Visiting Berlin with Kids: 6 Outstanding Activities

At a glance

Berlin offers a wealth of activities for children. Discover 6 outstanding places to visit in Berlin with kids.

The large German city offers many advantages for family travel. As Europe's greenest capital, with 44% of its area dedicated to green spaces, it is full of parks and playgrounds, as well as numerous lakes and pools for swimming when the weather is warm and sunny. Public transport is very well organised and convenient. In the collective imagination, the city is linked to many espionage stories. Its historical past with the Nazi era is clearly important to keep in our memories. And the city's cultural attractions, enjoyable for children and families, are numerous. Berlin is particularly well known for its children's museums.

Let's take a look at some outstanding activities, thanks to a few tips from the Bonjour Berlin website.

1. MACHmit, the children's museum

Considered by many to be the best of the children's museums, it is housed in a former church in Prenzlauer Berg. Children can search, discover, play and try things out as they please. A few examples: trying out printing, making soap, using a communal weaving loom, building cars with the giant construction set… And if you really need some exercise, test your skills on the huge climbing wall (7 metres high). A wild wander through the mirror maze awaits you.

Temporary exhibitions, for example on the themes of the city, nature and the environment, keep the programme varied. The venue is known for tackling complex topics and making them very easy to understand.

Website — €8 from age 2 (€30 for a family of up to 3 children) — no minimum age. Knowledge of German is recommended.

2. A virtual journey through divided Berlin

The Berlin Wall long divided the city between East Berlin (communist) and West Berlin (oriented towards the West). Families, friends and lovers were separated for decades. Crossing this wall, in either direction, was only possible at certain checkpoints — something only a lucky few were able to do. Trying your luck through indirect means (such as tunnels) meant risking your life. Next to Checkpoint Charlie is TimeRide, which offers a virtual journey to help you learn more about this period of Berlin's history. The experience is available in several languages, including French.

Website (in German or English) — €16.90 per person (€56.90 for families of 4) — recommended from age 6.

3. The Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden

The Berlin Botanical Garden, more than 100 years old, has a vast collection of plants and beautiful landscaped gardens. For example, the medicinal plant garden, the scent and touch garden, or the water and marsh garden with its moors and ponds. 15 greenhouses house lush jungle landscapes, tropical animals and a warm, humid subtropical climate. Fun, educational tours for children take place on the first Sunday of the month (registration required). The site is so vast that it is impossible to discover everything in a single visit!

Website (in German) — €6 from age 6 — for all ages.

4. Schöneberger Südgelände Nature Park

What will the world look like if we were to leave it and come back a few years later? Anyone who has read the apocalyptic children's book "The Cloud" by Gudrun Pausewang has an idea of what this is about, as does anyone who visits Südgelände Nature Park in Berlin-Schöneberg. Located on the site of the former Berlin-Tempelhof marshalling yard, it beautifully blends industrial heritage with nature. The charm of this Berlin park lies in its mix of green spaces, decaying remnants from the era of marshalling yards, and contemporary artworks. A birch forest now grows over former railway tracks, abandoned locomotives stand alongside owl sculptures, and shaggy sheep graze in the tall grass. Contemporary artists reinforce the sense of mystery in this truly unusual place.

Website (in German or English) — entry: €1 from age 14 (ticket machines at the park entrance, bring change) — for all ages.

5. The Spy Museum

This museum is located at the Potsdamer Platz metro station in Berlin-Mitte and focuses on the dramatic history of espionage in Berlin during the Cold War. Here you can discover early eavesdropping methods and the equipment spies used during the Cold War. Two original Enigma decoding machines from the Second World War are on display in their original form. Basic knowledge and history are shared here, along with fun and entertainment. And a room is dedicated to James Bond, with props from his films.

You can try lots of things with your children, take on the laser course, search for bugs and try to decipher secret codes.

Website (in German or English) — free up to age 6, prices from €8 to €17 — for all ages.

6. Berlin-Brandenburg Model Park in Wuhlheide

Visiting the sights of Berlin and Brandenburg in miniature is possible at the former Ernst Thälmann Stadium in Oberschöneweide. About 80 scale models of famous buildings, at a scale of 1:25, line the vast green spaces. You can stroll along the sweets of Karl-Marx-Allee, marvel at Peacock Island on the Wannsee, Rheinsberg Castle and Glienicke Bridge.

Website (in German) — €2.50 from age 7 to 18, €5.50 for adults — for all ages.

So much more to discover in Berlin…

There are so many activities possible in Berlin that it is impossible to list them all in this article.

But we still want to let you know that it is also possible to explore underground Berlin (min. age 7, €16 to €19 depending on the tour, tours in French available);
Or visit the beautiful Berlin Zoo, home to the greatest diversity of animals in the world (€7.50 from age 4 to 15, €16 from age 16);
Explore, test, climb and touch at the German Museum of Technology in Berlin, also highly recommended (free up to age 18, €12 for adults);
The Museum of Illusions, where your senses and perceptions will be tricked and where you can solve amazing puzzles as a family, is also outstanding (€12 from age 4 to 14, €16 for adults);
And we can't fail to mention the very rich Natural History Museum of Berlin, worth visiting more than once (€5 from age 6 to 15, €8 for older visitors);
Finally, as a playground, we recommend the family paradise that is FEZ-Berlin, Germany's largest non-profit family centre, with huge outdoor and indoor playgrounds, a cinema, a mini zoo and a swimming pool.

In conclusion

Berlin is certainly an excellent destination for a family trip, full of discoveries, fun and good times. It is also possible to opt for eco-friendly transport to get there, saving on a night's accommodation, thanks to the night train linking Brussels to Berlin. You can view an interactive map of Berlin here, which is very handy for planning your stay.

Article written in collaboration with "Bonjour Berlin". "Bonjour Berlin is a travel blog that shares all the best tips in Berlin. It's a great site for knowing which monument to visit, which neighbourhood to stroll through, or which restaurant to eat at!"