloping rooms, and the famous vortex tunnel that defies gravity. An interactive space that's ideal for the whole family to have fun while exploring the limits of perception.
• Tickets for Madame Tussauds Berlin: Come and see more than 120 wax replicas of international celebrities and take the funniest photos. An original and entertaining plan for all ages.
• Spy Museum: Berlin was one of the world's espionage capitals. Although not specifically designed for children, they will have a great time seeing gadgets and secrets of secret agents.
• Video Game Museum: Discover the first video games and consoles and enjoy a collection that will delight young and old alike.
• Natural History Museum: one of the most popular museums for children of all ages. Its collection includes more than 25 million mineral, animal, and paleontological specimens. Oh, and dinosaurs!

Discover Museum Island with your children

When traveling to Berlin, even with children, a visit to Museum Island is a must. If the visit is well organized and not too long, you are sure to find many interesting things to see. It is a good idea to take a look at the list of the city's best museums to find some that will be most entertaining for your family.

Anyone who has visited the German capital (even if you've traveled to Berlin in winter) will have noticed the large number of families who flock to its parks and gardens to spend time. All you have to do is book a guided tour of Berlin to see for yourself. If you're traveling with children, it's best to do as the locals do and choose the green space that best suits their tastes.

One of the attractions of these green spaces is that almost all of them have playgrounds for children.

• For the more active, for example, the park located on the runways of the former Tempelhof airport is the best option. There, they can ride bikes or skateboard without any problems.
• If you're a fan of fairy tales, there's no better place than Volkspark Friedrichshain, where you'll find a fountain decorated with sculptures of characters created by the Brothers Grimm. It's also the oldest public park in the city and has a pond, sports facilities, and an open-air cinema in the summer.
• The park called The Gardens of the World is undoubtedly a place that could become one of your children's favorites during your trip to Berlin. Located in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district, this area not only has a fantastic maze and a playground, but you can also discover different styles of gardens (from Chinese to British) and sample food from around the world.

Although Berlin doesn't have a beach, if you visit in summer you'll find several areas near the river where locals and visitors can enjoy a swim and a picnic.

• The most interesting urban beaches are Kinderbad Monbijou (more family-friendly) and Badeschiff, which has a more festive atmosphere.
• The lakes surrounding the capital, which can be easily reached by subway, are Wannsee, Grunewald Forest, and Müggelsee.

Of course, another great option related to water is a cruise around the German capital. Don't hesitate to book a cruise in Berlin. You're sure to love it.

and if you're traveling in winter, take them ice skating

You could say that Berlin swaps swimming pools for ice rinks in winter. Especially if you've traveled to Berlin at Christmas, you'll find rinks in several of the city's most important squares. Among them, the one set up in the Winter World (Winterwelt), a kind of fair in the heart of Potsdamer Platz, stands out.

On the other hand, many Berliners head to the same lakes where they swim in summer, but this time to skate on their frozen surface.

One of the most interesting places to take your children while in Berlin is MACHmit! Opened in 1993, it was designed to be a mix between a playground and a museum. Its activities are specifically designed for children between the ages of 4 and 12.

Located in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood, this place is expressly designed for children to participate. To begin with, they are sure to be amazed when they see where it is located, as it was moved to a renovated neo-Gothic church in 2003. Here are some of its main areas:

• In the main exhibition hall, in the central nave, you'll find a large wooden bookcase in the form of a vertical maze that they can climb through.
• Another area that children usually enjoy is the mirror room, as well as the soap shop, the printing press, and the library. There is also a games room and several educational exhibitions that change theme every year.
• Finally, where the altar used to be, an amphitheater has been installed where various shows take place while parents spend time in the on-site café.

Practical information

• Address: Senefelderstraße, 5.
• Opening hours: Thursday and Friday from 2pm to 6pm; Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm.
• Price: approx. €7.

One of the advantages of exploring Berlin's neighborhoods beyond the center is that you'll find places you never expected to see. For children, for example, there are few places more fun than the Robin Hood Spielplatz, a theme park inspired by the popular character.

At Savignyplatz, near Kurfürstendamm Avenue, you'll find a wonderful recreation of Sherwood Forest, where Robin Hood lived out his adventures. The centerpiece of the park, which covers some 14,000 square meters, is a huge castle full of towers and houses. From here, crossing a bridge, you reach the tree houses where Robin Hood and his comrades lived.

The playground extends throughout the park: sports fields, a water park, sledding hills, and picnic tables.

More adventures for children: pirate ship playground

If Robin Hood doesn't appeal to you, perhaps a pirate ship will. It is located in a playground near Charlottenburg Palace, making it a perfect stop if you have decided to visit this splendid monument.

The main attraction of the park is, of course, the pirate ship, which older children can try to climb using the climbing nets and feel like a real pirate for a few hours.

Practical information

– Robin Hood Spielplatz

• Address: Knesebeckstraße 81, 10623 Berlin.
• Opening hours: open all year round, free admission.
• Price: free.

With the reunification of Berlin, the city found itself with some duplicate facilities. Among them were two zoos. Today, both are still in operation and provide lots of fun for children.

Berlin Zoo, located near Kurfürstendamm, is considered to have the most animal species in the world, with more than 16,000. It is also the most visited zoo in Europe. Among its attractions are its huge aviary and its aquarium with sharks and piranhas. It also has a children's area where kids can interact with sheep, goats, ponies, and donkeys.

The city's other zoo, Tierpark, is much smaller, with only about 900 different species.

Practical information

• Address

  • Berlin Zoo: Hardenbergplatz 8, 10787 Berlin.
  • Tierpark: Am Tierpark 125, 10319 Berlin.

• Opening hours: both are open every day, usually from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (check for seasonal variations).

• Admission

  • Berlin Zoo: adults from €17, children from €8.50.
  • Tierpark: adults from €15.50, children from €8.

The attractions in central Berlin are almost endless, but you probably didn't expect to find a large aquarium with more than 5,000 marine specimens from 80 different species. Although children will really enjoy the visit, I'm sure adults will have a great time too.

Book your ticket for the Berlin Aquarium. It is located next to Alexanderplatz, in the Mitte district. Inside, you can see 35 different pools that reproduce various types of natural environments. The structure of the place itself is spectacular, as it is a cylindrical aquarium with an interior elevator that takes you up surrounded by a million liters of salt water.

As usual, the animals that tend to attract the most attention from children are the sharks, although the rays, octopuses, seahorses, and catfish are also interesting.

Practical information

• Opening hours: every day of the week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Price: adults over 15 pay around €19, while admission for children is around €15.

• Make a list of everything there is to see and do in Berlin: This way, you can explain each of the monuments and museums and make the visit more enjoyable for the little ones.
• Take advantage of the tourist bus: we all know that children tend to get tired quickly when walking around the city. Berlin's tourist buses are the perfect alternative for visiting the most important monuments in the German capital without getting tired. All you need to do is study the stops to see where to get off and where to get back on.
• Public transportation: Children under 6 travel free, while those between 6 and 14 are entitled to a reduced fare. Transportation is also easily accessible with baby strollers.
• Bicycles: Berlin is a very bike-friendly city. If you prefer something more organized, there are several interesting bike tours available.
• Museums: Most museums offer reduced admission for children.