My family and I are looking for sechs

October 10, 2008 3:58 AM

Our family will be travelling to Prague, Berlin and Munich later this month, with three days in Prague, four in Berlin and two in Munich. The kids are 6 and 4. Any suggestion for don't-miss Central Europe for families? We're flying in and out and will get between the cities by train; our travel and accommodation are booked.
posted by sagwalla to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

In Munich, check out the Spielzeugmuseum (toy museum). Also, check out the all-weather surfers surf a man-made wave in a river in the middle of the city. It's right near the Haus der Kunst museum.

In Prague, take the funicular up Petrin Hill to the observation tower. The funicular is fun, especially for kids, and the tower gives you a great view over the city (and it looks like a mini Eifell tower). Beware of Charles Bridge -- I'm sure you'll go, but it's REALLY crowded so keep a close eye on your kids!
posted by nitsuj at 6:06 AM on October 10, 2008

I've recommended it before, and I'll do it again: the DDR Museum in Berlin is great! It gives a really interesting look at life in the former East Germany, with displays of everyday stuff from that time period--foods, electronics, children's books, a Trabi you can sit it, even some hilarious DDR fashions (communist jeans!). They have a lot of hands-on displays that appeal to kids, and the museum itself has a pretty informal feel--you probably won't need worry about your kids making too much noise.
posted by Jemstar at 7:25 AM on October 10, 2008

Take the kiddies to the Astronomical Clock in Prague, in Old Town. It's an iconic square that will stick in their spongey little memories. The Castle is fun for adults but really unimpressive to kids, I'd imagine.

The Dinosaur section in Berlin's Museum für Naturkunde is rad.
posted by zoomorphic at 8:18 AM on October 10, 2008

Definitely the Astronomical Clock in Prague, and the Jewish cemetery if you don't think that'd creep them out? Coolest gravestones ever. Actually, that entire Jewish Quarter/Old Town is awesome, and there are lots of little stores selling crazy doohickeys that any young child would love.
posted by bettafish at 8:55 AM on October 10, 2008

Prague has puppet shows in the old town square, although I think it's for things like Don Giovanni, so that may not be the absolute best. If you do the Astronomical Clock, get there a bit early (15 minutes?) so you can see well and know it is a short performance (meaning, there may be more build up than worth). The Castle might be fun, as well as seeing the changing of the guards.

Berlin has a lot of fun things, too. The Zoo could be really fun, and is very easy to get to by public transportation. The Tiergarten is a nice park and used to be the royal hunting grounds. There's also a really fantastic chocolate shop that has huge models made of chocolate. Maybe that could be a reward at the end of some day?
posted by piratebowling at 9:54 AM on October 10, 2008

All good answers - thanks very much. I flagged piratebowling's because we wound up doing mostly the things on this list.

Other things we did of possible interest: the magic lantern theatre in Prague (which was not as good, nor as kid-friendly as it might have been), the German Museum of Technology in Berlin, which they loved, and the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, which is fun for all ages. We dragged the kids around the Alte Pinakothek, which was not ideal for small kids (though they enjoyed the shop).

We enjoyed Berlin a lot and wished we'd had more time.
posted by sagwalla at 2:55 PM on December 10, 2008