You may not be aware of this, but many of the fairy tales, toys and foods familiar to young children originated in Germany. There are numerous family and kid-friendly places in each region, most notably museums and amusement parks.

Duetsches Museum: Munich, Bavaria

The world’s largest technological museum, Duetsches, otherwise known as the “incredible railway museum”, is an ancient converted roundhouse. Kids will love hopping aboard old 1840s steam locomotives and the personal car of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Don’t miss seeing WWII train cars, windmills, water wheels and a blacksmith shop where you can see the blacksmith at work. Duetsches also features old-fashioned TVs, radios, computers and mechanized looms. There are plenty of objects for children to play with, push and pull around as they visit this world-famous, eclectic museum.

Museum of Natural History, Berlin

What a treasure! Walk into Berlin’s Museum of Natural History and you will encounter a gigantic brachiosaurus skeleton far above your head. Kids will delight in the full-size dioramas that feature animals native to Europe, including wild boar, moose, red deer (complete with sound effects), wolves, big horn sheep, bison, minks and lynx. Audio tour features English translation. Plenty of kid-friendly snacks including hot dogs, popcorn and sweets. A "Berliner" is a doughnut, filled with jam and covered with sugar. Try these doughnuts at the Museum bakery, or dig into a Wurst and Frites, delicious sausages and salty French fries.

Checkpoint Charlie Museum, Berlin

"You are leaving the American Sector,” says Checkpoint Charlie, the infamous crossing between East and West Berlin. The exhibits of this unique museum detail the history of the Berlin Wall, including stories of those who tried to escape from East to West Berlin. Don’t miss out on seeing the famous small wooden cart used by 57 Germans to cross the border. Older kids will appreciate this museum, especially the drawings made by children when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.

Amusement Parks/Theme Parks

Plan to spend an entire day at any one of these amusement parks. From the local wildlife park up to wild safari tours, and from the peaceful visit in the fairy tale country up to the majestic with the Mega Roller Coaster, all these amusement parks offer fun for the entire family. Entrance fees vary from 10 to 30 Euro.

Europa Park

One of the biggest theme parks in Germany, located in Rust, South Germany, this facility has driving attractions, colorful shows and the world famous 550 year old Balthasar castle, a huge hit with tourists. Europa Park has consistently been ranked as one of Germany’s most beautiful theme parks.

Phantasialand

What child doesn’t love a fairy tale? Built in 1967, this fairytale park offers new attractions yearly, most recently a roller coaster opened by Michael Jackson. The “Phantasialand Jet” is a world-famous attraction, with flies at approximately 10m (33ft) above the ground, and offers majestic views the entire theme park.  Phantasialand is located in Bruehl by Cologne, in the middle-west of Germany.

Heide Park

Located between Hamburg and Hanover in North Germany, in a small town called Soltau, Heide Park is the largest amusement park of North Germany, with more than 50 attractions. Here you can view more than 200 native animals, and ride the biggest wood roller coaster of the world.