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Family outings

Family outings in Berlin

Berlin is a city made for children: parks as far as the eye can see, two zoos, lakes to swim in within the city, museums free for under-18s and a French community that runs Saturday French classes, theatre, circus and music. Here are our addresses, all checked on official websites.

Verified on 30 October 2026

Parks, playgrounds and zoos

A third of Berlin is green or blue: forests, lakes, a royal park in the heart of the city and a whole airport given back to pedestrians. Playgrounds are everywhere, often with sand and water in summer, and the two zoos are among the richest in Europe.

Good to know

  • The Tiergarten covers 210 hectares between the Brandenburg Gate and the Zoo, a little more than Hyde Park: lawns for picnics, the Victory Column, the Café am Neuen See by a small lake and a 68-bell carillon on summer Sundays. Source
  • Tempelhofer Feld, the former airport open to the public since 2010, offers over 300 hectares of meadow: skating and cycling on the runways, kites, community gardens, picnics; opening hours change with the seasons. Source
  • Volkspark Friedrichshain, Berlin's first municipal park (1846), lines up over 49 hectares the Grimm fairy-tale fountain (Märchenbrunnen), many playgrounds, a climbing wall and an open-air cinema in summer; barbecues require registration. Source
  • Zoo Berlin, Germany's oldest and most visited zoo, is home to the country's only giant pandas and an aquarium; the Tierpark, in the east, is Europe's largest animal park with 160 hectares around Friedrichsfelde palace. Source

Addresses

  • Tiergarten

    Park

    Straße des 17. Juni, 10557 Berlin-Tiergarten

    The big central park, between the Brandenburg Gate and the Zoo: lawns, paths, the Café am Neuen See lake and playgrounds; the French schools sit on its southern edge.

    Website Source

  • Volkspark Friedrichshain

    Park

    Am Friedrichshain 1, 10407 Berlin

    Fairy-tale fountain, playgrounds, Mont Klamott for the view of the TV tower, open-air cinema in summer.

    Website Source

  • Tempelhofer Feld

    Park

    Tempelhof et Neukölln, 12101 Berlin

    The former airport: 300 flat hectares for children's bikes, kites and picnics, entrances on Tempelhofer Damm, Columbiadamm and Oderstraße.

    Website Source

  • Britzer Garten

    Park

    Entrée Sangerhauser Weg, 12349 Berlin-Britz

    Paid park from the 1985 federal garden show in southern Neukölln: 10-hectare lake, playgrounds and water play, clay village, miniature railway, tulips in spring and dahlias in autumn; open daily from 9.

    Website Source

  • Gärten der Welt

    Park

    Blumberger Damm 44, 12685 Berlin-Marzahn

    Marzahn's gardens of the world (43 hectares): Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Balinese, Oriental and English gardens, cable car over the park, maze, playgrounds and water play; open daily from 9, paid entry.

    Website Source

  • Zoo Berlin et Aquarium

    Park

    Hardenbergplatz 8, 10787 Berlin-Charlottenburg

    The historic western zoo, at the end of the Tiergarten: giant pandas, aquarium, petting zoo; very busy at weekends, arrive at opening time.

    Website Source

  • Tierpark Berlin

    Park

    Am Tierpark 125, 10319 Berlin-Friedrichsfelde

    The eastern animal park, 160 hectares of landscapes around Friedrichsfelde palace: a full day out, with pushchair and picnic.

    Website Source

  • Domäne Dahlem

    Park

    Königin-Luise-Straße 49, 14195 Berlin-Dahlem

    Working farm estate and open-air museum in Dahlem: cows, pigs and horses in the fields, organic market, children's workshops on Sundays (HofSonntag) and Advent markets.

    Website Source

Go further

Free museums and children's museums

Children do not pay: Berlin's state museums and the Technikmuseum are free until 18, the Futurium for everyone. Two museums are designed for little ones, the Labyrinth in Wedding and the MACHmit! in Prenzlauer Berg, and the dinosaur at the Naturkundemuseum delights 3 to 10-year-olds.

Good to know

  • The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Museum Island, Kulturforum, Dahlem) are free for children and teenagers up to 18, with proof of age; adults pay admission. Source
  • The Deutsches Technikmuseum is free for under-18s: planes, trains, the Science Center Spectrum 'full of experiments' and Kids Digilab workshops. The Futurium, museum of the future near the main station, is free for all and closed on Tuesdays. Source
  • The Labyrinth Kindermuseum, 'the exhibition you take part in', welcomes children from age 2 in a former factory in Wedding: you enter in socks, and on Fridays outside school holidays admission is reduced. Source
  • The free monthly Sunday (Museumssonntag) was scrapped on 1 December 2024 for budget reasons: do not rely on articles that still advertise it. Source

Addresses

  • Museum für Naturkunde

    Museum

    Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin-Mitte

    The natural history museum with its great dinosaur hall ('DINOSAURIER!'), spectacular wet collection and family tours; in Mitte, near the Hauptbahnhof.

