Top 10 Family Attractions in Berlin

1. Kollwitzplatz / Water Tower

You can experience the feeling of Berlin in the late 19th century in Husemannstraße next to Kollwitzplatz. Here you will find old corner shops, street pumps, old arc lamps and so-called basement flats as you can see in the books of Berlin's famous drawer Heinrich Zille. The playground with the sand box is perfect for scrambling and digging. Next to the playground, you will see a nice sculpture casted in bronze that portrays Berlin's great draftswoman and sculptress Käthe Kollwitz. It is not very far from here to the old Wasserturm (Water Tower) from 1877. The playground at the Wasserturm invites playing ball or building castles out of sand and water.

2. Hackesche Höfe / Monbijoupark

Close to the train station Hackescher Markt are the high and black-marble facade of the famous Hackesche Höfe, with their nine individual courts which catches your eye. They are considered the biggest coherent court-area in Germany and thus they an outstanding attraction in Berlin. In the first two courts are surrounded by restaurants, cafés and the Hackesche Hoftheater If the children like splashing or romping on a playground, you should now leave Hackesche Höfe and turn into Oranienburgerstraße. You will pass by small fashion shops and cafés. After a few minutes, you will see on the left side the park Monbijoupark that is zoned on the other side by river Spree, a green oasis connected with a children swimming pool area, the Kinderbad Monbijou.

3. Potsdamer Platz

You should allow extra time in order discover Potsdamer Platz which overlooks the metropolis with its high buildings. You reach it very easily by bus or train and it is a perfect place for shopping or seeing the newest movies in one of the cinemas. For those who like to be scared and who are more than 10 years old, the scary-cabinet (Gruselkabinett) is a place to go in Schöneberger Straße. It is situtated in an old air raid shelter. It is a short walk or one stop on the underground. All fans of spook have to pass through a labyrinth, elude scary physiques or to go across a eerie cemetery, everything accompanied by strange smells and sounds. No one will forget the experiences in the scary cabinet!

4. Deutsches Technikmuseum (Museum of Technics)

Those who eager for knowledge should go to the station Gleisdreieck that is two stops away from Potsdamer Platz. The Deutsches Technikmuseum is located in Trebbiner Straße. You cannot pass it as an old American plane is protruding from the building. The museum is a place for learning and experiencing living culture for children with the motto " Learning through experience". Veteran cars, locomotives and planes, looms, computers, diesel engines, steam engines, printing presses and much more can be visited. For those who would like to be on TV visit the TV studio and play the newscaster’s part. Spectrum is situated a few steps away from Technikmuseum and it is a big science centre where many questions to native phenomena will be answered. More than 250 experiments try to explain the physical procedures between earth, heaven and water.

5. Indoor-Playground PUPS

If the weather makes you want to stay inside and you like to romp, scramble, crumble or slide, you can visit the indoor-playground PUPS. The playground with bistro and restaurant is a few steps away from Checkpoint Charlie and the underground station Kochstraße. Here you will have to change to line U6 and will continue one more stop. PUPS is a perfect place where children can take a bath in coloured balls and play electronic games like "Wer wird Millionär" (Who wants to be a millionaire?) or the classical ones like chess while the parents relax with a cup of coffee.

6. Zoo & Family Restaurant "Charlottchen"

First the zoo and then the restaurant for families Charlottchen. The Berlin zoo with the most different species in the world is located in the heart of Berlin near the train station Zoologischer Garten and the boulevard Kurfürstendamm. More than 14000 animals have their home not far away from this turbulence. In order to visit the zoo, you will pass the big Elephantentor (Elephant gate) in Hardenbergstraße or the one in Budapester Straße. The most famous inhabitant is the polar bear Knut. Knut was born in December 2006 and enchants visitors from all over the world. After the zoo you can take a leisurely stroll on Kurfürstendamm visiting the "Steiff-Shop" on Kurfürstendamm 220 where you find the famous animals with the button in the ear in numerous variations. Not far, at Lehniner Platz take a meal at Charlottchen, restaurant with indoor playground and music and dance programme for children of 2 to 4 years old

7. Citadel in Spandau

The citadel in Spandau at the west city-limit is the oldest example of architecture of Berlin. The fortress that is encircled by water has been the home for many monarchs in the past centuries where they have defended against raids behind its bulky walls. The emblem of Spandau, the Juliusturm (Tower of Julius) has even been temporarily a dungeon. Nowadays you have the chance to gaze here the colourful artworks of numerous craftspeople and artists in the citadel. On your walkabout you will go on a journey into the past. You can visit also the puppet theatre, a pleasure for young and old. As the casemates of the citadel are the home of the biggest bat-population in Europe, you may have the chance to see one. You will also have the opportunity to have a medieval dining experience in a previous gunpowder chamber.

8. Various Museums

The museums of Staatliche Museen zu Berlin present extra events and guided tours for children and families with many exciting possibilities to discover the world of art and history. For an overview of all events have a look on www.smb.spk-berlin.de

We highly recommend the Naturkundemuseum (Museum of Natural History) at Invalidenstrasse. Here you can admire not only the biggest skeleton of a dinosaur (Brachiosaurus brancai, over 13 metres tall!) and the original skeleton of Archaeopteryx, but also four newly-arranged exhibition rooms titled "Evolution in Action". The Museum for children MACHmit is located at Prenzlauer Berg, the museum at Checkpoint Charlie will tell about the separating wall in a thrilling way and a lot more is waiting for families.

9. Planetariums and Observatories

Star gazers and future astronauts should go to one of the planetariums and observatories in Alt-Treptow, the Wilhelm-Foerster-Sternwarte at the Insulaner Munsterdamm or the Zeiss Planetarium at Prenzlauer Berg. When you prefer not to look up in the stars, but to look down at the town a must-see are the two competing towers: The eastern Fernsehturm am Alex with its revolving restaurant or in the western part of the city the Funkturm at Kaiserdamm.

10. Children farms

Berlin presents several children farms and possibilities to experience farm life and nature under pedagogic supervision. Animals range from donkey to goat and little rabbits, for example “Pinke-Panke” at Pankow, the farm at Mauerplatz at the Mauerpark or at Kreuzberg Görlitzerpark. Children learn about alternative energies and living in harmony with nature. On a trip to the suburb areas of Berlin you will wonder whether you are still in the capital of Germany or on the country side. Have a trip to the north at the family farm Lübars or to the south at Domäne Dahlemwww.domäne-dahlem.de ,in an old manor organising a range of expositions and events all over the year.