Munich Kids

Have you taken your kids to the Hellabrunn Zoo yet?  If not, you should plan a visit soon.  They will love it!  The grounds of the zoo are beautiful.  You walk through winding, wooded pathways to go from exhibit to exhibit.  Streams feeding the Isar flow past some sections of the zoo.  You’ll find all of the animals you would expect in any large zoo - elephants, giraffes, monkeys, penguins, plus a few surprises.  There are two entrances to the zoo.  At the Flamingo Entrance, you will encounter a beautiful flock of pink and white flamingos.  At the Isar Entrance, the first stop is the large petting area, where you can pet the goats.  A good time to visit the zoo is in the Spring, late March or early April , when all of the baby animals have arrived.  The petting area is a highlight during this time as there are a dozen or more fuzzy, baby goats running around looking for goat feed and attention.  Be careful with small children, however. The goats are pushy and can easily knock the little ones over. Also, take care for the numerous goat droppings on the pavement.  One more word of caution.  Goats like to chew on anything that smells like food.  So leave your stroller that is full of baby snacks and bottles on the other side of the foot bridge entrance!  The zoo has several very good indoor areas.  Our favorites include a beautiful and extensive aquarium and the monkey and gorilla house.  There are two very good playgrounds.  A small one in the center of the park is easier for managing multiple small children than the really big playground.  The big playground is near a biergarten and cafeteria.   It has a great play structure that the kids can climb on, and up, and slide down, and swing around on.  However, the playground is almost always crowded, and it is impossible to see from one end of the playground to the other.  As a result, supervising more than one small child with a mind of his or her own can be an exhausting juggling act.   Near the big playground and biergarten is an extended children’s area that includes pony rides, bumper cars, train rides, and more.   The zoo is open year-round.  Children up to age 4 are free.  From 4 -14, children are half-price.  10-punch cards are available and can be used in combination with the Deutsches Museum.  We found this to be a great package as you can go to the zoo during the warm months, and the Deutsches Museum in the winter.  Further details are available on the website.

The zoo also offers guided tours for birthday parties

Address:  Tierparkstrasse 30, D-81543 Munich

Phone:  (0) 89 62508-0 

Website:  http://www.zoo-munich.de

Nearest Public Transportation:  Bus 52 (Flamingo Entrance) or U3 Thalkirchen (Isar Entrance)

The Deutsches Museum is a treasure trove of activity for children of all ages, and their parents.  The main floor is full of all the kinds of exhibits that you would expect from one of the  largest museums of science and technology in the world.  My kids usually never make it past the main floor, which includes the exhibits on boats, cars, trains, and airplanes.  They have a wonderful model train exhibit. The kids could sit and watch that for hours if we would let them.  Right now, the model train is under construction, but it is expected to reopen at the end of February 2007.  The model trains run only at scheduled times throughout the day, so refer to the website for times and to confirm that construction has indeed ended.  Multiple programs for kids are on offer and more information can be obtained from the website.  The best offering for young kids is the Kinderreich, or Kid’s Kingdom.  It is housed in the underground floor.  The Kid’s Kingdom consists of an entire floor of hands-on acitivities for young children.  The museum advertises that it is for children ages 3-8. However, I started bringing my oldest son there at 15 months, and he had a wonderful time with many of the activities, as did several other babies and toddlers that were visiting at the same time.  Activities include:  a water play area; a fire engine to climb on; a large play area with giant lego blocks; interactive computers; a musical instruments area, and others.  There is a dryer near the restrooms in case your kids get soaked in the water play area, but  I would recommend bringing extra clothes.  Many of the museums in Munich are free on Sunday. The Deutsches Museum, unfortunately, is not one of them.  However,  children under 6 are always free.  Also, you can buy a 10-punch card at a slight discount.  The card can be used to visit either the Deutsches Museum or the Hellabraun Zoo.  We found that to be useful as we could visit the zoo during the warm months and the museum during the rainy or cold months of the year.

Address:  Museuminsel 1, 80538 Munich

Phone:  (089) 2179-1

Website:  http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/

Nearest S-bahn:  Isartor  (note: the escalator at this stop is too narrow for a double stroller.  I suggest using the Rosenheimer Platz S-bahn stop instead if you have a double stroller.  The walk is about the same distance). 

There are several biergartens in the English Garden, but we have spent time at only two of them, the Seehaus Biergarten and the Chinese Tower Biergarten.  The food on offer at both places is very similar - sausages, roast chicken, giant pretzels, obazda, etc.  Beer, soda, and wine are your basic drink choices.  Each biergarten has rows and rows of picnic tables.  It is permissable to bring your own food as well.  The view from the Seehaus is quite nice.  Most of the tables look onto the lake, and you can watch people gliding by in their rented rowboats and paddleboats.  The Chinese Tower is surrounded by trees so there is no real view.  However, the Chinese Tower often has musicians playing traditional German Oompa music while you enjoy your currywurst and Radler. 

