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Thinking about visiting Germany with your kids? Looking for the best places to visit in Germany with family in 2024? You’re in the right place!
Germany is a fabulous destination for families. It’s renowned for its rich history, gorgeous landscapes and interesting culture. Its fairy-tale old towns and castles add some magic and its big cities add some vibrancy. All up, Germany is a captivating blend of historical charm and modern appeal.
From landmarks such as the Berlin Wall and Neuschwanstein Castle to the beautiful landscapes of the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest to the great food and ease of getting around, there’s so much to love about traveling in Germany.
Germany isn’t just for adults though. There are many fantastic places to visit in Germany with kids. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the best choices to add to your itinerary.
Why Is A Family Vacation In Germany A Great Idea?
Germany is an incredible destination for families for the reasons I mentioned above as well as many others. The fairy-tale castles are sure to capture your kids’ imagination.
A trip to the Berlin Wall can be a great accessible educational opportunity. A walk on cobblestoned streets through a colorful old town will take your kids right back to fairy-tale classics. Families are welcome almost everywhere.
There are, of course, many attractions in Germany for kids. From huge theme parks to children’s museums and fun markets, trains and more, there is a lot to love about traveling to Germany with kids.
The efficient train system and great road network also make it easy to get around and to explore as much of Germany as you like. There’s a great range of accommodation, including many hotels that specifically created for families.
The food can also be quite kid-friendly. It’s easy to enjoy a pretzel or a bratwurst (sausage) almost anywhere which is likely to appeal to even fussy eaters.
All up, it’s a very easy place for a family vacation that your kids won’t forget.
Best Places To Visit In Germany With Family
Here are my top 12 picks of the best places to visit in Germany with kids…
Berlin
The capital of Germany, Berlin offers a fantastic blend of historical and family-friendly attractions. The Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall are must visits for all and a great learning opportunity for kids.
The DDR Museum is a hands-on way for your family to learn about life in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Berlin is a city with a super interesting past, and there’s no better way for your kids to learn and understand it than in the city itself.
For more family focused attractions in Berlin, the Berlin Zoo is a great place to head with a wide variety of animals. The interactive Legoland Discovery Center is also a favorite among children. Head to the German Spy Museum for lots of fun spy activities, like dressing up and debugging a room.
To let off some steam, make sure you head to Tiergarten. This huge park has plenty of space to roam with historical monuments, six playgrounds and row boats. It’s also home to the zoo.
Where To Stay In Berlin For Families
I recommend The Circus Apartments in a handy spot in Berlin. They have a variety of apartment options including two and three bedroom, fully self-contained apartments for up to six people.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Nuremberg
Nuremberg is our pick of the best city to visit in Germany with family. It’s an easy city to explore with a great range of attractions that are easily accessible for families.
The Old Town is the natural place to start with super colorful houses and the Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle) keeping watch from above. You can also explore the city from underground and see how Nuremberg’s art collections were kept safe during World War II. You can find the Spielzeugmuseum (Toy Museum) in the Old Town with toys from various time periods.
Just outside the Old Town, the Deutsche Bahn Museum is a must visit. It centers on the history of the German Railways with old carriages, videos and more. What kids will really love is the model railway, the chance to take a light railway ride and the interactive play area specifically for kids.
If you have younger kids (10 and under), don’t miss a day out at the Playmobil FunPark. This amusement park with Playmobil theming was one of my 6 and 10 year olds’ favorite places in Germany. There are great playgrounds, pedal boats, water play area, castle area, go karts and more. It’s located just outside of Nuremberg.
Where To Stay In Nuremberg For Families
We stayed at the Novotel Nuernberg Centre Ville which was perfect for our family. It’s on the edge of the Old Town by the main station and has family rooms. There’s also a great indoor pool, children’s playroom, restaurants and more.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Home to maybe the most photographed old town in Germany, Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber (or just Rothenburg) is a picturesque medieval gem, perfect for exploring with kids.
