Augsburg with kids
 

Hi,

We will spend three nights with a friend in Augsburg with our two boys, 4 and 6. I am looking for some family friendly things to do in Augsburg, as well as any short day trips.

We will have spent 5 days near Munich, so I'd prefer anything north of Augsburg and about an hour driving distance at the most, as we will be well into a 30 day trip by then and I imagine there will be much whining about getting back in the car at that point! I see lots of places to visit on a map, but would appreciate any insider information.

Thanks!

Kids 4 and 6: Rothenburg, without a doubt.

Augsburg has a zoo. There's Legoland in Günzberg, which I believe is about 30 miles away, and a pool with various amenities in Ingolstadt, 50 miles away.

I would pick Nördlingen over Rothenburg for a day trip. It is quite a lot closer to Augsburg. It has a city wall that the kids would probably enjoy walking.

Eichstätt in the Altmuhl Valley might be another nice place to visit. There are lots of fossils in the area and the castle museum has a section with many of these. It also has a pool.

Thank you all for the ideas! It's so nice to get personal feedback rather than just picking a spot on the map!

Giengen an der Brenz, Steiff museum - the inventors of the Teddy Bear.

Legoland. They are the perfect age and there is stuff for parents, too. Like beer. Mmmm.....beer.

If you don't go to Legoland, and your children learn you were so close to it, they will not be pleased.

Legoland is awesome.....we are travelling from San Diego and have one here. I plan on hiding the fact that there is one in Germany as well. :) Never heard of Giengen an der Brenz, looks like a lovely town!

I took my 4 & 6 year olds to the Playmobil Park just outside of Nuremberg in 2011. Awesome! It was a great park, affordable, and full of adventure. We had a nice dinner in Nuremberg after the outing. We are going back to Europe this summer and the kids want to return to Playmobil even though they are now 7 & 9. You may also want to check for area for luges "sommerrodelbahn", public pools and parks. Pools and parks are just wonderful all over Germany. I am staying in a small town between Nuremberg and Bamberg this summer and found a couple of nearby luges, pools, and a fun looking amusement park. Let me know if you want those links. Perhaps that is too far north?

The Legoland in Germany blows the San Diego one out of the water.

Your friend may probably take you and the kids to the "Augsburger Puppenkiste" anyway.
It's a marionette theater and museum and when I was a kid, their "stars" were as famous as Mickey or Donald with their TV series.
While there can be a bit of a language barrier, most displays or dioramas do not need words. THere are also many screen which show the old and new TV productions and the cartoons based on those characters.
And it is a cute piece of nostalgia as one can hardly imagine that kids stayed (and still stay) as glued to the screen to watch puppets-on-a-string as they cannot get enough of the games rendered in 3D on their Playstation.

Thank you for all of the suggestions! AndiM, I would love those links.....we will be driving through that area to Dresden afterwards and would love any suggestions on where to stop and let the kids play. My boys would love the Puppenkiste. They speak German and loved the one that visited their school last year. Legoland may make the list....I guess it's really my husband who would rather not go...but the beer might appeal!

AndiM - when I sold Playmobil, my best customers were a 66 year and a 50 year old man! A great toy for all ages.

I guess this comes a little bit late. Yes, the Christkindlmarkt is definitely worth the time. Its a little more homely than the Munich one mentioned. There is also a kids section.

You mentioned that you have 3 days. If you speak German, perhaps the Augsburger Puppenkiste will be cool. If not, there are English speaking free walking tours run by students as well running every day at 11am at Rathausplatz, Augsburg. I think the website is http://jeanrichardtour.com/