Hi
We have 5 nights to spend in our European trip and can fly to either Amsterdam or Berlin? Will be flying out of Bergen, Norway.
Time is August first week. We are a family of 4 with 2 kids 9 and 6 yrs. Interest are general outdoors, kids interest museums, walking around town, good weather etc.
Full disclosure I have been to Amsterdam before and loved it. But not sure how is it in comparison to Berlin? Which one would the forum members recommend?
A third option is Vienna.
I suggest Amsterdam for milder summer weather. Berlin and Vienna can be oppressively hot, depending on whether there are heat waves.
Been to both cities and I would choose Amsterdam. It’s more compact, easier to get around and has much to offer children. Also, we visited in July and the weather was perfect, cool and dry.
I love Berlin, though it's true, it could be hotter than Amsterdam. Though I've been to Berlin in July when it was chilly and rainy.
I love Amsterdam too, though you may find Amsterdam jam-packed, because it is more compact and a tourist magnet. Berlin is huge and spread out, with things to do all over the city and good public transportation.
If you choose Amsterdam, you might want to look into activities that are outside the city center, just to get away from the crowds.
Vienna has Prater Wien, a big amusement park that's been around for a century or more. https://www.praterwien.com/en/home that would surely be a hit with the kids. Vienna is likely to be the hottest of the three cities.
Good replies so far. I'd comment that Berlin has even more to do than Amsterdam, but it has longer distances to cover to get to them. But Amsterdam has great daytrip options on the unreserved local trains that add up to even more. European public transit is good, but I'm concerned about the patience of the kids to get somewhere. Europe has been very hot in recent summers, and air conditioning there is not engineered to the Meat Locker temperatures that Americans are used to. (I've even been hot in Scandinavia, so don't pat yourself on the back yet. And there is little A/C there!)
Is transport to get to the city an issue? Bargain air with limited luggage? Advance-discount non-refundable train tickets? How did you plan to get to Bergen? Are you doing Norway in a Nutshell?
It's easier to find Dutch Pancakes (i.e. in Amsterdam) than to find Oma's Quarkbollen (in Berlin!)
I wouldn't pick a destination based on potential heat. Heat difference is usually not big, and you can get rain and cooler weather in AMS any time of year.
You already know AMS.
By comparison Berlin is much bigger geographically. And the areas you'll want to visit are all over the city. You'll need to use public transit for sure, and will likely tend to shuttle from site to site as opposed to wander. It's gentrified, but is still a punky place, and does have the big city driftwood of all sorts.
Berlin IMO is more site-oriented, particularly for a family with kids the age of yours.
A good family strategy to visit Berlin is to stay in Potsdam. About 20 minutes to Berlin by train high frequency (you barely wait). Potsdam was a provincial capital, and summer playground for the aristocracy, and it show. It is clean, attractive, fully-walkable, and LOADED with good living amenities. It's a pricey-pram, high-end coffee, drinks on the patio sort of place. It is right next to (like easy walk) a massive formal park with beautiful imperial summer palaces. You can rent bikes and ride traffic free there, and easy/safely elsewhere. There are big lakes/waterways all around, and you can swim (Google Potsdam Strandbad), rent paddle boards, rent a boat etc. Good family town, many 2-3 bedroom apartments for short term rental, etc. Google up photos of Potsdam and look beyond the palaces and park - it's a nice little city!
And you are a short train ride to Berlin, where you can hub seamlessly to more local transit if need be. SO you can to day trips most days somewhat efficiently striking at just the things you want to see.
Vienna: Would you like to go to Paris, but prefer a smaller, more manageable, safer and cleaner city? Vienna has the head-exploding Grand European beautiful stuff in spades, but also a relatively easy city. it also has folk culture right in the city, not just high art. You can ride a streetcar to where the city turns hilly and walk the through gorgeous vineyards and pretty wood to a wine tavern. You can take the subway down to the river island and swim in a huge outdoor pool complex with wave pool, slides, massive lawns and maybe a kilometer of riverfront. Great markets and many village-like street too. Year round historic fun fair. It's a supremely high-culture town but built on a folk foundation.
Size-wise Vienna feels halfway between massive spread out Berlin and tightly-packed Amsterdam.
If Vienna choose where you'll stay wisely - The neighborhood around your accommodation will dictate your experience. The transit system is so good (particularly if you take 15 minutes to view videos and get it sorted in your head) that I joke to my spouse that you think about being somewhere and in 12 minutes you materialize at that site. So in terms of expediency getting to major sites and, It doesn't make that much difference where you stay in Vienna. It's easy to get from any place in the city to any place in the city. So spend your 5 days in a location that immediately serves your family's day to day needs and wants, and you will quickly come to love "your" district.
And again, you know AMS.
Good news is not a bad choice in the lot - all great places and completely worthy of your visit.
