Last Updated on May 14, 2018

It had been our first European winter for quite a while and, by mid-January, I was done with grey skies and below zero temperatures. I just needed a little bit of sun and maybe some turquoise sea. A trip to the Canary Islands could be a possibility or could we maybe get a direct flight to Qatar?

I can’t exactly explain then how it was that we came to be standing on a cold, drafty platform in mid-February about to board a train to Berlin. Clearly, something had gone awry in the planning. Nevermind, though, I told myself – I love Berlin. The coolest of cool cities. We could wrap up warm and wander the streets and parks admiring the street art and testing out the playgrounds.

About ten minutes before our arrival into the city, the rain began to knock at the train window. I can honestly say that other than a fleeting hour over lunchtime on our first day, it didn’t stop again until we crossed back over the Czech border four days later.

Not many cities can get away with that. Berlin, however, might just be one of them… Just. Here were some of the rain-proof activities we all most enjoyed whilst we were there:

Exploring the Science Centre Spectrum

As soon as I saw the rainbow covered building, I knew we’d made a good choice. All the buttons, interactive experiments, friendly staff and opportunities for exploration meant that the inside of this museum didn’t disappoint either. We all loved it. The group of teenagers who were there on a school trip looked to be having a blast too – so a real crowd-pleaser for all ages.

Spectrum Science Centre Building

Playing Music at Spectrum

Learning about electrical charges at Spectrum

Making waves at Spectrum

Swinging at Spectrum

Building a rainbow at Spectrum

German Museum of Technology

Fun with pulleys

German Museum of Technology

Little girl meets fast car at German Museum of Technology

Things to know:

• Your ticket also gives you same day access to the Deutches Technikmuseum (German Museum of Technology) next door. We only visited the road transport exhibition, and although it was less interactive, with pulleys to tug on and amazing cars mounted on the walls, it was still time well spent.
• We spent 2 hours at the Spectrum Centre, and by the end, we were having to rush around. If you plan to visit the Deutches Technikmuseum properly too, you would need most of the day.
• There are picnic areas in the museum, as well as a café and a restaurant. The restaurant has a terrace overlooking the park at Gleisdreieck, which appeared to be home to a good sized playground.
• For lunch, we decided to walk for five minutes to Café Kreuzzwerg, one of Berlin’s kindercafes (more details below).
• The museum is normally closed on Mondays, for full details of opening hours and prices, check here.

Pretend play at MachMit! Museum

As much of the information online was in German, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this not-for-profit museum for children – but it really was full of pleasant surprises.  Housed in a red-brick converted church, much of the current exhibition was dedicated to early childhood – beginning with experimenting how it would feel to be pregnant, to learning about how the baby grows in their mother, to then caring for the baby after birth. My baby doll-obsessed toddler was in heaven: pushing a pushchair around, wrapping dolls in blankets, putting them in and out of cots and even taking a bath in lentils together. It had to be said, my 5-year-old son was a little less taken with all the baby doll pretend play. He was, however, fascinated by the incubator, and once he discovered the ‘secret door’ leading to a room of mirrors, and the old-fashioned shop with the working till, he began to really enjoy himself. Then, upstairs, both my children were delighted to find a yurt tent to hide in and a large climbing structure. My son also loved painting his own wall chart. A morning very well spent.

Walking into Machmit! Berlin

Learning about babycare at Machmit!

Taking a bath together at Machmit!

Playing shops at Machmit!

Nursery history at Machmit!

Climbing at Machmit!

Painting a growth chart at Machmit!

Menu at Machmit!

Things to know:

• Payment by credit card wasn’t possible, so do bring cash. For price information check here.
• All the information inside was, understandably, in German, although we were given a small English information pack on arrival.
• We spent around 2 hours here, which felt about right, although my toddler probably would have been happy to stay longer.
• Usually closed on Mondays, otherwise open from 10am – 6pm. For full details of the opening times, check here.
• There is a café upstairs, selling mainly snacks and drinks.

A pit-stop at one of Berlin’s kindercafes

A network of cafes aimed at pleasing the most difficult of all diners – the rambucious toddler – why is this not a thing in every city, town and village across the Earth?! We visited two whilst we were in Berlin, and both provided us with the welcome chance to refuel, get warm and have a good play. Café Kreuzzwerg, in Kreuzberg,  close to the Spectrum Science Centre, serves a good range of sandwiches and pasta dishes and has a plethora of toys, including a ball pit. It also serves a buffet breakfast at the weekend, with reservations recommended. Kiezkind, in Prenzlauer Berg, was walking distance from Machmit!, and although it has a less extensive food menu, the giant indoor sandpit there made it a real favourite with my daughter. It also looked like it had a great range of outdoor toys and a nearby playground if you are there on a warmer day.

