Travelling with a baby can be great fun but it also comes with it's challenges. Berlin however is a very child-friendly city so there is no reason your visit to Berlin need be stressful. Here is my guide to visiting Berlin with a baby to help make your visit that much easier.
Where to buy your baby essentials in Berlin
If you find yourself caught short for baby essentials whilst visiting Berlin, don't fear, there are a number of options available. The best options for nappies / diapers, wipes, baby food, healthy baby snacks, spoons, suncream etc are DM or Rossmann. These stores can be found all over the city and often within or near the major train stations such as Alexanderplatz (the DM with the baby section is a 3 minute walk from the station, near Saturn, rather than the store next to C&A), Hauptbahnhof etc. DM also offers a baby changing table in the baby section of a number of it's stores.
Getting around Berlin with a baby
Berlin's travel network is relatively child-friendly for a big city. There are four options for public transport, S Bahn, U Bahn, Trams and Buses and there are special tourist tickets for travelling on them that you can purchase for your visit to the city. You can read more about the Berlin WelcomeCard here. You can find detailed information on ticket types, how to plan your journeys in English, transport maps, useful apps and more here.
Choosing which area to stay in during your visit
Berlin is split in to a number of districts and they each have very different feels to each other. Some are more baby-friendly than others and so this can help make your stay a little easier. Prenzlauer Berg, often known as 'Pregnancy Hill', is full of families, Kinder Cafes, a large selection of restaurants, playgrounds etc makes a good option for visiting the city with a baby. Friedrichshain also homes a large number of families and has some wonderful playgrounds but it is also home to some pretty major party areas, so you need to be careful to not find yourself slap-bang in the middle of apartments full of partying 20-somethings.
What to do with your baby on a rainy or freezing day in Berlin
If you are visiting Berlin during the colder months or on a rainy day, you may want to take advantage of one of Berlin's many family-friendly cafe's called 'Eltern-Kind-Cafes'. There are a number of them spread across the city and you can find a full list of them here. It is worth noting that the majority don't allow buggies/pushchairs inside during peak months (when the weather is cold/raining), so bring a light bicycle lock with you and lock your outside the cafe like the locals do (this is common in Berlin and I don't know anyone who has had problems doing this).
Doing the tourist 'thang' with a baby in Berlin
There is so much to see and do in Berlin. The city is of course steeped in history and then there are the many interesting buildings to climb and get a view across the city. I've written Five 'Must Do's' for visiting Berlin with a baby. On top of these, you can check out my 'Things to Do' section for any other ideas.
Baby changing options in the city
If you are out and about and suddenly find yourself in need of a changing table, there are options around the city. Firstly however, it is worth knowing that you can change your baby's nappy/diaper pretty much anywhere without someone flickering an eyelid. It is quite common to see this out in the open, however, if you are much more comfortable with doing it on a changing table, you will find these in Karstadt Stores throughout the city, in the Kinder Cafes (see the list posted near the top of the blog post), as a number of DM Stores.
So there you go, my tips for visiting Berlin with a baby. If you are planning a visit to the city with your own baby and have a particular query that isn't covered here in the post, write your question in the comments section and I will do my best to answer it.
Berlin for all the Family can also be found on:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
If you find yourself caught short for baby essentials whilst visiting Berlin, don't fear, there are a number of options available. The best options for nappies / diapers, wipes, baby food, healthy baby snacks, spoons, suncream etc are DM or Rossmann. These stores can be found all over the city and often within or near the major train stations such as Alexanderplatz (the DM with the baby section is a 3 minute walk from the station, near Saturn, rather than the store next to C&A), Hauptbahnhof etc. DM also offers a baby changing table in the baby section of a number of it's stores.
Getting around Berlin with a baby
Berlin's travel network is relatively child-friendly for a big city. There are four options for public transport, S Bahn, U Bahn, Trams and Buses and there are special tourist tickets for travelling on them that you can purchase for your visit to the city. You can read more about the Berlin WelcomeCard here. You can find detailed information on ticket types, how to plan your journeys in English, transport maps, useful apps and more here.
Choosing which area to stay in during your visit
Berlin is split in to a number of districts and they each have very different feels to each other. Some are more baby-friendly than others and so this can help make your stay a little easier. Prenzlauer Berg, often known as 'Pregnancy Hill', is full of families, Kinder Cafes, a large selection of restaurants, playgrounds etc makes a good option for visiting the city with a baby. Friedrichshain also homes a large number of families and has some wonderful playgrounds but it is also home to some pretty major party areas, so you need to be careful to not find yourself slap-bang in the middle of apartments full of partying 20-somethings.
What to do with your baby on a rainy or freezing day in Berlin
If you are visiting Berlin during the colder months or on a rainy day, you may want to take advantage of one of Berlin's many family-friendly cafe's called 'Eltern-Kind-Cafes'. There are a number of them spread across the city and you can find a full list of them here. It is worth noting that the majority don't allow buggies/pushchairs inside during peak months (when the weather is cold/raining), so bring a light bicycle lock with you and lock your outside the cafe like the locals do (this is common in Berlin and I don't know anyone who has had problems doing this).
Doing the tourist 'thang' with a baby in Berlin
There is so much to see and do in Berlin. The city is of course steeped in history and then there are the many interesting buildings to climb and get a view across the city. I've written Five 'Must Do's' for visiting Berlin with a baby. On top of these, you can check out my 'Things to Do' section for any other ideas.
Baby changing options in the city
If you are out and about and suddenly find yourself in need of a changing table, there are options around the city. Firstly however, it is worth knowing that you can change your baby's nappy/diaper pretty much anywhere without someone flickering an eyelid. It is quite common to see this out in the open, however, if you are much more comfortable with doing it on a changing table, you will find these in Karstadt Stores throughout the city, in the Kinder Cafes (see the list posted near the top of the blog post), as a number of DM Stores.
So there you go, my tips for visiting Berlin with a baby. If you are planning a visit to the city with your own baby and have a particular query that isn't covered here in the post, write your question in the comments section and I will do my best to answer it.
Berlin for all the Family can also be found on:
