Traveling in Germany with kids can be so beautiful. However, every holiday with children requires a little preparation and planning.
For example, more and more parents are using their parental leave to travel to distant countries (including Germany) with their children and show them foreign cultures and regions as early as possible.
Here, too, there are a number of things to consider.
I have put together the best tips on how traveling in Germany with kids will be an unforgettable experience for you and your children.
Get informed
No matter which country you are traveling from, find out more about your destination in advance. In Germany, depending where you come from, you can set yourself up for the similar standards as at home.
However, even in Germany you should make sure that there is sufficient medical care available to you and your children in case of an emergency, that you are properly insured. You can also find out what is available in the vicinity of your holiday accommodation and what is available in the accommodation for children. Many hotels now offer childcare or something similar.
You should involve your children when preparing for the trip to Germany. Of course, this depends on the age of the children. Ask them about their ideas and wishes and look around together for possible excursions and activities in the potential holiday region.
So the children also know what kind of holiday awaits them: Adventure holidays with lots of exercise are available in Germany or beach holidays with lots of time to relax.
My tip: Provide your children with child-friendly information about Germany before they go on vacation – use books or other media for this. This way, your children will have an aha experience on site when they recognize things in Germany that they have read or seen before.
Stay relaxed
Don’t take on too much in one day. Turbo tourism in Germany is not possible when traveling with children. Plan enough free time for the children to play. This makes it much easier for them to process their travel impressions.
Check your vaccination protection
This is especially true these days, even coming to Germany. Special vaccination regulations might or might not apply here, which you should absolutely comply with. Ask your pediatrician what vaccinations your children need.
My tip: Before a longer trip with children, you should have them checked out by a pediatrician.
Use your parental leave
In recent years, more and more new parents are using their parental leave to travel with their children to Germany. During this time you have enough opportunities to make your travel dreams for Germany come true.
Of course, you also have similar options if your children are a little older and don’t go to school yet.
The right weather
When planning your trip, you should consider the weather. Temperatures that are too high are not good for children that are too young. You should also make sure that you are not traveling during the rainy season.
Relaxed arrival and departure
Regardless of whether you are traveling by car or plane, you should pack enough toys so that the journey to your holiday does not become a test of nerves. For small children, on the plane or in the car, coloring and picture books or consumer electronics on which they can listen to music or stories are suitable.
Video games, films or other entertainment apps are suitable for slightly older children. Radio plays are ideal for car journeys. So you can all keep busy together.
If possible, long-haul flights should be broken up with a stopover lasting several days.
Make sure you have the right equipment on the plane before you fly. Baby baskets that are hung on the wall and give your toddler up to 12 months space to sleep are often no longer available in the high season. So let us know what you need before you fly.
Children up to the age of two are not entitled to their own seat. Treat yourself and your child to comfort on long-distance journeys and book them an extra seat.
If you want to take a longer trip with children, then it is advisable to take a short trip first so that the family can get used to the big vacation. Because what can already be a challenge for two, it is even more so with three or four people.
Stay calm
Don’t plan your vacation days to the last minute. Traveling with children rarely goes according to plan. If you don’t make yourself too big, then you can’t get stressed. Better use the moment, even if you imagined it very differently in the morning.
My tip: Instead of being a tourist attraction, children enjoy small things. They would rather watch the cats on the street than stand in line at a museum in Berlin.
Establish a routine
Especially with small children, it is important to maintain a structured daily routine like at home. Keep fixed rest and meal times and integrate them into your vacation day. When traveling to Germany with children from other time zones, you should set your watch to the time of your arrival. So you have the right eating and sleeping times at a glance.
Holidays are for everyone
When on holiday in Germany, avoid only doing activities that your children enjoy. You too are on vacation and should have an unforgettable time. Find a balance between what your children enjoy and what you enjoy.
My tip: split the day up. In the morning you go to a museum or go on a hike. In the afternoon we go to the beach or to a playground.
