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Parents taking their children to Berlin will find the city has many attractions specially planned for youngsters. Farms, zoos, swimming, Lego - Berlin's got it all.
Berlin is well known to modern art aficionados, museum buffs, and the cool crowd. After the Love Parade in July, the whole city virtually seems to become a nightclub. But what has Berlin got for kids? Quite a lot, in fact. Head out of the centre to the Grosse Muggelsee, on the east side of the city, and choose between a boat trip, swimming (on the north side of the lake) or hiking. Wannsee (Nikolassee S-Bahn, then a ten minute walk through woods) is another great place for an open-air swim, or just a hike. A working farm for kids - and a beer garden for mum and dadAt Domaene Dahlem (on subway U3, Dahlen Dorf stop), children can visit a working farm in a fine classical style manor house. There’s an organic market on Saturdays, craftspeople at work, and tractor rides that kids will love. And this being Germany, there’s a beer garden where parents can have a drink while children tuck into sausages and sauerkraut. Berlin’s Tiergarten combines the attractions of the city’s largest park with its zoo. As well as mammals and birds, the zoo has one of the largest aquariums in the world – and children will love Knut, the polar bear who was brought up by keeper Thomas Doerflein, though at nearly a year old Knut’s not a baby any more. Star-struck children will enjoy Filmpark Babelsberg – a movie based theme park located on the Babelsberg film studio campus. Stunt shows, a 4-D cinema, and scene sets including a submarine can be visited, and kids even have a chance to become stars themselves in a fully equipped TV studio. Tickets are not cheap, though, so plan on spending the whole day there. Build it - then try to destroy it at Legoland!Legoland is another attraction that will appeal to many children. It includes the chance for kids to test their creations on a car racing track or earthquake table, as well as a miniature city of Berlin entirely built of Lego. The Sony Center in Potsdamerplatz, which houses Legoland, is an attraction in itself, with its shiny modern architecture. Kindercity at Alexanderplatz is aimed at younger children – from two to twelve years old – with lots of activities, including scientific experiments and crafting. However, this may be a more useful resource for expat families living in the city, rather than holidaymakers, since many of the activities require some familiarity with the German language. Alexanderplatz also houses the Fernsehturm, a TV tower which gives a great view of Berlin. The rotating restaurant at the top takes about half an hour to go round. Dinosaurs - always popular with childrenThe Museum fuer Naturkunde (Nature Museum) includes dinosaurs, always a hit with youngsters. But there’s much more; free audio guides (available in English) and family programs bring the collection to life. Like many other attractions, the museum offers a family ticket which is cheaper than separate adults-and-kids tickets. Many of these attractions are educational, as well as fun. However the Berlin Chamber of Horrors (Berliner Gruselkabinett) has no pretensions to learning. A former air-raid shelter, it houses gruesome scenes such as medieval medicine, with shadowy figures flitting around. So while Berlin remains the ‘capital of cool’ for clubbing and music fans, and a cultural centre for operagoers and film buffs, it’s a great city for kids too. Parents need have no fear their children will be bored in the German capital.
The copyright of the article Berlin for Kids in Germany Travel is owned by Andrea Kirkby. Permission to republish Berlin for Kids in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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