Germany

Berlin

Café im Bode-Museum

Grab lunch inside the Bode Museum cafe, which sits right on the Spree river with views of the island and reasonable prices for a museum restaurant. The kids menu and pastry case make it easy to refuel before the afternoon.

Berlin

Schwarzes Café

A short walk from the zoo on Kantstrasse, Schwarzes Café is an atmospheric Berlin institution open around the clock with a menu that covers breakfast, lunch, cakes, and everything in between. The huge portions and eclectic vintage decor make it memorable, and the apple cake is genuinely one of the best in the city.

Berlin

Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap

End the day with Berlin's most famous street food, the vegetable kebab from Mustafa's cart on Mehringdamm, which regularly draws long lines but moves quickly and is absolutely worth the wait. The roasted vegetables, sheep cheese, and fresh herbs make it genuinely different from anything else in the city.

Berlin

Markthalle Neun

Take the U-Bahn back to Kreuzberg for lunch at Markthalle Neun, a restored 19th-century market hall that hosts Street Food Thursday every week and a Saturday morning market with vendors selling everything from Sri Lankan curries to Berlin sourdough. The variety means picky and adventurous eaters can all find something they love.

Berlin

Café am Neuen See

This lakeside restaurant and beer garden inside Tiergarten is one of Berlin's most pleasant lunch spots, with rowboats available to rent on the small lake before or after eating. The pizza is surprisingly good and the setting, surrounded by trees with ducks wandering past, feels genuinely magical.

Berlin

Prater Garten

Head northeast to Berlin's oldest beer garden for lunch, where families are completely welcome and kids can run on the gravel while adults order from the long food counter. The sausages, schnitzel sandwiches, and pretzels are solid and prices are very fair for a sit-down meal.

Munich

Cafe Rischart am Marienplatz

Stop into this beloved Munich bakery chain for an afternoon Brotzeit of freshly baked pastries, Bavarian cream slices, and hot chocolate before heading back to your hotel. The Marienplatz branch has seating upstairs with a view over the square.

Munich

Mangostin Asia Restaurant

This well-regarded restaurant on the edge of Olympiapark serves a broad menu of Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese dishes in a tropical garden setting that feels completely unlike anywhere else in Munich. The menu has plenty of mild, kid-friendly options and the outdoor terrace is relaxed enough for families.

Berlin

Mauerpark Flea Market

On Sundays Mauerpark transforms into one of Berlin's best flea markets, with vintage toys, records, and street food stalls that kids and parents both enjoy browsing. Even on non-market days the park itself has a famous public karaoke amphitheater and a large grassy hill perfect for running around.

Berlin

Museum für Naturkunde Berlin

The Natural History Museum houses the world's largest mounted dinosaur skeleton, a Brachiosaurus that stands over 13 meters tall in the main atrium, and it never fails to stop kids in their tracks. The wet collection halls and meteorite displays round out a genuinely spectacular morning.

Berlin

Monbijoupark

Wind down the afternoon at Monbijoupark, a relaxed riverside green space just across the Spree from Museum Island with a large playground and a paddling pool open in summer. It is an easy place to let younger kids burn off energy while parents sit on the grass.

Berlin

Pergamon Museum

Start the trip on Museum Island with the Pergamon, where kids can walk through the reconstructed Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the massive Market Gate of Miletus. Book timed entry tickets in advance online to skip the queue and head straight to the ancient world.

Berlin

Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)

Cross the plaza to the Berlin Cathedral and climb up to the dome gallery for a panoramic view over Mitte that gives kids a real sense of the city layout. The climb is 270 steps but manageable for ages 6 and up, and the view is worth every one of them.

Berlin

KaDeWe Food Hall

Spend part of the afternoon in the legendary sixth-floor food hall at Kaufhaus des Westens, Europe's second-largest department store, where kids can try German chocolates, pretzel bread, and regional cheeses from counters stretching in every direction. It doubles as a souvenir stop for edible gifts that are far more interesting than magnets.

Berlin

Zoologischer Garten Berlin

Berlin's main zoo is one of the most species-diverse in the world and its historic 1844 grounds are beautiful to walk through, with a dedicated panda house, a large aquarium included in the combined ticket, and plenty of shaded paths. Plan on three to four hours and start at the aquarium first thing when it is least crowded.

Berlin

Tempelhof Field (Tempelhofer Feld)

Spend the afternoon at Tempelhof, the converted former airport where Berliners now rollerblade, cycle, fly kites, and barbecue on the old runways in one of the most unusual public parks in the world. Rent inline skates or bikes at the entrance kiosks and give kids the experience of gliding down a genuine runway.