Explore the area with the children
It doesn’t matter whether you stay in the same hotel for 14 days or change accommodation several times on a longer trip through Germany. Upon arrival you should take a look at the hotel and the surrounding area. How do the children get to the room? Where is the reception or the dining room? Also arrange a meeting point in case you lose touch.
Don’t justify yourself
Grandparents in particular are afraid when they hear that their grandchildren are leaving for other distant countries. In recent years, more and more parents have been daring to travel long distances with their smaller children. This is misunderstood by many.
If you love to travel as a parent, take your kids with you when you travel. After all, they belong to you and you know best what you can expect of them. No one will ever take away the experience you get on longer trips to distant countries.
Keeps a travel journal
Record your trip in Germany with kids in a travel diary. Take lots of photos and collect tickets and postcards. At the end of the trip or even during the trip, you can stick all the snapshots together with the memorabilia in an album. A great memory for the children and you, if the holiday was a long time ago.
Don’t pack so much
If you are out and about with children, you often have enough spare trousers or a fresh T-shirt with you in everyday life. When you go on vacation you are well equipped and prepared for all eventualities. And that’s usually not as many as you plan.
Avoid unnecessary ballast, you can do your laundry in most hotels in Germany. And you will also find a launderette on adventure holidays with children.
My tip: Use vacuum packaging. They are space savers. The only requirement is that you also have access to a vacuum cleaner before the return flight. So ask your hotel in Germany beforehand. Garments that can all be easily combined are also recommended.
Leave the hotel
Germany is beautiful. Go on a tour of discovery outside the hotel walls and see what there is to discover in your holiday region. Use guided tours offered by the hotel or rent a car and go on a day trip independently of package deals.
My tip: Very small children love to use public transport. Germany has great public transport. For them, traveling by bus is still an experience. However, this type of locomotion is usually not suitable for older children and teenagers. A rental car is the better alternative here.
Finding the right accommodation in Germany
The accommodation options when traveling with children in Germany are endless. Many hotels are designated as child-friendly facilities and have specific offers such as children’s clubs or animation. Nevertheless, there are a few tips that you can consider when traveling with children – no matter where. This includes a pool. Even though the sea may be close by, nobody goes to the beach for half an hour with a small child.
You should also consider a central location. Short distances to the beach, restaurants or public transport are worth their weight in gold with children who are quick to whine.
So that you can enjoy time as a couple, make sure that your accommodation has at least two rooms or a terrace or balcony. If there is good WiFi, you can also make a detour to the hotel bar with a baby monitor or an appropriate app.
At home do you make sure that your children are in bed by eight at the latest and movies on the iPad aren’t allowed either? Make an exception to these strict rules while on vacation. It’s vacation in Germany after all. A nice evening in a restaurant or the way back from the amusement park just takes longer. And one more film on the iPad will be fine with you at the latest when the children stop whining on the return journey.
The only important thing is: At home, the well-known rules apply again.
Don’t worry about bad eaters
On holiday you get to know not only other cultures but also their eating habits. If you’re worried about your offspring refusing food, don’t worry. The little ones often surprise you and eat unfamiliar or new things with great enthusiasm. Let them taste the German local cuisine a little.
If you want to be on the safe side with babies and small children, you should pack food with you for the first few days and then slowly switch the children over to the food available on site.
Read more posts here and ask friends
In the run-up to your trip with a child, find out what tips other parents can give you. Use this travel blog, magazines or your circle of acquaintances. You are not the first parents to venture on a (long-distance) trip with a child. Put aside your concerns about safety and danger and don’t let yourself be fooled by what could happen. As in everyday life at home, the same applies when traveling with children: if the parents are relaxed, so are the children.
Makes traveling to Germany a habit
What awaits us in Germany and how will we like it? A holiday is exciting and exciting and will remain so no matter how often you travel to Germany. However, not only you, but also your children will become more experienced and deal better with changes the more often you come over here.
About the Author: Elle Johnson, travel writer living in Germany, an avid explorer fueled by wanderlust, uncovers Germany's hidden treasures. From mountains to luxury hotels, spontaneous trips to meticulous planning, she embraces diverse experiences. Join her in unraveling Germany's wonders and creating lifelong memories.