It’s only a small town, but this is part of its charm. Its colorful buildings, cobblestoned streets and well-preserved town walls will help you feel like you’ve gone back in time.
The town walls are the perfect place to start exploring. They offer many pretty views, and there are information boards along the way to learn more. It’s a great way for kids to let off some steam while discovering Rothenburg. There are also some playgrounds around the walls.
Another place families will enjoy is the Christmas Museum. It’s located in the Käthe Wohlfahrt Weihnachtsdorf which is a popular chain of Christmas stores that open year round. It’s about the history of Christmas customs with many decorations on display.
A popular place to visit in Rothenburg is the Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum (Medieval Crime Museum). It’s located in a building which is 600 years old and covers over 1,000 years of the legal history of Germany and Europe. It focuses on interrogation (torture), crime and punishment.
This museum is for families with teenagers who have an interest – and it is a fascinating museum. I visited without my 6 year old, which was the right choice.
Where To Stay In Rothenburg For Families
We stayed at the Pension das Lädle which is in the heart of Rothenburg’s Old Town. It has three and four person rooms with separate sleeping areas for kids.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Rhine Valley
The Rhine Valley may be best known for its wines but it’s also a fabulous place to travel to Germany with children. With gorgeous towns, stunning wineries and fairy-tale castles, the whole family will love a trip here.
Start your adventure with a relaxing cruise down the Rhine trying to spot the castles that dot it before driving around and visiting your favorites. Rheinstein Castle is a picturesque place to start or visit Schönburg Castle with its amazing views and slingshot simulator your kids will enjoy.
Of course, you can’t miss out on stopping in the beautiful towns. Bacharach may be the cutest with a town wall to explore, a pretty Old Town and wines to taste. Boppard is another town worth heading to with half-timbered houses, old wine taverns and a Roman fort.
There’s also a fun chairlift in Boppard with great views and nice walks at the top. You can take an easy stroll to Vierseenblick (Four Lakes View). This cool viewpoint is at a horseshoe bend in the Rhine River and gives the illusion that there are four lakes instead of one river.
Where To Stay In The Rhine Valley For Families
We stayed at the Rhine Pearl Hideaways which is a building of apartments in the middle of Oberwesel, a picturesque town in the middle of the Rhine Valley. The apartments are modern and perfect for families.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Trier
Trier is not just the oldest city in Germany and home to nine UNESCO World Heritage sites but is also a great destination in Germany for children.
Located near the border of Luxembourg and not far from the Rhine Valley, Trier has had human settlement for over 6,000 years. It was an important place in Roman times and you can still see ruins from this time today. These ruins are fun to explore with kids and are great for capturing the imagination.
Start your adventure at Porta Nigra, a second century Roman city gate. It’s the best way to enter the Old Town and is massive. In the Old Town there are pretty streets, Hauptmarkt (the main square), many churches, an antique toy museum and more. Trier Cathedral still has parts from Roman times.
As you head further south, there are more Roman ruins from thermal baths to an amphitheatre. It is worth checking them all out.
For a more hands-on experience, you can also visit Freilichtmuseum Roscheiderhof, an open air museum, about eight kilometers from Trier.
Where To Stay In Trier For Families
We stayed at Ibis Styles Trier which is right in the center of everything. There are family room options.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Heidelberg
Beautiful Heidelberg is definitely one of the places to visit in Germany with children. With its great setting by the Neckar River and surrounded by hills, there are plenty of places for kids to explore and roam.
Heidelberg’s famous ruined castle is a great place to start. You can either walk up here or get a fun cogwheel train up. In addition to exploring the castle area, you can visit the Deutsches Apotheken-Museum (German Pharmacy Museum) inside the castle which covers the history of medical science and pharmacies in Germany. It’s interesting even for young kids with old reconstructed pharmacies, labs and interactive games.
After the castle, consider taking the cogwheel train further up the hill to visit the Walderlebnispfad (Forest Adventure Trail). This is an easy 2 kilometer trail with many activities to do along the way aimed at children. There is also a small, older-style amusement park up there.
