Anonymous wrote:Having lived in Frankfurt Germany for many years (with children), I would certainly recommend Germany as a vacation spot. I originally posted about Budapest and Vienna. The reason I did not suggest Germany is that so much of Germany’s charm is the hiking and outdoor activities that you can do there and you mentioned that you were not interested in these. If you do decide to visit Germany, I would suggest you visit Berlin and Munich. Germans do adore children and you will discover that most Germans in Berlin and Munich will speak beautiful English (not as many will speak English in the small towns around Munich though).
Berlin:
-If you plan early enough, you can get tickets to the top of the Bundestag
https://www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag/dome/registration-245686
-Brandenburg Gate
-Holocaust Memorial (a stone maze that you walk through…no running, no eating, be respectful)
-Checkpoint Charlie Museum (tons of fun for kids to learn about the many ways East Berliners escaped to the west)
-go to East Side Gallery and see sections of the Berlin Wall that are still in place
-Pergamon Museum (Ishtar Gate)
-Tiergarten Berlin Zoo
-eating at a Biergarten in the Tiergarten
Munich:
-Olympic Swimming pool
-Hofbrauhaus (some people may consider it too touristy, but your 12 year old will love it!) worth a visit for lunch and a sweatshirt
-Dachau Concentration Camp (I suspect I will get some comments about this one too. It totally depends on your child and what you think they can handle…it is very emotional). I visited as a 12 year old and my children visited Dachau when they were 11 and 13. My personal opinion is that it is an important site for kids to see. That being said, one of my kids did not go into the exhibit near the crematorium where they share pictures. There is a sign clearly marking that the exhibit can be very difficult to handle (and my youngest chose not to go in so I waited outside with her). Just something to consider. Perhaps see how your child does with the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin and go from there.
-if you choose to rent a car and drive, I would also suggest the Alpine coaster ( 1 1/4 hours from Munich) So much fun! Also a great way to see the gorgeous mountains without hiking!
https://www.kolbensattel.de/en/alpine-coaster
-Zugspitze (1 1/2 hours from Munich by car)
Tallest Mountain peak in Germany
General Tips for Germany:
-google playgrounds in the cities. Germany has the most amazing playgrounds with climbing structures, zip lines, tire swings, etc. your 12 year old will not be too old for them!
-unless you do not eat pork, try snitzel! My children adored it! Bratwurst can also be purchased throughout Germany and tend to be an easy lunch for kids! Be sure to eat the salads that come with most meals…German food is delicious, but heavy, you will want to eat your veggies!
-be sure to carry Euros with you!!!! Many restaurants will not take credit cards. Most big ones in big cities will, but most smaller ones will not. Be sure to ask them if they take visa, not just a credit card. Most places take an EU card (basically a debit card) and if you ask them if they takes credit card, they will think you mean this. Ask specifically for a visa if you want you use a visa, or be prepared to pay for your meal in cash. I routinely carried about 200/250 € with me at all times.
-bring a little change purse to carry € coins. You will thank me for this. The amount of change you will carry is crazy! The smallest € bill is 5€, so 1€ and 2€ and all smaller money will be in change form. You will need this for parking and bathrooms!
-You will pay to use bathrooms in Europe. Even in museums, there will be a little dish with a note with the cost. Pay it! I wish America did this. You will always find a clean bathroom because an attendant is always there cleaning them.
-if you choose to drive, have change to pay for parking. Look to see if other cars have parking receipts on their dashboards. Most if the tie, there is a central parking machine. You will need to put coins in it and display your parking ticket on your dash board. Most will not take bills! Have coins!
-carry your own reusable shopping bags. Germany is very, very anti plastic. Most places will not have plastic shipping bags. If they do, you will pay quite a bit for them. You also pay for paper bags in Germany (they encourage people to carry their own bags). I also had at least two foldable reusable bags with me in my purse.
-if you go to a grocery store, be prepared to unpack your own groceries onto the conveyer belt (do this quickly) and be sure to put the divider after your order. The next customer will unpack their groceries right next to you. You will also be responsible for bagging your own groceries…quickly! Watch the people in front of you! Have your 12 year old and the other family member pack the groceries while one person pays. It is not difficult, but Germans have no patience for slow grocery packers!
-be prepared to pay a pfand (deposit) for all cans and bottles that you buy.
-if you have questions about anything, just ask. 95% of the time, Germans will be happy to help you.
-when booking hotels, check for AC if it is important to you. It can be very hot in the summer!
-If you drive, do not make a right turn on red!!!!! It is illegal!!! Also, lots of speed cameras in Germany. Drive the speed limit and you will be fine. Priority rules are a little different from the US. Just read up on them and look for the priority driving sign when driving. Unlike the US, unless you are on a road marked with a priority sign, you must yield to traffic coming from the right. Remember this in parking lots…yield to the right!
-Also, Germans love sparkling water. If you do not want gas in your water, be sure to specify this! Wasser ohne Gas (Water without gas)
-Danke = thank you
-Bitte = please
-Guten morgen = good morning
-Guten tag = good day
-Guten abend = good evening
-tschuss = bye
-hallo = hi
Have a fantastic trip!
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