Berlin! We visited this autumn but I’m including links for places suggested to us – both those we saw, and those we’ll have to visit another time.
Dome of the Reichstag – ticket link: VISIT HERE. Tickets come available online about 8 weeks in advance, they are free but you need to book them and they can go fast. There is also a multi step process to book – initial email, confirmation, provide names/DOB, then final email that acts as the ticket. Make sure you get that final email or you’ll show up and not be allowed in. There was security to get through, and we had to provide photo ID (with birthdate!) for each person, and a crazy double lock door to enter… then up an elevator that we were crammed in (that was odd) but then you’re on the roof – and it’s amazing! You can walk around on the roof a bit, then you can walk inside the glass dome and up the spiral ramp to the top for an even more epic view. It was gorgeous, and a great way to start our Berlin adventure. It’s also the block next to Brandenburg gate.
Brandenburg Gate: We watched a video about this before we came, and as we walked up I told them about some of my memories of being in Berlin right after the wall came down. I thought it was really neat, but it was less significant for the kids. 🙂 It is a block away from the memorial below…
Berlin Memorial to Murdered Jews
Ritter Sport Museum, Französische Straße 25, 10117 Berlin, Germany: This is walking distance to most of the central tourist spots, and we admittedly went for the shopping vs. actually learning anything about chocolate. There is a cafe, shop, classroom if you book in advance for their workshops, or the “Make Your Own” bar up front (about 4e for the standard sized bar.) The shop has so many varieties, some I had never seen. You can do the tiny bites, mini (4 square) bars, regular size bars, and some of the giant bars. There’s a tiny/mini bar mix bag section, or you can buy mini-bars pre-packaged (a better deal.) I liked that each bar had their per gram price so if you want to get efficient with your purchasing you can assess the deals. They have a seasonal section (candied almond, cookie butter!) and a surprise bag section – 10 or 20 regular sized bars, or 30 mini bars of random assortment for a big discount. We asked the kids if they wanted to build their own, but the bars ran from 1e to 1.49e so they realized that was much more chocolate for the price.
DDR Museum, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 1, 10178 Berlin, Germany: Because we had the Berlin Welcome card we got a big discount attending here, and it was interesting. I don’t think it would have been worth going for the full price – it was crazy crowded, which was overwhelming. It was advertised as being hands on (and it is!) but a lot of it was geared towards adults reading details and pulling out drawers to see extra bits of the display wall – which wasn’t possible sometimes because of the size of the crowd. The kids enjoyed the ride in the Trobi car which had a virtual driving experience, but again – it was a long line for a couple minutes of them playing, and the area around the car was really compact. I felt claustrophobic. This could be interesting for adults and teens, but the kids were less interested unless I read them bits of information and explained in more detail about what life was like in the DDR.
East Side Gallery, Mühlenstraße 3-100, 10243 Berlin, Germany: This is an outdoor gallery running along the river with work by various artists. There are shops and a massive mall next to it, but we found a shaded spot between the wall and river for a picnic. It’s the furthest south spot we visited, but a quick walk from the public transport spots.
Computerspiele Museum, Karl-Marx-Allee 93A, 10243 Berlin, Germany: Kit attended this with the boys, and he said it was interesting for him to read about the video game history, but again – it was advertised as being interactive, but there were limited games and long lines to get a turn.
Museum für Naturkunde
Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Public park Wuhlheide, Eichgestell 4, 12459 Berlin, Germany: Did not visit, as it was pretty far out.
Berlin Underworlds e.V., Brunnenstraße 105, 13355 Berlin, Germany: Mo wants to try this sometime, but it’s not for younger kids.
https://www.museumsportal-berlin.de/en/museums/puppentheater-museum-berlin/: Inexpensive spot to visit, but we skipped as they mostly thought it sounded fun/creepy.
Technology Museum Trebbiner Str. 9, 10963 Berlin, Germany: Did not visit.
Checkpoint Charlie Museum
Friedrichstraße 43-45, 10969 Berlin, Germany
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Indoor pools:
Stadtbad Schöneberg “Hans Rosenthal”, Hauptstraße 39, 10827 Berlin, Germany
Spreewaldpl., 10999 Berlin, Germany (wave pool)
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Food:
Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap
Mehringdamm 32, 10961 Berlin, Germany