Berlin gives families room to move. Balance difficult history for older children with science, play and green space.
Parent tip: Check exhibit age fit, transit zones and any timed museum entry.
Transport and engineering collections strongly match technical interests.
Berlin's natural history museum, home to a towering Brachiosaurus skeleton in its dinosaur hall plus minerals, meteorites and animal displays. Mostly indoor and easy to pace in a couple of hours.
A huge technology museum on a former railway depot in Kreuzberg, with steam locomotives in the original roundhouses, aircraft including a Berlin Airlift plane on the roof, ships and a historic brewery and windmills in the museum park.
The Technikmuseum's hands-on science centre, with about 150 experiments on light, sound, electricity and motion for children to try themselves.
Germany's oldest zoo, in the city centre next to Tiergarten, with one of the world's largest animal collections, giant pandas and a hippo house with underwater viewing.
A hands-on children's museum in Berlin-Wedding whose walk-through exhibition, currently TALENTOPIA, lets children explore, try things out and play their way through themed stations. Families can also download free scavenger hunts.
The glass dome on top of the German parliament, where a spiral ramp climbs above the debating chamber to a roof terrace with views over the government quarter and Tiergarten. Free with an audio guide.
Europe's largest department store gives a full floor to toys — German quality brands including Schleich, Haba, and Steiff teddy bears are the highlights.
Indoor LEGO play zones and small rides at Potsdamer Platz, for ages 3 to 10.
A huge landscape zoo with elephants and a big playground in the east of the city.