Things to Do with Kids in Germany

Are you going to travel with families to Germany and wonder what kind of things to do with kids in Germany? Luckily, there are many activities to do. The country is family-friendly and provides many conveniences for travelers with kids. Since the birth of my kid, we have tried many family-friendly activities in Germany.

In this post, I will list the activities we have enjoyed over the years. They are good choices for families with kids of all ages. And, some of these activities are available all year round.

Here is the list of the things to do with kids in Germany:

  • Climbing among the trees in Kletterwald (Rope Course)
  • Understand the science in interactive Museums
  • Take a Hop-on Hop-off sightseeing bus
  • Have a Treetop Walk to learn the nature and forest
  • Hiking among the beautiful landscape
  • Making fun in the multi-functional Water Parks
  • Walk the outdoor fitness trail ‘Trimm dich Pfad’
  • Play the Adventure Mini Golf
  • Spend an exciting day in one of the amusement parks (Freizeitpark)
  • Taking a river cruise to explore the surrounding
  • Cycling through nature and landscape
  • Go to an Indoor Spielplatz (Indoor Playground) on a rainy day
  • Visit one of the medieval castles
  • Enjoy the Christmas Atmosphere by visiting Christmas Markets

Climbing among the trees in Kletterwald (Rope Course)

Kletterwald, translated as Rope Course, is a challenging outdoor personal development and team-building activity. It consists of high and low elements that are usually constructed in trees or made of utility poles. Security belts. are available for all elements.

Each Kletterwald in Germany offers various levels, from beginning to professional. Sometimes small kids, starting from 4 years old, have the opportunity to do the exercises. Many schools make excursions to Kletterwalds as well. At other times, children use the venue for their birthday parties. Even companies use them to run team-building activities. Some locations are:

Nearly in every German state, you can find rope courses. In most cases, they are close to the main tourist resorts. Information is usually available online or in the local tourist information centre.

Kletterwald in Harz, Germany;

Understand the science in interactive Museums

Germany is famous for its thousands of museums. Some of them are suitable for children. They provide very good educational resources for children.  Museums have interactive exhibits to increase children’s engagement. Some of the best ones are:

In Frankfurt am Main, the EXPERIMINTA ScienceCenter is a highly recommended interactive museum for the whole family. It is one of the frequently visited place by the locals. Most museums in Germany have English information on display as well.

Take a Hop-on Hop-off sightseeing bus

Hop-on Hop-off buses are available in some big cities, such as Berlin, Frankfurt, or Dresden. These buses usually have live introductions. The audio guide is also possible. These buses usually have live introductions and go to the most famous and beautiful sights of the city. The tickets are usually valid for 1 or 2 days. If you have small kids, to take a Hop-on Hop-off bus is a convenient and stress-free way to explore the cities while keeping your budget at a low level.

Have a Treetop Walk to learn the nature and forest

German takes great advantage of forest resources while setting focus on Eco environment attentions. Treetop walkways provide a good visual way to learn the nature and forest in the surrounding area. In Germany, treetop walkways are ecotourism attractions.

For example, there are two beautifully designed treetop walkways:

The Baumkronenweg is only 20 to 30 minutes of walking from the Füssen train station. If you are on the southern Germany road trip, it would be a nice suggestion to combine your visit with the treetop walking in Füssen.

The Bad Harzburg Treetop World in the Harz Mountain is another trail that is suitable for visitors at all ages.

Bad Harzburg Treetop World; Things to Do with Kids in Germany

Hiking among the beautiful landscape

Germany is a hiking paradise for families. The hiking routes are among beautiful towns, villages, parks, forests, and UNESCO sites.  Along the route, many hiking friendly accommodations offer you comfort at various levels. Detailed hiking information is usually available in the nearby tourist information centres.

Some hiking trails are very memorable such as the one through the Bastei Natural Wonder in Saxon Switzerland. If you are around Dresden, it would be a great day trip from Dresden.

One of the popular places in Germany is the Rhine Valley. Many easy hiking trails are among the rolling landscape and the romantic vineyards, such as the one I did near Rüdesheim am Main.

Hiking Trail around the Bastei Bridge; Things to Do with Kids in Germany

Making fun in the multi-functional Water Parks

Other things to do with kids in Germany are visiting the water parks. Germany has many water parks which open year-round.  The five best among them are:

These water parks have indoor and outdoor facilities, such as slides in different levels, swimming pools in different temperatures, whirlpools, sauna areas, and SPA centres. They are suitable for families with kids of all ages. Restaurants, from fast food to serviced food, are available in the water parks. On a usual weekend, German families like to spend a whole day in such water parks.

Walk the outdoor fitness trail ‘Trimm dich Pfad’

Trimm dich Pfad is an outdoor fitness trail located in areas of forest and parks in Germany. Elements are such as climbable rocks, trees, stepping posts or climbing bars, etc. The difficulty of such fitness trail is determined by the terrain slope, trail surface, and other features. It adds a lot of fun for the family when walking through the area.