The playground at the Seehaus is very small, and not at all useful if you have small children.  It is back in a corner (so you don’t get the view of the lake).  The primary play structure is in the shape of a boat’s hull. The children climb to the top, and it is quite steep and high for little ones.  Also, the entrance to the climbing part is hidden from view if you are sitting at one of the picnic tables, making it impossible to see how your child is doing as he climbs about on the play structure.  The playground at the Chinese Tower is much better and much larger.  In fact, there are several sections to it.  There are monkey bars, a teetertotter, slide, bridge, and overhead bars.  There is also a wonderful, old-fashioned carousel. Rides are about 1-2 EUR depending on how many tokens you buy.

This is not the Hofbrauhaus, of tourist fame, although I imagine they are frequently mistaken for it.  The Hofbraeukeller serves a traditional, Bavarian menu at very reasonable prices. The highest-priced item on the menu is 5,55 EUR.  They have a very large playroom for children, “Kinderland” with activities to entertain kids across a range of ages.  Toys, books, a ball-play area, fussball, and movies are all on offer.  Additionally, the room is staffed with 1-2 babysitters, so parents can sit and enjoy their meals in relative peace, while the kids play safely nearby.  The kids’ menu offers knoedel, fish sticks, pork schnitzel, or chicken nuggets for between 1,80 and 2,70 EUR.  I suggest making a reservation for a table near the Kinderland area.  The restaurant is very large, so if you’re not at a nearby table, you or your kids may not feel comfortable with your table placement. 

Address: Innere Wiener Strasse 19

Phone:  089-459925-0

Website:  http://www.hofbraeukeller.de

This is a family-friendly restaurant and bar in Schwabing.  The restaurant is small, but they have reserved a large space in the back for a children’s play area.  The play area is basically a large room, with no door, that opens onto the restaurant dining area.  A comfortable bank of benches lines the wall.  There is a big bag of toys and an easel for drawing, and space for running around.  Parents can sit at their tables and easily see what’s happening in the “Kinderecke” from most tables.   I’ve only visited once so far, and we ate off of the children’s menu, but the food was good and service was very friendly.  The menu is, as expected, primarily noodle or potato dishes, but also includes a few meat or fish options.  Prices are inexpensive to moderate.  The children’s menu includes 3 noodle dishes and a turkey schnitzel dish.  I was surprised at the size of the children’s portions. It was more than enough for an adult.  Our meal also was served with a krapfen for dessert, but I think that is only because it was Fasching Tuesday and they were having a celebration.  Children’s dishes are 3,50 EUR. 

Address:  Belgradstrasse 16

Phone:  089 123 0 5678

Website:  http://www.noodlesandpotatoes.de

In Spring of 2005, we stayed at the National Park Hotel Felben.  From Munich, it is a pleasant, scenic, two-and-a-half hour drive to the hotel, located in Mitersill in a valley in the Austrian Hohen National Park.  The hotel has all of the facilities you would expect in a kinderhotel, i.e, child care available (from age 2), large indoor and outdoor play areas, comfortable rooms in a variety of sizes and arrangements, excellent dining, indoor swimming pool and baby pool, health and wellness facilities, etc. A children’s program is available throughout the day with puppet shows, free play, arts and crafts, and sledding and skiing in the winter.  In addition, the hotel is part of a working farm, so there are many opportunities for the kids to interact with the animals.  Children can hold the bunnies, watch the cows at milking time, see the goats and sheep, go for pony and cart rides, even take riding lessons.  The hotel is run by the Scharler family, and we found the service to be excellent.  Brush up on your German skills though, because not much English is spoken by the hotel management and staff.  We thoroughly enjoyed our 3-day stay, and only wish we had stayed longer to take better advantage of everything on offer.

Website:  http://www.felben.at

Kinderhotels are a group of hotels and mountain resorts in the German, Austrian, and Italian alps.  They are not a chain. Rather, they are a group of independently owned and managed hotels with common standards and amenities.  Their primary purpose is to provide a family-friendly environment, in a beautiful setting, while creating an optimal vacation experience for parents and children.   Up to 60 hours of child care per week is included in the price of lodging.  Most hotels have spectacular indoor and outdoor playgrounds that appeal to a wide range of ages and are multi-seasonal.  Swimming pools, saunas, and health and wellness facilities are availalbe in many of the kinderhotels.  Most meals are included in the price. Some hotels offer an all-inclusive option that covers all meals, plus snacks.  When you arrive in the dining room, you will find everything you need set up at your table, from high chairs, to children’t cutlery, to crayons and activity books.  Since you are dining in a room full of other families with children, you don’t have to worry about the noise level or table manners of your little tykes.  Everyone understands!  Your hotel room will also be set up with ages and needs of your children in mind, including diaper pails, stepping stools for small children, and baby monitors.  Check out the website to find individual hotels in the area in which you are interested.  The website also provides information on pricing and amenities specific to each hotel.

If you have stayed at a kinderhotel and would like to provide a review, please provide a brief summary of the hotel and your experience in the comment section and we will post it for you.

Website:  http://www.kinderhotels.co.uk/