Our favorite thing to do in Heidelberg was to head up the opposite hill to explore Heiligenberg, where settlement first started in this area. There are great paths through the forest where you can feel like you are discovering Celtic and Roman ruins, old monasteries and Thingstätte, an amphitheater completed in 1935 by the Nazis to spread propaganda.
Where To Stay In Heidelberg For Families
We stayed at the Heidelberg Apheartments in the heart of Heidelberg. They offer fully self-contained apartments for up to eight people.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Europa-Park – Rust
When you travel to Germany with kids, this theme park is likely to be their favorite place in the country.
Considered one of the best in Europe, Europa Park is massive with 18 themed areas, over 100 attractions, 13 roller coasters, many live shows and so much more. Think Disneyland but with European theming. Most of the themed areas are based on different countries in Europe. There is also a separate water park here called Rulantica.
Even visiting in peak August, we had so much fun here. The kids absolutely loved the more family-friendly roller coasters, getting wet on the splash rides and watching horse shows. The park’s VirtualLine feature in the app helped to ensure we never lined up for too long and had a great time.
There are many places to eat, stay and more and this is a great way to end a family vacation in Germany. It’s located near the French border between Heidelberg and the Black Forest.
Where To Stay In Europa Park For Families
One of the many great things about Europa Park is that there are six hotels adjacent to the park and in the immediate area each with their own theming. If you stay at any of the hotels, you can access the many facilities at all of them and you also get early access to the park.
We stayed at Hotel Castillo Alcazar which was a lot of fun. It has its own entrance directly into the theme park and is themed as a Medieval knight’s castle. There are many family room options, even for larger families.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Black Forest
The Black Forest is definitely a fantastic region to head to when visiting Germany with kids. It’s incredibly scenic with beautiful villages and plenty of opportunities to explore the great outdoors.
We loved hiking round lakes, swimming outdoors, exploring the towns and visiting picturesque castles like Hohenzollern Castle. You can visit the home of cuckoo clocks in Triberg or peddle your way around Titisee lake on a boat. You can bathe in the thermal pools at Baden-Baden or explore the picturesque Old Town in Freiburg.
Kids will love Badeparadies Schwarzwald Titisee, a big indoor waterpark with an amazing sauna complex for adults. And, of course, no visit is complete without a slice of the famous black forest cake (although technically it doesn’t come from here).
There are so many awesome experiences in the Black Forest for families that you could spend your whole trip in this region alone.
Where To Stay In The Black Forest For Families
We stayed at the Feldberger Hof Family Hotel in the Black Forest. It’s an all inclusive resort specifically for families and it’s amazing. There are so many family friendly facilities (including an outdoor ropes course, horse riding and indoor pool area with water slides), activities, rooms and great food.
The hotel also includes an attractions pass for the region which gives free or discounted entry to 60 attractions plus public transport.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Autostadt Wolfsburg
Autostadt Wolfsburg is an automobile museum and theme park located in Wolfsburg, Germany. It tells the story of the history and development of automobiles, but also has attractions and activities related to automotive culture. This isn’t a big, dry museum.
Spread over 28 hectares, there are multiple museums, massive car towers, playgrounds, giant slides and various car pavilions. One of the coolest parts is definitely the round, glass, 60 meter towers that store Volkswagen cars ready to be delivered to new homes. It’s fully automated with cars being placed and removed from the tower with ease. You can take a ride up the towers yourself for an up close look.
This place is a whole world with plenty of cars and history to explore. Adults can test drive real vehicles while kids can learn to drive in some very cool miniature ones. There are many interactive exhibits. It’s easy to enjoy a half day here.
For families, there are also some playgrounds including some huge slides up to 18.5 meters high. There’s a cool shop and plenty of eating options too.