Cafe Kreuzzwerg Berlin

Playroom at Cafe Kreuzzwerg Berlin

Menu at Cafe Kreuzzwerg Berlin

Ball pool at Cafe Kreuzzwerg

Kiezkind Berlin

Sandpit at Kiezkind Berlin

Menu at Kiezkind Berlin

A view onto the terrace at Kiezkind Berlin

Things to know:

• These cafes are generally aimed at pre-schoolers and younger children
• At the two cafes we visited, there were of course, highchairs and changing facilities.
• For an extensive list of kindercafes, do check the excellent blog: Berlin for all the family

An indulgent afternoon at Fassbender & Rausch Chocolatiers 

From the exquisite building to the amazing chocolate sculptures inside, everything about this place is tastefully decadent. Both my children loved perusing the shop, and my son delighted in picking out a chocolate bunny in preparation for Easter. Of course, we couldn’t stay too long – as my little girl would have proceeded to pull every box off the shelves – but luckily we had seen the weather forecast and had made some reservations for the chocolate café upstairs. Although it is a smart place – the serving staff were attentive and helpful and were obviously used to small children on a sugar rush. We greedily enjoyed our holiday treats of hot chocolates, pralines and cakes, and not to be fobbed off by healthy snacks, my toddler got her first taste of chocolate too… and what a place to have it!

Chocolate Riechstag at Fassbender and Rausch

Colourful chocolates and Fassbender and Rausch Berlin

Afternoon treats at the Chocolate Cafe

Little and large hot chocolates at Fassbender and Rausch

When you've napped a gold chocolate!

Beautiful window view at Fassbender and Rausch

Things to know

• Highchairs and smaller children’s portions of hot chocolate were available
• If you can, get a table by the window, overlooking Gendarmenmarkt square. It really was quite something!
• As you would expect, this was not an inexpensive treat, with a hot chocolate costing around 5 Euro. But for us, it really was worth it.
• The café is open 11am – 8pm Monday to Sunday. It is only possible to reserve a table on a weekday.

Legoland Discovery Centre

If I’m honest, me and my husband have mixed feelings about the Legoland Discovery Centre. It was one of the most expensive things we did, and the lack of natural light inside made everyone go a little crazy. Having said all that, both my children really enjoyed it. My five-year-old, of course, loved building cars to race down the loop-the-loop race track and also enjoyed the Merlin’s Apprentice and Dragon rides. The mini Lego Factory demonstration also was a big hit. My 16-month old, on the other hand, loved all the soft-play, and charging around the Miniland models, pressing buttons to light up the buildings and set the model trains moving.

Racing Tracks at Lego Discovery Centre Berlin

Cafe food at Lego Discovery Centre Berlin

Getting ready for the 3D Lego short film

Lego Rietchstag at Miniland

Building giant cupcakes at Lego Discovery Centre

Soft play at Lego Discovery Centre Berlin

Things to know

• Ticket prices depend on the time slot, with the late afternoon slots being the cheapest.
• It was a little smaller than I expected, and although there was plenty to do, with the fluorescent lights, bright colours and noise of excited children – we were all slightly over-stimulated! Our visit of 2.5 hours suited us well.
• Children have to be taller than 105cm and/or older than four for the Merlin’s Apprentice ride, and taller than 0.90cm and/or old than three for the Dragon ride.
• It is perfectly pitched at the 2 – 7-year-old crowd, children much older than this may find the soft play areas and the rides of limited interest.
• There was a café on site, serving snacks and drinks.
• Usually open Monday – Sunday, 10.00-19.00. To check for any closure days check here.

For next time…

And of course, there were some things we didn’t get to do, which will definitely be on our list for next time:

• We didn’t realise that in these days of tightened security, you needed to book a trip to the dome of the Reichstag about a week in advance. You can do so here.
• The Labyrinth Kindermuseum looked like lots of fun – but as it only opens on Friday – Sunday, and in the German school holidays, it didn’t fit with our schedule this time.
• I heard surprisingly good things about the Currywurst Museum before our visit, but unfortunately when we were there it was closed for renovation.
• With a huge T-Rex on display, the Natural History Museum would be sure to please any dinosaur enthusiast.
• Older children may well delight in the new Magic Museum.
• For some reason I am yet to get to the bottom of, my son doesn’t like aquariums. If your little ones do, there is a large Sea-life Centre.

Anyway, I hope should you ever find yourself in Berlin on a rainy day with kids, this should provide you with a little inspiration. You might also want to check out Berlin For All the Family and Love Arts Berlin for lots of other great ideas of things to do in Berlin with kids. And if you would like more information about our journey to and from Berlin by train from Prague, have a look here.

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