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Enjoy the summer in Berlin
Enjoy the summer in Berlin © Getty Images, Foto: Marcus Lindstrom

The best summer activities for children in Berlin

Be active with your children during the warm season

In summer, life in Berlin takes place outside: The countless parks become sunbathing lawns and barbecue areas, open-air concerts fill the city with music, and the open-air cinemas are thrilling with blockbusters under the starry sky. Both locals and visitors can take it easy or be active - the options are almost unlimited. The beautiful weather in the summer months also offers fantastic opportunities for you and your children to conquer the metropolis together and experience adventures.

Swimming fun for little water lovers

Children jumping into a lake
Children jumping into a lake © Getty Images, Foto: FatCamera


Popular summer activities for children in Berlin often have to do with water, because there are more than just outdoor pools to cool off in. The many lakes, which often have a lido and are protected in some places by the DLRG, also provide unlimited splashing fun.

Not only the popular Wannsee with its wide beach and shallow shore is ideal for children, but also Müggelsee with its shallow entry into the water is exciting for families. The waters in the south of the city have three official bathing sites. At various rental stations you can also get water vessels from canoes to motorboats. You can also rent pedal boats on many other Berlin lakes such as Tegeler See and cruise comfortably over the water. Called Plansche in Berlin, the free water playgrounds which are lovingly designed are also popular.

In Volkspark Friedrichshain, elephants provide pleasant refreshment with a spray of rain from their trunks. At the Weinbergspark, Boxhagener Platz, and Plänterwald, children can also enjoy the imaginative water games, activate the pumps, and cool off.

Exciting visits for little animal lovers

Pandas at Berlin Zoo: Germany´s only pandas Meng Meng & Jiao Qing can be found in Berlin.
Meng Meng © Zoo Berlin

You and your children can experience the only pandas in Germany in the Zoological Garden, where a newly designed, detailed area with lots of bamboo and Chinese pavilions welcome you. The black and white pandas are the absolute favourites in the world's most species-rich zoo, which also makes animal lovers' hearts beat faster with okapis, rhinoceroses, dwarf hippos, and elephants. A petting enclosure with goats and ponies and an adventure playground provide additional fun. In the adjacent aquarium, insects, amphibians, and reptiles are shown in addition to extraordinary sea creatures.

But the formerly divided capital presents yet another option to you with the zoo Tierpark in the Friedrichsfelde district, if your children cannot get enough of the sight of exotic species and fluffy creatures. You can walk for hours through Europe's largest theme park - or take a small electric train for an exploratory trip. Bird of prey shows, polar bear talks, and public feeding time for manatees and red pandas are more highlights during your visit. During the summer holidays there are additional highlights such as overnight camps.

Rural life in the big city

farm for children
© Getty Images, Foto: Nkarol

The metropolis of Berlin offers young city dwellers and visitors many farms and children's farms, where they can spend a relaxing break and get to know farm animals and agriculture. The Domäne Dahlem estate was once a knight's estate and today it is run as an organic farm with many activities for families. Numerous festivals attract people with offers such as pony rides and carriage rides. In the former horse stable, the exhibition "From field to plate" has exciting insights into agricultural and food culture. Butter production, baking bread, and interesting facts about the production of wool are explained in the Lübars family farm. You can let off steam on the attached adventure playground and the leisure park.

You can also discover numerous smaller farms with your children in the entire city area - whether the ufaFabrik Kinderbauernhof in Tempelhof with its changing holiday programme, the Charlottenburger Ziegenhof with its own honey shop, or the idyllically laid out Kinderbunte Bauernhof in Wedding. A combination of a farm and construction playground awaits you in Pankow with the children's farm Pinke Panke, where enthusiastic little carpenters are taught various handicraft techniques.

Up into an adventu

Forest rope garden Jungfernheide Berlin
Forest rope garden Jungfernheide © Waldhochseilgarten Jungfernheide

At Volkspark Jungfernheide, the Jungfernheide high ropes course will delight both young and old outdoor enthusiasts. Young children can practice their balance and dexterity in the children's courses of various difficulty, which also contain elements such as a Tarzan jump and fast cable cars. Older children can climb with you on the numerous beginners' courses. You have to go from tree to tree via suspension bridges and other swinging obstacles. Afterwards, the summer café at the historic water tower invites you to have an ice cream or refreshing drink. Afterwards it is also worthwhile to cool off in the Strandbad Jungfernheide, which is only a few minutes' walk away.

You can also easily reach the Kienberg by cable car. The 1.5 km long cable car line was built for the Garden Exhibition 2017 and connects the bottom station Kienbergpark with the top station Gärten der Welt. After the ride with the views over Berlin-Hellersdorf and Marzahn, these green areas are a nice destination for long walks. On the spacious grounds, beautifully landscaped gardens take you on a journey into foreign cultures such as Japan, Korea, and Bali. And the maze, labyrinth, and playgrounds are the main sources of fun for young explorers.

Endless possibilities all around FEZ

Theatre stage in FEZ Berlin
Theatre for children in FEZ Wuhlheide © visitBerlin, Foto: Thomas Kierok

The huge leisure and recreation centre at Wuhlheide FEZ has a broad leisure programme and is therefore one of the most popular summer activities for children in Berlin. In addition to the many festivals, courses, and workshops, the area also offers permanent events such as the Astrid Lindgren stage, which performs entertaining, age-appropriate theatre programmes for you and your loved ones. Touching, participating, and asking questions are not only allowed in the Alice Museum for children, they are even welcome. Future astronauts are drawn to the Orbitall Space Centre, whose architecture is based on the International Space Station ISS. The fascination of space travel as well as its social benefits can be experienced here.

A swimming pool, concert halls, cinema, and numerous adventure playgrounds will also thrill your children. The area around the family centre is also great for more adventures. Get aboard the small park train, jump into the swimming lake, or marvel at the faithful miniatures of famous Berlin monuments such as the Reichstag building and Brandenburg Gate in Modellpark.