Where To Stay Near Autostadt For Families
For the full Autostadt experience, it is possible to stay on-site. The Ritz-Carlton Wolfsburg Autostadt hotel is located here.
There’s a pool, sauna, two restaurants (Including a three Michelin star option) and a lounge. Rooms cater for up to four people.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Bremen
If you’re heading to northern Germany, Bremen is a great place to stop for families. At the end of the Fairy Tale Route, Bremen celebrates the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale, the Bremen Town Musicians with a statue of the donkey, dog, cat and rooster from the tale in the main square.
There are also images and statues around town of these creatures and it’s fun to have the kids look out for them. If you aren’t familiar with this story, I recommend that you watch it on YouTube before you go.
The Old Town is fun to explore for all ages with a great main square, the stunning Bremen Cathedral and the laneways of Schnoor and Böttcherstraße. It’s easy to explore by foot.
The Universum Science Centre is a standout attraction if you visit Germany with kids. It has interactive and educational exhibits which kids will enjoy.
For a thought-provoking historical site, visit the Bunker Valentin. It’s an absolutely massive World War II submarine factory that has been left standing to illustrate the futility of war.
Where To Stay In Bremen For Families
We stayed at the Best Western Bremen City. It has some great apartment style rooms for families within walking distance of the main attractions.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Lübeck
Also in northern Germany, Lübeck is a charming city home to a picturesque, UNESCO World Heritage listed Old Town. It is a good mix of historical and kid-friendly attractions.
The best place to start is with a wander through the well-restored Old Town. Encircled by the Trave River, there are many great views, churches, museums and more. A feature of this Old Town are the hidden courtyards. These are courtyards from the Middle Ages accessed via small walkways from the street. We made it a family game to try to spot as many as possible.
The world-class European Hansemuseum is worth visiting and an easy way to learn more about the Hanseatic League which played a big part in Lübeck’s past.
Lübeck is famous for its marzipan so a sugary treat at Cafe Niederegger is the perfect way to end a day of sightseeing. When you have finished exploring Lübeck, consider a trip to Travemünde on the Baltic Sea. Just 20 minutes from Lübeck, it’s the perfect place to have some beach time. It also has a pretty Old Town.
Where To Stay In Lübeck For Families
We stayed at Hotel Die Reederin. It’s a gorgeous boutique hotel in Lübeck’s Old Town. It offers a spacious family room option.
Click here for more details and the latest prices.
Christmas Markets
My final place to visit in Germany with kids is a special one if you are visiting in late November or December. I recommend you visit as many Christmas markets as you can if you visit at this time of year.
German Christmas Markets are incredibly magical and special. From the traditional food and drinks to the Christmas music and lights, they set the scene for a perfect Christmas.
Many Christmas markets and destinations in Germany have special events perfect for families at this time of year. For example, Quedlinburg has the “largest Advent calendar in Germany”. At 4:30pm every day in the lead up to Christmas, families meet up and search together for one of 24 houses with special Christmas decorations that are open to the public. Inside, there are surprises.
Nuremberg Christmas Market has a special section for kids with old-fashioned rides, crafts and activities. For novelty, head to Cologne for a floating Christmas market on a ship. Munich has a Kinderland section at one of its Christmas markets with special activities and a Christmas Post Office. In Hamburg, you can watch Santa fly overhead in his sleigh!
Christmas is a truly special time in Germany for the whole family so make sure you include plenty of Christmas markets in your itinerary at this time.
Final Thoughts
Germany is a fantastic place to visit for families. There is so much to enjoy here from the great outdoors to the interesting history that surrounds you.
There are plenty of kid-focused attractions, but it’s also easy to visit interesting historical and cultural attractions in a way that is interesting for kids too.
I hope this list helps you have one of your best family vacations in Germany.
Bio: Sharon Gourlay is a full-time blogger and mum of three who loves sharing her love of travel with kids with others, especially when it comes to sharing one of her favorite destinations, Germany! You can find more information to plan your ultimate adventure in Germany at Germany Footsteps.