    Website Source

  • Deutsches Technikmuseum

    Museum

    Trebbiner Straße 9, 10963 Berlin-Kreuzberg

    Hanging aircraft, locomotives, Science Center Spectrum to experiment; free for under-18s, closed on Mondays.

    Website Source

  • Labyrinth Kindermuseum Berlin

    Museum

    Osloer Straße 12, 13359 Berlin-Wedding

    Interactive exhibitions for ages 2 to 11 in the Fabrik Osloer Straße, socks required, family ticket; U8 Pankstraße or U9 Osloer Straße.

    Website Source

  • MACHmit! Museum für Kinder

    Museum

    Senefelderstraße 5, 10437 Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg

    Prenzlauer Berg's children's museum: hands-on exhibitions, monthly programme, birthday parties; open Wednesday to Sunday.

    Website Source

  • Futurium

    Museum

    Alexanderufer 2, 10117 Berlin-Mitte

    The house of futures, free: exhibition on nature, people and technology, Futurium Lab with 3D printers, children's audio guide and family workshops; closed on Tuesdays.

    Website Source

  • Île aux Musées (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin)

    Museum

    Bodestraße, 10178 Berlin-Mitte

    Neues Museum and its Nefertiti, Pergamonmuseum, Altes Museum, Bode-Museum: free for under-18s, best in small doses.

    Website Source

  • Humboldt Forum

    Museum

    Schloßplatz, 10178 Berlin-Mitte

    The rebuilt palace opposite Museum Island: some thirty Kinder & Familie offers ('Bunte Paläste' drop-in, family tours, picture-book cinema), holiday programme and roof terrace.

    Website Source

  • FEZ-Berlin et Alice, Museum für Kinder

    Museum

    Wuhlheide, 12459 Berlin-Köpenick

    Europe's largest non-profit centre for children and families, in the heart of the Wuhlheide forest: Alice museum, Astrid-Lindgren theatre, pools, orbitall space centre, playgrounds and holiday programmes.

    Website Source

Libraries and the French bookshop

Berlin reads a lot and lends to children for free: a single card opens the city's eighty public libraries. For French, the Institut français library is the largest in Europe outside France, and the Zadig bookshop does the rest.

Good to know

  • The Institut français Berlin library, on the Kurfürstendamm, is 'the largest French-language library in Europe outside France'; open Tuesday to Friday 13:30 to 18:30 and Saturday 11 to 17. Source
  • The Berlin public libraries network card (VÖBB) gives access to over eighty libraries and the digital offer; it is free for minors and school pupils, with a small yearly fee for adults, and online registration for Berlin residents. Source
  • The children's and youth library (KiJuBi) of the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek occupies the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek in Kreuzberg: open seven days a week, storytelling from age 5, reading practice for early primary; visiting is free, only borrowing needs a card. Source
  • To buy picture books and children's novels in French, the Zadig bookshop in Mitte has a Jeunesse section and hosts readings and author events. Source

Addresses

  • Bibliothèque de l'Institut français Berlin

    Library

    Kurfürstendamm 211, 10719 Berlin-Charlottenburg

    The heart of French reading in Berlin, in the Maison de France on the Kurfürstendamm, with the Cinema Paris on the ground floor.

    Website Source

  • Kinder- und Jugendbibliothek, Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek (ZLB)

    Library

    Eva-Mamlok-Platz 1 (ex-Blücherplatz 1), 10961 Berlin-Kreuzberg

    Kreuzberg's big children's and youth library, open even on Sundays, with storytelling and family events.

    Website Source

  • VÖBB, réseau des bibliothèques publiques de Berlin

    Library

    One card for all district libraries and the digital library; free for children, online registration.

    Website Source

  • Librairie Zadig

    Shop

    Gipsstraße 12, 10119 Berlin-Mitte

    Berlin's French bookshop, in Mitte: Jeunesse section, new releases, readings and events; open Monday to Saturday.

    Website Source

Activities, clubs and classes in French

Keeping French alive when Kita or school is in German: Berlin has Saturday FLAM classes, theatre, circus, music and even sailing in French, run by associations the embassy keeps a list of.

