Take a day trip from Berlin and explore some of the most beautiful German countryside, waterways, treetop walks, and pumpkin patches. Here are some of our favourite family-friendly days out.

Sometimes just exploring your own city isn’t enough and you have to get out but the budget for a full-on holiday isn’t on the cards. A weekend getaway or day trip is a great alternative and some places can make you feel a million miles from home especially if you are living in a big city. We have visited some beautiful places and wanted to share our 5 fun day trips from Berlin with kids today. PS these are all only 1 hour away too.

Spreewald Biosphere – 5 fun day trips from Berlin with kids

Getting there – Take the train from Berlin to Lübbenau station. No changes needed.

Lübbenau is a beautiful historic town dating back to the 8th century, the best bit about it is it’s totally walkable. I did take my trusty GB Pockit with me as well but if your kids are a bit more motivated then mine don’t bother. The walk from the train station has a rose-lined footpath and take around 10 minutes. Once you reach the town square you have a maze of small streets to explore and run through. We decided to hit the park first to burn off some steam and then set off to find our ride for the day. Punting is big in Lübbenau and the Spreewald. Here are some more interesting facts about the area.

• There are 800 miles of canals which you navigate in very pretty gondolas or Kahn’s (look for signs for Kahnfahrten).
• The local delicacy is the gherkin or Gurken. There are over 50 businesses offering NON genetically engineered Gherkins in the Spreewald. FACT!
• The indigenous Sorb’s a West Slavic people. Look out for their wonderful festivals and national costumes.

One thing we missed was a visit to the city museum and the Spreewelten Bad (keep reading we have a special offer coming up…). You can swim with penguins here! How awesome does that sound?  The town also hosts a number of seasonal events and with Christmas around the corner and a promise of mulled wine, this is on the bucket list already.

Our journey also gave us serious house envy as so many of the waterfront houses are holiday homes too. We are planning to rent one and recently came across the beautiful http://www.ferienhaus-spreewald-lehde.de/ near the picturesque Spreewald village of Lehde on a peninsula with the river Spree on the one side and a little creek (the people of Spreewald called this a “Fließ”)  called Hechtgraben on the other side. The house is only accessible by water or on foot. If you were ambitious I’m told you can canoe from Berlin to the cottage. I would rather someone canoed me there thanks. In other news, you will also receive a special welcome gift and 20% discount to Spreewelten Bad if you mention us in your booking. WOOP!

Some useful websites – http://www.spreewald.de/en/

Link to a pretty cottage (mention My Well Traveled Friend for some special treats) http://www.ferienhaus-spreewald-lehde.de/

 

 

Peacock Island 🏝 Pfaueninsel – 5 fun day trips from Berlin with kids

This is probably the easiest place to get to from Berlin as you can simply get on the S Bahn to Wannsee and then either cycle or get a bus to the lovely little ferry stop. The Island is big enough to spend the day on and small enough to walk around with small children. Paths are not paved but they are gravel and easy to navigate. Be sure to not miss the aviary and the fountain. Oscar was mesmerized by both. There is a cafe with lovely cakes and decent coffee on the island, however, I did wish I had taken a picnic and perhaps a lawn game or football. There is a lovely big field for this. Great place to host a fun party too. There were a few birthdays going on when we visited.

 

 

 

Baum + Zeit 🌲 treetop walkway – 5 fun day trips from Berlin with kids

What a hauntingly magical place. We drove here so I’m not entirely sure how to get here by public transport, the website in the link above has lots of information so check that out first. Entrance for adults was a bit steep at almost 10€ but I didn’t mind at all once I saw what was on offer.

The grounds and buildings of a 1900’s sanatorium or rest and recuperation hospital for tuberculose sufferers. The grounds and abandoned buildings are vast and impressive and beautiful. We heard there were guided tours on offer which can be booked in advance and from what I overheard while walking around they are fascinating.

The treetop walkway was incredible even for someone with a serious fear of heights like me. There is lift access so you can get a stroller or wheelchair up there too. The walk takes you over the top of one of the abandoned hospital building complete with mature tree’s growing out of it. So incredible to see what nature can do in a short space of time. We visited in the autumn so the change of colors was spectacular.

 

 

Pumpkin 🎃 Circus  Spargelhof – Klaistow –  5 fun day trips from Berlin with kids

I will be honest, I did not expect to be as blown away by this place as I was. This is a family friendly paradise. A perfect day trip from start to finish. Exactly one hour drive from Berlin with a giant parking lot on site. Again we drove here so I’m not sure about public transport, please check the link above. This farm is also not exclusively Pumpkin orientated. I was very excited to see that Husky sledding was coming up in the winter months. HELLO! I will see you all there.

Anyway back to the Pumpkin Circus. A very imaginative display of pumpkin sculptures, carving competitions and a display of the most ginormous award-winning pumpkins I have seen since upstate New York. Clearly, Germany takes harvest festivals just as seriously as the Americans. The restaurant and children’s playground are equally impressive. An enormous bouncing sphere and slide are the centerpieces of the grounds and smaller attractions circle them. For toddlers, there are mini-car races and carousels and for adults, there is free-flowing beer on tap.

The restaurant serves both buffet style all you can eat brunch which we just missed as well as sit down meals or canteen style dining. The obligators Wurst (hot dog) stands were also dotted around the park. The restaurants and stands are busy so expect to queue. Slightly annoying when your a single parent, however, I do feel like the glorious fall weather really drew in the crowds the day we visited.

There was a small entrance fee to the playground and displays for adults and children were free. You could also bring your own picnic and avoid the lines altogether. We may do this next time because we will be coming here again. Brilliant fun, Oh and did I mention the corn maze?

 

 

Potsdam Biosphere 🦋 – 5 fun day trips from Berlin with kids

We took a direct train to Potsdam which took just over 1 hour, it was super easy and strolling through this beautiful town is very relaxing. Do take a buggy as the walk from the station to the biosphere is around 20 minutes. There is a bus too but the leafy, tree-lined walk is well worth it. You also pass by the old Russian village which is so pretty and inviting. You want to go and knock on Grandam’s door and pop in for cakes.

The Biosphere itself is packed full of interesting plants and insects but the highlight for us was the butterfly house. Oscar was mesmerized, he didn’t want to leave and has talked about it ever since. Great for a winter trip too as its tropical and warm too. There is a restaurant on site too, however, I would recommend eating elsewhere it was pricey and not great.

Check out Potsdam’s events schedule on the city site here too as they offer a lot of great days out, the adjoining field hosts a number of events. We recently came back for the kite festival which was packed full of rides, food and of course kites.

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5 FUN DAY TRIPS FROM BERLIN WITH KIDS