When trying to keep kids in mind for travel plans, it’s hard to not gravitate toward the huge German cities like Cologne, Berlin oder Hamburg. We picked a hidden gem. A city called Braunschweig located in Lower Saxony and quite exciting indeed.
Whether it’s a hands-on museum, adventure tours, historical sights or walks through extensive parks around the river Oker. The leisure activities on offer make the largest city between Hanover and Berlin the ideal destination for a family holiday in autumn. Also because almost all historical sights can be easily reached on foot from the city centre.
Patty Brito 
John Mark Smith
Top 5: Welcome to the jungle
Okay, okay, jungle is an exaggeration, but most likely you can make it really exciting for the kids. After all, the Botanical Garden of the Technical University (founded in 1840) displays rare, huge and damn green things. At the same time, it is also a research area for the scientists working there. Which is also quite unique. After all, when does the whole family ever walk through an open-air laboratory for experimental plant research? By the way, there are about 4,000 plant species on display, some of them rare and endangered.
A special highlight can be found in the new greenhouse: The giant water lily Victoria cruziana. This tropical rarity with its extremely large and resilient floating leaves only flowers on two nights in August. Admittedly, it will be a while before that happens again.
Top 4: Time Travel
Great tip for rainy weather! The Natural History Museum – the oldest natural history museum in Germany, by the way – invites you on a journey to past ages of the animal and plant world and, from the end of September 2021, offers rare insights into the nursery of the prehistoric giants with the special exhibition “The World of the Young Dinosaurs”.
A leap back in time to medieval Braunschweig awaits visitors to the Family Museum of the Braunschweig State Museum in St. Ulrici-Brüdern. Here, at the hands-on exhibition “Bruneswic anno 1221”, visitors can find out more about life, crafts and leisure activities in 13th century Brunswick.
Top 3: And action!
The Westpark covers 240 hectares, making it more of a recreation area than a city park. But recreation can also be active: A skating rink, a football pitch and large playground equipment, a streetball court and a beach volleyball court as well as a climbing park and a disc golf course make it possible… In other words, lots of sports for all ages. Those who prefer less action can go in search of the large sculptures scattered around the park. An artistic scavenger hunt, so to speak.
For a relaxing break afterwards, we recommend the Kohlmarkt, a central market square where cafés and restaurants invite you to linger.
Top 2: Hello nature
Only a few kilometres from the city centre, the family-run zoo “Noah’s Ark” is home to North American raccoons, camera sheep, Siberian tigers, Chinese tree chipmunks and around 300 other animals of 50 different species.
Those who prefer to get to know the local nature will find what they are looking for in the Riddagshausen nature reserve close to the city and can observe the fallow deer at close range in the neighbouring game reserve. Those who wish can discover the area on their own on the nature discovery trail or observe the local birdlife from the observation tower at Schapenbruchteich pond.
Top 1: Dive in
If the weather is really too nasty, the best thing to do in Braunschweig’s Water World is to whiz down the giant interactive slide, swim laps in the pool or use the water cannon in the paddling pool.
Those who are afraid of water are better off diving into other worlds equipped with VR glasses in the VirtuaLounge and experiencing virtual reality on a fast-paced roller coaster ride or flying on the witches’ broom.
You can find more information and tips on the Lion City of Braunschweig on the official website of the city of Braunschweig.