Good to know

  • École Domino offers activities in French for ages 3 to 12 in Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain, Neukölln and Wedding: weekly French mother-tongue (FLAM) classes, drawing, yoga, comics, one-week holiday camps and a 'Petite École' for the year before school; one membership covers all the family's children. Source
  • Cours et Jardins, a Berlin association since 2014, runs French theatre workshops for children from nursery to primary, after school, at weekends and during the holidays (Arts en Scène!), and the Les Jardins de Voltaire leisure centre. Source
  • The embassy keeps the list of French associations in Berlin: circus and arts in French with Karakuli, the Franco-German music school, choir, French-language theatre (La Ménagerie, Theta-Théâtre), the French sailing club in Tegel, the francophones de Köpenick, the École Voltaire parents' association. Source
  • The Centre français de Berlin, in Wedding, is the Franco-German youth cultural centre: youth exchanges, offers for school classes, cultural events and the City Kino Wedding cinema; the Institut français runs the French Film Week (19 to 25 November 2026) at the Cinema Paris. Source

Addresses

  • École Domino

    Activity

    KLL Studio, Ruppiner Straße 4, 10115 Berlin-Mitte

    FLAM classes, workshops and camps in French for ages 3 to 12 in four eastern and northern districts; Saturday club in preparation.

    Website Source

  • Cours et Jardins

    Activity

    Berlin (plusieurs lieux)

    French theatre for children (En Scène!, theatre and hip-hop), holiday workshops, after-school activities in nursery and primary, Franco-German improvisation.

    Website Source

  • École de musique de Berlin (Deutsch-Französische Musikschule)

    Activity

    Avenue Charles de Gaulle 36, 13469 Berlin-Reinickendorf

    Early music, instruments and children's choir in French or German, for all ages, in several districts; based in Reinickendorf.

    Website Source

  • Karakuli

    Activity

    Reuterstraße 27, 12047 Berlin-Neukölln

    Circus and arts activities in French, English and German, in Neukölln and in schools (Zirkus in der Schule).

    Website Source

  • Centre français de Berlin

    Activity

    Müllerstraße 74, 13349 Berlin-Wedding

    Franco-German cultural centre in Wedding: youth exchanges, offers for school classes, events and the City Kino Wedding cinema; accommodation under renovation until spring 2027.

    Website Source

  • Club nautique français de Tegel (CNFT)

    Activity

    Tegeler See, Berlin-Reinickendorf

    Franco-German sailing club on Lake Tegel, with a youth section; clubhouse and jetty on the Malche, in the north-east of the lake.

    Website Source

  • Institut français Berlin

    Activity

    Kurfürstendamm 211, 10719 Berlin-Charlottenburg

    French classes for all ages, library, gallery, Cinema Paris and French Film Week in November; the rallying point for French speakers in the west.

    Website Source

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Through the seasons and festivities

The Berlin year has its rituals: over a hundred Christmas markets from late November, the Carnival of Cultures at Whitsun, Fête de la Musique on 21 June, lakes all summer, the Long Night of Museums in late August and illuminated landmarks in October.

Good to know

  • Winter: the Christmas market season officially opens after 22 November 2026, with around a hundred markets; the Gendarmenmarkt WeihnachtsZauber (23 November to 31 December), the Schloss Charlottenburg market, the Scandinavian Lucia market at the Kulturbrauerei and the ice rink of the Berliner Weihnachtszeit at Alexanderplatz are family favourites. Source
  • Spring: the Carnival of Cultures (Karneval der Kulturen) takes over the Whitsun weekend, with a four-day street festival at Blücherplatz in Kreuzberg and a big parade on Sunday; in 2027, from 14 to 17 May, parade on 16 May through Friedrichshain and Mitte. Source
  • Summer: the Fête de la Musique, born in Paris in 1982, fills Berlin with free concerts every 21 June; you swim at Strandbad Wannsee, Europe's largest inland lido (sandy beach, playground, free under 5); the Long Night of Museums, in late August, opens 75 museums with a single ticket and shuttles, free up to age 12 (next edition 28 August 2027). Source
  • Autumn: the Festival of Lights illuminates the Brandenburg Gate, the TV tower and the cathedrals every evening from 19 to 23 for ten days in October (9 to 18 October 2026 for the 22nd edition); children parade with lanterns on St Martin's Day, 11 November, and Nikolaus fills the boots on 6 December. Source

Addresses

  • Marchés de Noël de Berlin

    Activity

    Dans toute la ville

    Around a hundred markets from late November to Christmas: Gendarmenmarkt, Schloss Charlottenburg, Lucia at the Kulturbrauerei, Alt-Rixdorf (4 to 6 December 2026), Berliner Weihnachtszeit with ice rink.

