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Guide · Berlin

Berlin with kids

Berlin takes children seriously in a way few capitals do. Playgrounds are treated as public infrastructure rather than an afterthought, so they are large, well built and everywhere, and the city has enough leftover open space that children can be loud without anyone minding.

The catch is scale. Berlin is spread out, and two things that look close on a map can be forty minutes apart. The way to enjoy it with small children is to pick one district a day and walk it properly, rather than crossing the city chasing a list. The U and S-Bahn are largely step free and children travel cheaply, but the journeys still eat the day.

Entry to the state museums is free for under eighteens, which changes the maths on Museum Island. It also means you can go in for an hour, see one thing properly and leave, which is usually the right length with a young child.

Open Berlin on the map

Family places in Berlin

🎠Activities 8

  • Berlin TV Tower (Fernsehturm)Berlin's tallest landmark at 368m, with a viewing platform at 203m giving views across the city. Book online to skip the queues. Free under 3.
    Indoor
    Official website
  • Berlin Underworld (Berliner Unterwelten)Guided tours of Berlin's underground bunkers, tunnels and Cold War shelters. The 'Dark Worlds' tour from Gesundbrunnen U-Bahn is the most suitable for families. Ages 14 and up.
    Ages 14+Indoor
    Official website
  • Brandenburg GateThe 18th-century neoclassical gate that became a symbol of German reunification. Free to visit any time, with open space on Pariser Platz for children to run around.
    FreeOutdoor space
    Official website
  • FEZ BerlinA large children's leisure and education centre in Koepenick, with indoor and outdoor activities, a farm, an adventure playground, a pool, theatre and a model railway. Free or low cost, and a full day out.
    Play areaGamesPetting farmIndoorOutdoor space
    Official website
  • KulturbrauereiA former brewery in Prenzlauer Berg turned cultural complex, with cinemas, markets, food trucks, restaurants and regular family events. The cobbled courtyards are free to enter.
    FreeIndoorOutdoor space
    Official website
  • Reichstag Glass DomeNorman Foster's glass dome on the parliament building, with a spiral ramp up to 360-degree rooftop views. Free, but requires advance registration on the Bundestag website.
    FreeIndoor
    Official website
  • Siegessäule (Victory Column)A 67-metre golden victory column in the Tiergarten. Climb the 285 steps to the viewing platform for city views; the spiral staircase is part of the fun for older children. Not stroller friendly.
    Ages 6+Indoor
    Official website
  • Treptower Park & Soviet War MemorialA large riverside park in the east with a monumental Soviet war memorial and a 12-metre bronze soldier. Wide lawns, boat hire on the Spree and plenty of space to run.
    FreePark
    Official website

🌳Parks 1

  • Spielplatz WeinbergsparkA local playground in Mitte's Weinbergspark with a mix of equipment for different ages, set in a park with a pond. A quieter neighbourhood spot.
    FreePlay area

🏛️Museums 4

  • Deutsches TechnikmuseumGermany's technology museum, with locomotives, historic aircraft, ships and computers. The ticket includes the Science Center Spectrum. Free on the first Friday of each month after 13:00, and free under 18.
    Indoor
    Official website
  • Labyrinth KindermuseumAn interactive children's museum in Wedding with immersive themed exhibitions that change regularly. Aimed at ages 3-8 and relaxed for young children.
    Ages 3-8Play areaGames
    Official website
  • MACHmit! Museum für KinderA children's museum in Prenzlauer Berg with hands-on themed rooms covering construction, media, science and role play. Free under 2. Aimed at ages 3-12; book ahead at weekends.
    Ages 3-12Play areaGames
    Official website
  • Spectrum Science CentreOver 250 interactive experiments across two floors, where children can generate electricity and explore optics and physics. Included in the Technikmuseum ticket. Free on the first Friday of each month after 13:00, and free under 18.
    Games
    Official website

🏰Castles 1

  • Charlottenburg PalaceA baroque royal palace with formal gardens, a lake and a playground on the grounds. The gardens and orangery are free to walk through. Good for a half day with a picnic.
    FreePlay area
    Official website

🎡Theme Parks 1

  • Legoland Discovery Centre BerlinAn indoor Lego attraction near Potsdamer Platz with a Miniland Berlin, a 4D cinema, rides and building zones. Best for ages 3-10; book timed entry in advance.
    Ages 3-10Games
    Official website

