48 Hours in Berlin: What We Did With a 12-Year-Old

We’ve been to Berlin three times, but only one of those trips was actually 48 hours from start to finish. That was our first visit with Dylan when he was 12, and it’s probably the version most useful if you’re trying to see Berlin in two days without packing every hour of the day.

This isn’t everything we’ve done in Berlin. Our full Berlin travel guide covers all three trips, including several heavier history stops we intentionally left out of this itinerary. This is simply how we spent two days with a 12-year-old.

Day 1: Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Gate and the Zoo

We started at Checkpoint Charlie. You only need about 20 minutes here to read the outdoor panels and see the former crossing, so it worked well as our first stop while everyone was still adjusting to the time change. It is touristy, but we knew that before we went.

From there we walked toward Brandenburg Gate, stopping at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe along the way. Both are free and outdoors, so we could take our time without worrying about tickets or reservations. Dylan was 12, and we let him take in the memorial without forcing a long explanation or making him stay longer than he wanted.

We had lunch at the KaDeWe food hall near the zoo. The top floor has enough choices that everyone can get something different, which made it an easy stop with a kid.

Berlin Zoo wasn’t part of our original plan, but it ended up being one of Dylan’s favorite stops. We saw the pandas, elephants and aquarium, and the zoo is easy to get around without needing much of a plan. Give it more than an hour if you can.

We finished the day with a boat ride on the Spree, something we’ve since done again on another Berlin trip. It’s an easy way to see another part of the city when everyone is tired of walking. Dinner was at Zollpackhof near the Reichstag, where big portions and German food were exactly what we wanted after a full day out.

Day 2: Museum Island, the Wall and a Video Game Museum

We started the morning at Berlin Cathedral. The climb to the dome isn’t as bad as it looks, and the view over Museum Island is the main reason I’d do it. We didn’t spend a lot of time inside before moving on.

The DDR Museum is only a few minutes away. Dylan enjoyed it more than we did because so much of it is hands-on, including a Trabant and drawers filled with everyday objects from East Germany. Our problem was the crowding. The rooms are small and fill quickly, so I’d go as early as possible.

We had lunch afterward at Good Friends, a Cantonese restaurant we’ve returned to on other Berlin trips.

We spent the afternoon at the East Side Gallery, the longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall. We walked the full length and stopped whenever something caught our attention. Dylan especially liked the handprints and brighter murals, and this worked much better for him than another traditional museum.

We finished at the Computer Games Museum. If you’re traveling with someone who likes gaming, this is an easy win. A lot of the exhibits are playable, so Dylan could actually sit down and try the games rather than just look at them.

We stopped at Brammibal’s for vegan donuts on the way back. We liked them enough to go twice during the trip.

What We'd Add With More Time

We intentionally left Topography of Terror and Sachsenhausen out of this two-day itinerary. Both need more time than we wanted to give them on a trip with a 12-year-old, and I wouldn’t schedule them back to back.

If you have a third day, I would choose one of them and build the rest of the day around something lighter.

Teufelsberg is another option we didn’t do on this trip. Dylan went back years later with friends and loved it. It worked much better for an older teen traveling with friends than it would have for the trip we took when he was 12.

Our Tip
Start at Checkpoint Charlie early in the morning, before the tour groups arrive. You only need about 20 minutes there, and from there you can walk toward the Holocaust Memorial and Brandenburg Gate.

Continue Planning Your Berlin Trip

Berlin Travel Guide →
Where to Eat in Berlin →
Where to Stay in Berlin →