    Website Source

  • Karneval der Kulturen

    Activity

    Blücherplatz, 10961 Berlin-Kreuzberg

    Four days of street festival at Blücherplatz (Kreuzberg) and the Whit Sunday parade; very busy, come early with a pushchair.

    Website Source

  • Fête de la Musique Berlin

    Activity

    Dans toute la ville

    Free concerts across the city on 21 June, from courtyards to the big squares; programme published in June.

    Website Source

  • Strandbad Wannsee

    Activity

    Wannseebadweg 25, 14129 Berlin-Zehlendorf

    Europe's largest inland lido: over a kilometre of sandy beach, Strandkörbe, playground, beach volleyball; family ticket, free under 5; S-Bahn Nikolassee.

    Website Source

  • Lange Nacht der Museen

    Activity

    Dans toute la ville

    One Saturday in late August, 75 museums open late with a single ticket and shuttles (buses, historic S-Bahn); free up to age 12; next edition 28 August 2027.

    Website Source

  • Festival of Lights

    Activity

    Porte de Brandebourg et centre, 10117 Berlin

    Ten October evenings when the landmarks light up from 19 to 23: a walking or bus tour, perfect with warmly dressed children.

    Website Source

Trips under two hours away

Regional trains leave from the centre and Brandenburg starts at the end of the S-Bahn: Potsdam's palaces, Spreewald punts, a tropical lagoon under a hangar, the animals of the Schorfheide. With the Deutschlandticket or a Brandenburg-Berlin ticket for five, weekends stay affordable.

Good to know

  • Potsdam is in zone C of the Berlin network, half an hour by S-Bahn or regional train: Sanssouci park and palaces with a digital treasure hunt for children, Filmpark Babelsberg, the Biosphäre and pedal boats on Friendship Island. Source
  • The Spreewald, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, is explored by punt (Kahnfahrt) or canoe from Lübben and Lübbenau; trains from Berlin to Cottbus stop there every hour, and the Brandenburg-Berlin ticket covers up to five people for the day. Source
  • Without leaving Berlin: the Pfaueninsel, a World Heritage peacock island, is reached by a small ferry daily from 10 to 18 in season (March to October), with a family ticket; just under an hour's drive north, the Wildpark Schorfheide shows wolves, bison, lynx and elk, with a big playground and petting enclosure. Source

Addresses

  • Potsdam et Sanssouci

    Potsdam (Brandebourg)

    Palaces, Sanssouci park, the Dutch quarter and pedal boats: the Sunday outing half an hour away, in zone C of Berlin transport.

    Website Source

  • Filmpark Babelsberg

    Großbeerenstraße 200, 14482 Potsdam

    Potsdam's film studios: sets, stunt show, special effects; S-Bahn Griebnitzsee then a fifteen-minute walk, or buses 601 and 690 from Potsdam Hauptbahnhof.

    Website Source

  • Pfaueninsel

    Pfaueninsel, 14109 Berlin-Wannsee

    The Wannsee peacock island, World Heritage: ferry every few minutes in season, small romantic palace, picnic on the grass.

    Website Source

  • Spreewald (Lübben et Lübbenau)

    Lübbenau et Lübben (Brandebourg)

    Punt trips along the canals, gherkins and canoeing; an hour by regional train south-east of Berlin.

    Website Source

  • Tropical Islands

    Krausnick (Brandebourg)

    Tropical lagoon, slides, toddler beach (Kraki Beach) and water playground under a former airship hangar, open 24/7; an hour south of Berlin, train to Brand then shuttle.

    Website Source

  • Karls Erlebnis-Dorf Elstal

    Elstal, Wustermark (Brandebourg)

    The strawberry village west of Berlin: rides, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, workshops and farm market; open daily 8 to 19.

    Website Source

  • Wildpark Schorfheide

    Prenzlauer Straße 16, 16244 Schorfheide (Groß Schönebeck)

    Wolves, bison, lynx, otters and elk in the forest, just under an hour's drive north; big playground, climbing tower and petting enclosure; open daily 9 to 19.

    Website Source

  • Zoo Leipzig

    Pfaffendorfer Straße 29, 04105 Leipzig

    Gondwanaland, three continents under one roof, and Pongoland of the great apes: open 365 days a year, a little over an hour by fast train from the Hauptbahnhof.

    Website Source

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A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Berlin will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 visitBerlin, le Tiergarten
  2. 2 Grün Berlin, Tempelhofer Feld
  3. 3 Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, gratuité pour les moins de 18 ans
  4. 4 Institut français Berlin, la bibliothèque
  5. 5 Ambassade de France, associations françaises de Berlin
  6. 6 École Domino
  7. 7 Karneval der Kulturen
  8. 8 visitBerlin, les marchés de Noël

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