BERLIN may not seem the obvious choice for a family holiday, but for the older child in particular, maybe one who is starting to learn about World War I and II, a few days in Germany’s capital can be quite inspirational, writes Trish from Mum's Gone To…
The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall was the catalyst for booking this trip; that and some very cheap flights from Ryanair.
We stayed in the Hotel Radisson Blu, a fabulously-chic hotel; worth surfing the net for some great discounts. The hotel is designed around a central atrium with the largest cylindrical aquarium in the world (25m high). Choose rooms overlooking the lobby and your children can pull back the curtains in the morning and watch the frogmen swimming inside, feeding the fish and cleaning the glass. We, however, had a room overlooking the cathedral which was so close I could have reached out with a duster and given their windows a quick wipe too!
Most of Berlin is easily accessible on foot, though if you have a teenager who gets weary even thinking about walking, there are plenty of buses, an underground system, trams and, at a more relaxed pace, river cruises. If you can, choose a river tour in English, rather than pick the cheaper option of a German-only boat: by all accounts our guide was quite a card, but we were none the wiser.
Museum passes and travel cards are all available but it’s worth seeing which passes cover which attractions and whether you need transport included. In other cities we have often felt restricted by the feeling that we must visit as many places on the list as possible, to ensure we get our money’s worth. The advantage of the “welcome card” is that if the museum appears dreary, you can leave after five minutes. If you’ve paid in full, however, the children will “enjoy” a good hour there whether they like it or not!
Here are just a few ideas for family-friendly attractions in Berlin: Brandenburg Gate: a jaw-dropping monument, particularly when lit up in the evening. During the day the children can let off steam in the nearby Tiergarten, Berlin’s huge public park.
Reichstag: the parliamentary building has a new futuristic cupola designed by British architect, Sir Norman Foster. Huge queues to get in here (high security) so if your children are up early, get there half an hour before opening. If you have a bone idle boy like mine, try visiting in the evening when everyone is having their dinner. All kids will love running up the ramps and looking out at the views, day or night.
Holocaust Memorial: an impressive memorial to the European Jews who were victims of Nazi genocide. The "Field of Stelae", a maze of grey concrete blocks of varying height on an undulating concrete floor, covers the area of an entire city block and creates the sensation of a wave-like form. The whole area is very family-friendly. There is something quite heartening to hear children laughing and playing hide and seek between the pillars. That seems appropriate to me.
There is plenty to do for younger children too: check out Deutsches Technikmuseum, Labyrinth Kindermuseum (for very young children), Berlin Zoo, Legoland Discovery Centre and go to the top of the TV Tower for amazing views if the weather is kind to you.
* To read in more detail about our trip to Berlin visit my blog where the four days in Berlin can be found in the November archive. There are also plenty of other adventures to share too!
No related posts.
-ani.png)