The website includes all Trimm dich Pfads in Germany. The website is in German, but you can search for a location on the map or use “Suchen” (search) to find one next to where you want to go. You can also consult the local tourist information centre about the fitness trails near where you stay.

Trimm dich Pfad (fitness trail); Things to Do with Kids in Germany

Play the Adventure Mini-Golf

In Recent years adventure mini-golf gets more and more popular in Germany.  They are also birthday venues for children.  It is very usual to find them on some holiday resort. Some good ones are for example:

There is a website that includes all mini-golf in Bavaria.

Spend an exciting day in one of the amusement parks (Freizeitpark)

Some of the theme parks in Germany are among the world’s best. I like two of them which are suitable for families:

There are several top roller coasters in the two theme parks. Some are suitable for the whole family, while others give the riders an adrenaline rush. But the most attractive entertainment are modern shows with different topics. In general, many activities are suitable for all ages.

For a complete list of such theme parks, please check this website.  It also includes the parks in neighbouring countries. Many theme park sites have detail descriptions about each attraction regarding restrictions etc. Check them before you decide to visit one.

Taking a river cruise to explore the surrounding

The most popular cruising areas in Germany are the Rhine, the Moselle, the Main, the Danube, and the Elbe.

KD Cruise stops at many places, such as Eltville. It also stops at Kaub, where you can visit Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in the middle of the Rhine river. This is, in fact, the best way to explore the Rhine river and the Rheingau valley.

The organized tours are generally affordable. Some of the cruises offer meals and snacks as well. Taking a river cruise is a leisure activity to do with kids in Germany.

Cycling through nature and landscape

Take a leisure bike tour through cycling routes connecting towns, villages, vineyards, etc. Or, ideally for families are the many riverside routes that offer plenty of roadside distraction. Germany has a range of cyclist-friendly accommodation, from farm stays to castle hotels.

For example, in the Rheingau Valley, the German wine tourism regions have many family-friendly cycling routes. The routes are through the vineyards and flat stretches along the Main and Rhine Rivers. They offer the ideal terrain for cycling tours, either at a challenging pace, or a more relaxed pace.

If you don’t have a bicycle, you can rent one online.

Some organized tours such as 3-Hour Guided Bike Tour in Cologne or Highlights Cycling Tour in Berlin are good choices for tourists.

Go to an Indoor Spielplatz (Indoor Playground)

On a rainy day, one of the best things to do with kids in Germany is to play in an indoor playground.

Kids in this type of fun indoor playground can enjoy playing, running, climbing, and other activities. Such a venue is good for rainy days and cold weather.  Some nice ones are:

The indoor playgrounds also sell snacks and drinks. They have different age-related sections.

Visit one of the medieval castles

Castles are a big scene in Germany. Nowadays, some of them are hotels, others are museums, winemakers or event venues. Sometimes, part of a castle opens to the public, while the other part is closed because people are still living there.

If you visit southern Germany the first time, you would probably not miss the Neuschwanstein Castle.  If you travel to Dresden, you can spends days seeing the medieval castles in Dresden.

Most castles in Germany are well-maintained. Don’t forget to get some information from the nearest tourist information centre.

Neuschwanstein Castle, Southern Germany

Enjoy the Christmas Atmosphere by visiting Christmas Markets

The last activity on the things to do with kids in Germany list is to visit the Christmas Market. Christmas Market is a German tradition. The tradition goes back to the Late Middle Ages in the German-speaking part of Europe. It is a form of the street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent before Christmas Eve.

Popular attractions at the markets include such as Zwetschgenmännle (figures made of decorated dried plums), Nussknacker (carved Nutcrackers), Gebrannte Mandeln (candied, toasted almonds which I like very much), traditional Christmas cookies such as Lebkuchen (a form of soft gingerbread), Bratwurst (grilled sausages), or Glühwein (an alcoholic hot drink).

The famous Christmas markets are such as in Dresden, Frankfurt, Nurenburg. But in many small towns and villages, the Christmas markets exist as well.  So, if traveling to Germany in December, you should visit one of the Christmas markets. You can also join an organized tour to experience the German Christmas markets.

Conclusion

Germany has a large green covered area, which boosts many outdoor activities. It is a nation that loves the holiday. Usually, German families carry their kids even babies on holiday. There is no lack of things to do with kids in Germany in all kinds of weather.

4 Comments

  1. I lived in Germany for years, but before and after having kids. I love your tips. I especially love visiting some of the places with entrance fees because they’re mostly non-existent or very small… well, except for the theme parks! Great round up of activities!

    1. Hi Ann,
      Thanks for the comments! Germany is a nice country for families with kids. I have done some of these activities with my family and we loved them very much. It is also a common thing to do for most German families to join these activities.

      Regards,

      Mijia

  2. I’ve observed that in the world today, video games are classified as the latest fad with children of all ages. Often times it may be extremely hard to drag your children away from the games. If you want the very best of both worlds, there are various educational video games for kids. Good post.

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