🦁Zoo & Animals 2

  • Berlin Zoological GardenA species-rich zoo with over 1,300 species and 20,000 animals. The panda enclosure and baby animals are popular with younger children. A combined ticket with the adjacent Aquarium Berlin is available.
    Play area
    Official website
  • Tierpark BerlinA large landscaped zoo in the east of the city, more relaxed and less crowded than the Zoological Garden, with over 850 species across 160 hectares. Good for a full day.
    Play area
    Official website

🐠Aquarium 1

  • Aquarium BerlinThree floors of fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects next to the Zoological Garden. The crocodile hall and jellyfish tanks tend to be favourites. Combined zoo ticket available.
    Indoor
    Official website

🛝Playgrounds 2

  • Görlitzer Park PlaygroundA large adventure playground in Goerlitzer Park, Kreuzberg, with climbing structures, swings and a water-play area. The park is a popular local hangout with a small farm on site.
    FreeGames
    Official website
  • Kollwitzplatz PlaygroundA well-equipped playground at the heart of Kollwitzplatz in Prenzlauer Berg, popular with local families, surrounded by cafes and a weekly organic market.
    Free

💦Water Parks 3

  • Columbiabad Outdoor PoolA summer outdoor pool complex in Neukoelln, with three pools including a children's pool, water slides and a large lawn. Good value and popular with families.
    Outdoor
    Official website
  • Sommerbad KreuzbergA summer outdoor pool in Kreuzberg with a 50m pool, a children's pool and a sunbathing lawn. Well priced and easy to reach by public transport.
    Outdoor
    Official website
  • Tropical Islands ResortA large indoor tropical water park about 60km south of Berlin, inside a former airship hangar, with water slides, a lagoon, a beach, a rainforest and overnight stays. A full day or weekend trip.
    Play areaGamesIndoor pool
    Official website

Mini Golf 3

  • BeachMitte Adventure Golf18 lanes of adventure golf across three themed worlds in central Berlin, with drinks available.
    Outdoor
    Official website
  • Farbrausch 3D Adventure Minigolf BerlinIndoor 3D mini-golf in a neon-lit setting, suited to families and groups.
    Ages 5+
    Official website
  • kiez kitchen minigolf moabitAn outdoor children's mini-golf course in Moabit with drinks, barbecue and a few outdoor games.
    Games
    Official website

🏖️Beaches 1

  • Strandbad WannseeA historic lakeside lido on Lake Wannsee, open since 1907, with a sandy beach, shallow paddling areas, cafes and lifeguards. Entrance fee.
    Outdoor
    Official website

Local Tips 2

  • Boxhagener Platz Sunday MarketA friendly neighbourhood flea market in Friedrichshain every Sunday morning, with toys, books, clothes and food stalls. More relaxed than Mauerpark and popular with local families.
    FreeOutdoor
    Official website
  • Flohmarkt am MauerparkBerlin's best-known Sunday flea market, with hundreds of stalls of vintage clothes, toys and records. The bear-pit karaoke next door draws crowds. A lively weekend stop for all ages.
    FreeOutdoor
    Official website

🍔Kids Restaurants 4

  • Café am Neuen SeeA lakeside cafe and beer garden in the Tiergarten, with pedalo hire, a large terrace and family-friendly service. Open spring to autumn.
    Terrace
    Official website
  • Kimchi PrincessA Korean BBQ restaurant in Kreuzberg where children are welcome and the cook-at-the-table format makes dinner interactive. Popular, so book ahead in the evenings.
    Terrace
    Official website
  • Markthalle NeunA market hall in Kreuzberg with street-food vendors and artisan producers. The Thursday evening Street Food market is especially good. Children can wander while parents eat.
    Indoor
    Official website
  • Prater BiergartenBerlin's oldest beer garden (1837) in Prenzlauer Berg, under chestnut trees, with self-service food, live music and space for children to run around.
    Terrace
    Official website

See everything we have mapped in Berlin

Practical tips

  • Pick a district, not a listDistances are long. A day spent in one neighbourhood with its park and playground beats three sights spread across the city.
  • Under eighteens are free at the state museumsThat covers most of the big collections, so a short visit costs nothing for the children and you can leave when interest fades.
  • Summer means waterThe lakes around the city are shallow at the edges and easy to reach by train, and the outdoor pools are cheap. Both beat a museum in August.

Tempelhofer Feld, the old airport left as open space, is the most Berlin thing you can do with children: a runway to scooter down and nothing whatsoever telling you not to.