It's easier to find Dutch Pancakes (i.e. in Amsterdam) than to find
Oma's Quarkbollen (in Berlin!)
How about in the beautiful and charming 300 year old "Dutch Quarter" in Potsdam? Closed when I tried to go, but reviews are very good :)
I loved Berlin, but more for its 20th-century historic sites and large museums than for its architecture. I think a lot of Berlin's pluses would be lost on your young children. I'd seriously consider holding off on it for quite a few years.
I'm thinking every generation would find Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo enjoyable. My partner and I are 2 seniors who were entertained by the giant pandas. There's plenty for children to enjoy there. We didn't visit Berlin's zoo so we can't really compare them.
Thank you all. All very valid useful and detailed points. The views seem to be split between AMS and Berlin. Weather for us is a very important factor as we are based in Dubai and looking forward to some milder summer weather in Europe.
@Tim : We are not doing NiN . we are doing direct train from Oslo to Bergen. Have 5 nights in Bergen so no need to rush.
I would like to throw one more city in the mix which is Copenhagen. We have briefly done CPH before and like the vibe. how would that sound vs others
We will be looking for large public parks, children playgrounds/theme park, easy options for day trips outside, children science museums similar to NEMO (which we have done before) and good public transport to be out and about
At first, I was thinking your entire trip would be five days. Am I correct in saying that you are looking for a second city where you can spend five days?
My caveat is that I have never visited Europe with small children and for that reason have never visited sites that appeal mainly to children. I am a fan of Berlin, but for me its principal attractions are historical and political--that it was the capital of a country that was at the center of a tumultuous century and that it is the capital of a leading nation. If a major consideration is what city would two children under 10 like, it probably falls short. And it is physically large. (And if you choose Berlin, I am wondering whether time in Hamburg with the Miniatur Wunderland might be possible.)
Of the three cities you originally listed, Amsterdam seems the most attractive choice. And yes, Copenhagen with Tivoli Gardens would be a good choice.
@Traveldxb I think Copenhagen is less interesting than any of the others, frankly, but I say that as someone whose kids are grown, so that's my adult perspective. There is an amusement park there (Tivoli Gardens?) and like the amusement park in Vienna, it's been there for a century. I didn't go, but it looks fun and like an attractive amusement park. It's next to the main train station.
I've been to all three cities - Berlin, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, and think that your kids would really enjoy Copenhagen. Tivoli Gardens was enchanting - I loved it and saw so many kids there that were having the time of their lives. You can check out some of the photos I took with brief descriptions here: https://mostlytraveled.wordpress.com/2022/05/21/day-25-pt-2-the-magic-of-tivoli-gardens/
But Copenhagen has a lot of other fun things to do. There is the Viking Museum at Roskilde (and Roskilde Cathedral, which was incredible). It's a very walkable city. I was only there for two full days so didn't have a chance to see a lot but would love to go back.
Second place would go to Amsterdam. It's also very walkable (and flat!, lots of wonderful day trips to places like Hoorn, Leiden, Delft and so on, and plenty to do in the city. Loads of interesting restaurants and tons of museums.
The only reason I'm putting Berlin last is that it is very spread out, and not nearly as compact as Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Plus it's definitely more of a big city vibe. There are a lot of sights, but most are geared towards adults.
One thing you might consider is flying into Hamburg and spending the day there (or an overnight), and taking the kids to Miniatur Wunderland - https://www.miniatur-wunderland.com - which by all accounts is an incredible place for kids. I have not been - I traveled solo and didn't have kids - but everyone here raves about it, and I think your kids would love it. Then you could jump on the train and head to Copenhagen from there.
Tivoli is awesome! The kids would love it, and it is fun for grown ups too.
Copenhagen though isn't really a park city, nor is it a museum city. Its more of a lifestyle and atmosphere city. You go there generally to enjoy the life that the locals enjoy, which is a very nice thing to do. But might not be as appealing to kids. Playgrounds tended to be on the smaller side and a bit scrubby. The city itself might not be dramatic enough to hold your kid's attention. You do have a chance of cool to coldish weather there even in summer. But it won't be hot if you're trying to get away from hot.
When I read your list of wants above, I think of MUNICH. It has massive user friendly parks, playgrounds everywhere, a tremendous science museum, much else oriented to children, excellent day trips to the Alps and elsewhere. Among big cities in Europe, it most closely fits your list of desires.
Edit: Also just remembered Munich's massive indoor pool/ slide complex in a giant repurposed airplane hangar. It's tropical themed and a lot of fun for kids, not bad for grown ups either. Our kid liked it when around the age of your boys.
I have been to both cities twice and enjoyed them quite a lot.
Both are a bit on the expensive side, but not too much.
Both have lots of history and great museums.
I suggest going to TripAdvisor and ask for Things To Do in each city and compare what the key items of interest are for your family.
If you haven't been to Berlin, you should go there.
