Last Updated on January 11, 2025

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 needed a bit of sun and maybe some turquoise sea. A trip to the Canary Islands could be a possibility, or could we maybe get a flight to somewhere in Asia?

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 while 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.

Things to know:

• Your ticket also gives you same-day access to the Deutsches 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 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 Deutsches 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 5 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 the website.

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 brilliant surprises.

Housed in a red-brick converted church, during our visit, much of the exhibition was dedicated to early childhood. My baby doll-obsessed toddler was in heaven: trundling 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 a shop with a working till, he began to really enjoy himself.

Upstairs, both my children were delighted to find a yurt tent to hide in and a very large climbing structure. My son also loved painting his own wall chart. A morning well spent.

Things to know:

• When we were there (2017) payment by credit card wasn’t possible. A while ago now, although it still may be a good idea to 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 Earth?! We visited 2 while 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.

Things to know:

• These cafes are generally aimed at pre-schoolers and younger children
• At the two cafes we visited, there were highchairs and changing facilities.
• For an extensive list of kindercafes, do check the Visit Berlin website

An indulgent afternoon at Rausch Chocolatiers 

From the exquisite building Charlottenstraße 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 toddler 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!

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 euros. But for us, it really was worth it.
• The café is open 11am – 8pm Monday to Sunday.

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.

That said, both my children really enjoyed it. My 5-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.

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 4 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 the website.

More activities 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.
• With a huge T-Rex on display, the Natural History Museum would be sure to please any dinosaur enthusiast.
• Older children may well get a kick out of the Magic Museum, Computer Game Museum and Spy 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.

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Where to stay in Berlin with kids?

Space to sprawl in Apartments am Brandenburger Tor

As we like the convenience and space of an apartment, we stayed at Apartments am Brandenburger Tor in Mitte. It was clean, airy, reasonably priced and well-located for lots of central sights and subway lines.

Family rooms close to the Berlin Wall

If you are looking for a hotel, the Schulz Hotel Berlin Wall has good-value family rooms of various shapes and sizes. It also serves a yummy-looking buffet breakfast and is very close to the East Side Gallery as well as a station.

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I hope should you ever find yourself in Berlin on a rainy day with kids, this should provide you with a little inspiration.

If you would like more information about our journey to and from Berlin by train from Prague, have a look at this post.

Originally written in 2017, links checked and updated in 2025.

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