Well, are you and your children getting a bit tired of exploring the big city Berlin? Why not take a train and explore Berlin’s beautiful surroundings.
My five top picks for exciting day trips you can do with your family will take you to the federal state of Brandenburg.
Berlin sits right in the middle of this beautiful federal state. By the way, in German, it is called ‘Bundesland’ Brandenburg. My day trip suggestion to Dresden will take you to Saxony.
All these places are easy to reach by train. You could also hire a car but driving on the German Autobahn can be quite stressful.
Another tip is to spend a few days in Dresden or in the Spreewald region (either Lübbena, Burg or Lūbben).
My best tip is to book a house or an apartment for your stay. That way, you and your family can relax and the kids have plenty of space to play and run off some energy.
My recommended resource for booking holiday homes is Airbnb with a huge selection for (not only) families that will suit any budget.
Click Here To Find The Best Accommodation
Let’s get started. There are some beautiful places waiting to be discovered.
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The Best Day Trips From Berlin With Your Kids
Strandbad Wannsee
The Strandbad Wannsee has been a favorite spot for families in Berlin since its opening in 1907.
It is Europe’s largest outdoor swimming area at a lake. You’ll find 8 miles (nearly 1,3km) of white sandy beach, a playground, bungee trampolines and snack stands.
So, pack a blanket, sun shelter, a picknick basket and spend the day relaxing at the “beach”.
It only takes 50 min from Berlin-Alexanderplatz by S-Bahn. You will need to buy a ticket for Zone AB. Your best bet will be to get the Welcome card and that way you can take up to three children (between 6 and 14 years) for free.
Filmpark Babelspark
The Filmpark Babelsberg in Potsdam is such a cool place to visit with your kids. There is guaranteed fun for the whole family. You can explore everything related to film and tv, from costumes and props to technical equipment.
Enjoy stunt shows, rides and have a look behind the scenes and check out the making of “The Three Musketeers.” The young ones can go on the jungle playground or visit the witches house from “Hansel and Gretel”.
The park is open from the end of March until the end of October. A family ticket for five (two adults plus three children) costs 60 Euro /$66. Have Fun!
How to get there: you can take the S-Bahn from S-Bahn Zoological Garden (Ticket Zone ABC) to S-Bahn Griebnitzsee, from there take the bus to Potsdam Hiroshima-Nagasaki Platz and add another 15 min walk. All up it will take appr. 1,5 hours.
Tropical Islands (Spreewald Region)
The Tropical Islands are full of superlatives. Not only will you find this Water theme park inside the world’s largest airship hangar but it is also the world’s largest indoor rainforest.
This place is truly gigantic.
It is not very far from Berlin, only around 60 minutes by train. If you prefer to go by car, it will be around 30 minutes, depending on the traffic.
It is home to Germany’s highest water slide tower and many more attractions. You can visit the Tropical Village and admire its entrance, the Balinese Temple Gate or you can go shopping or take a trip in a balloon.
The younger children can explore the Tropino Club with a huge climbing play area, XXL- Lego blocks or they can try out go-karting.
Tropical Islands are open all year round and you can even book an overnight stay.
Tickets are 42 Euro/ $46 for adults, 33 Euro/$36 for children, under 5’s stay for free.
How to get there?
Every 60 min, the Regional Train RE2 leaves at S-Bahn Alexanderplatz to Brand Tropical Islands, which takes appr. 45 min. From there, a free shuttle bus will get you to your destination.
The Spreewald
The Spreewald is a magical place. I grew up not far from here, and I just love this area.
‘Saure Gurke’ and ‘Quark with Leinoel,‘ the local specialties, are delicacies I always look forward to eating when I visit my hometown. And I urge you to try it when you visit the area.
The Spreewald is a biosphere reserve designated by UNESCO in 1991 which is populated by Sorbs, an ethnic minority. Not only will you discover a massive network of channels and canals from the river Spree but also the rich Sorbian culture.
The most popular way to explore is by taking a punt tour on a Kahn (a shallow punt boat) steered by ferrymen. But you could also walk, hire a bike or a canoe/kayak.
My top tip: visit the Freilandmuseum Lehde (open-air) and travel back to the 19th Century. This museum gives you a fascinating insight of the life and culture of the Sorbs and Germans over 100 years ago. The kids (and parents) can learn traditional games, walk on wooden clogs and dance a traditional dance (don’t forget the video camera 🙂 ) or wash the laundry the old-fashioned way.
For more tips on what do do in the Spreewald read my detailed post Spreewald (Germany) With Kids – An Amazing Hidden Gem
How to get there?
Take the Regional train RE2 from S-Bahn Alexanderplatz to Luebbenau (Spreewald). The train goes every 60min. You will get to Luebbenau in just under an hour. From the train station, it is another 10min walk to the main center to go on a punt tour or to hire bicycles or kayaks.
Enjoy your trip!
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of Freestate of Saxony in Germany and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Germany.
With its beautiful restored architectural places like the Semper Opera House and the Zwinger Palace, it is a wonderful place to visit.
Some of the most famous Museums are the Old Masters Gallery and the Green Vault. Even though these are more places of interest for grown-ups, my children loved the unique atmosphere at the gallery or walking amongst those beautiful buildings.
Take a stroll down to the river Elbe and take a boat tour to see beautiful Saxon Switzerland.
I must admit, there is so much to explore in and around Dresden that you could easily spend a few days here.
For more inspirational ideas read my post Top 10 Things To Do In Dresden With Kids.
From Dresden, you could even go ahead and travel to Prague (Czech Republic). Just saying… 🙂
How to get there?
The cheapest and fastest option is taking a bus from Berlin. I found a website that will give you the best options.
It will take between 2,5 and 3 hours to get to Dresden. A one-way ticket starts from 6 Euro/$7. That is not bad, I reckon.
Summary
My top picks for five exciting day trips with your kids are great when you get tired from exploring the big city of Berlin. I do hope you found the information valuable.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
From stunt shows to relaxing at the ‘beach’, from taking a punt tour and eating pickled gherkins to go to a ‘tropical island’ or visiting beautiful museums. What would be your best pick to do with your family?
Related posts:
20 (Fun) Things To Do With Kids In Berlin
Very good looking site. I like the layout of you blog. It is very easy to read and you provide a lot of things to see and do in Berlin. The video of the beach is great. Berlin sound like a very nice place for a family vacation.
Success To Ya,
WMcNeal40
Thank you WMcNeal. Berlin is a fantastic place to go to, with or without family. There is always something new and exciting to check out.
Cheers Anke
Dear Anke
Your website for traveling with children is one of the best I have seen so far. I only wish travel websites for children were around thirty years ago so we could get first-hand information.
I loved everything on your blog post from images to texts and you give it a personal slant about yourself and your lovely children.
It’s informative and so interesting that I myself will have to go Germany and see all those wonderful places. I stayed with a friend in Berlin 35 years ago when the Berlin wall was a stark reminder of the cold war its all changed now and Berlin has become extremely fashionable. I need to brush up on my German
I look forward to your next post
Thank you so much Richard, I am glad you like my site. I do hope you will go back to Germany for a visit one day. As you said, so much has changed since the Wall came down. Don’t worry too much about your German. Nearly everyone can speak at least a bit of English.
My next posts will cover Prague, Paris and Singapore. So please check in often.
Cheers Anke