Taking the train through Germany with my two-year-old son: Travel tips from on the road.

Travelling with a toddler, a backpack and on public transport alone …? To many, that means adventure all along. To me, it meant finally getting out the door again after many months of lockdown. I simply contacted friends I knew from previous travels, many of whom now also had children, and asked if Liam and I could come visit as part of a major pan-European trip. Like, why not?

Just why I’ve chosen to do our three-weeks trip through Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg on the train and public transport only, is something I am explaining in more detail here. Summing up, I believe it’s much easier to take a young child along on public transport, and of course it’s less strain on the environment, too. Buses or trains always provide entertainment, I can walk Liam around, there are other kids, you can play, draw or read together, etc. It’s much easier than driving, I believe (especially alone as an adult in a car with a young child).

The Austrian Railway offers convenient “family wagons” that are tailored specifically to meet the needs of travelling families, including a small theatre with short movies for children.

Central stations, such as the one in Cologne here, always work wonders on young children: There is simply so much to see and marvel at!

The Germany Railway Deutsche Bahn goes one step further and even provides “toddler departments”, separated departments from the main family wagons that offer space to retreat for families with babies or young children. In here, Liam finally managed to fall asleep on the train, too.

Kid-friendly travel options in Germany

So how to set up this trip according to the needs of my two-year-old son? For him (and myself as his sole companion) I’ve of course put some thought into it before leaving. My planning involved choosing train travel times that didn’t exceed four or five hours a day. And also, to spend several days in a row with friends not planning to do much at all. To give him, and myself, some rest on the journey.

It was these same friends, and their families, who came up with all the wonderful ideas for kid-friendly stopovers, for instance in Munich, or tips for excursions in or near Cologne-Düsseldorf that were easy to do with a young child. Playgrounds, cafés, some sightseeing in between, refreshing local grocery stores or shops provided for some great balance when travelling with little Liam!

Very close to Munich Central Station, we stopped over at the local Glockenbachviertel district, which was very green and refreshing indeed – playgrounds and ice cream parlours included.

The city of Augsburg then crossed out our plans for visits by periods of heavy rain. We thus spent most of our time at my local friend’s family home, which was great and cosy, too! If you want to read more about Augsburg as a travel destination, I’ve written about the city as part of a previous visit here.

Cologne offers the advantage that the city’s central station is right next to the world-famous Cologne Cathedral, which makes for easy strolls even right between trips out of and into the main station.

What to do in Cologne when travelling with young children?

We have only spent several days visiting Cologne, but did so in the relaxing way of feeling “almost local”! In part, this was due to the great location of our friends’ apartment, in the Köln-Klettenberg district near Sülzburgstraße. It is a part of Cologne I have never seen or visited before, and one I will remember for its many quiet, green streets and easy shopping options!

My friend Mary, her three-year-old son Ferdinand, Liam and I have also ventured a little further and headed down to a Cologne classic: The famous promenade by the Rhine river near the Cologne Cathedral! Right below it, there is a fun little public water park for young children that makes for great entertainment when travelling with kids! We then headed down the promenade and stopped at the famous local pub “Die Ex-Vertretung”, having Tarte Flambee and typical Kölsch beer. Lovely.

First things first: If hungry, head over to Pizzeria Torino on the corner of Sülzburgstraße – Siebengebirgsallee in Köln-Klettenberg. Their fresh oven pizzas are simply divine!

Nearby playgrounds, such as the one at Nikolausplatz only five minutes from the pizzeria restaurant, make for a nice lunch stop with kids.

Check out the Cologne water park right below the Ludwig museum and Cologne Cathedral; it is marked on Google Maps as “Wasserspielplatz in der Altstadt”. Worth it when travelling with young kids!

Last but not least: Head over to “Die Ex-Vertretung” pub and restaurant for some pizza-like Tarte Flambee and a typical local beer! Absolutely great for kids, too (the food, not the beer). And the views over the Rhine river, of course!

What to do in Düsseldorf when travelling with young children?

Our next stop was another friend’s apartment, Janett Schindler who also writes on her travel blog @Teilzeitreisende. She conveniently lives right between the two major cities Cologne and Düsseldorf, and has happily welcomed us to her country home.

Thanks to her, Liam and I discovered the small medieval town of Zons by the Rhine river, the city of Wuppertal with its historic overhead railway, the local zoo, as well as the Aquazoo Düsseldorf and Düsseldorf old town. All of it explicitly, or also, possible with a young child in tow.

Staying at Janett’s home base …

… and enjoying her sweet welcome was more than we could expect from the average hotel!!

Wuppertal welcomed us to its mighty overhead railway, a historic means of transport I have never seen before …

… I can also recommend you visit Wuppertal Zoo, happily built into a hillside forest. Lovely, not just for families.

Düsseldorf then welcomed us to its aquatic zoo …

… where colourful fish and water animals of all kind sure fascinated little Liam …

… we also did the usual stroll along the city’s major “Königsallee” alley …

… and finally got to visit Zons by the Rhine river, a small medieval town that you will simply love!

Are there any more questions about our trip? Just ask!

Did Liam manage to sleep well everywhere?

Did he enjoy the local food?

Did you pack (a lot of) toys and other knick-knacks?

How did you pack?

And did anything – something happen to you while on the road …?

🙂

I could imagine these to be the most typical questions about individual adventure trips with a young child. My answer are that yes, Liam did sleep well everywhere – even quite long stretches at a time where he clearly did recover well from the excitement of travelling. As far as eating is concerned, he has always enjoyed food in general, so no problem when travelling either.

I only brought very few toys on the road: As we’ve almost exclusively travelled from one family household to the next, I did not bring more than 10 small toys (cars, trains, books) for Liam.

Packing was quite easy, too: I have packed everything into my middle-sized backpack and one small bag attached to his travel stroller. I packed in a way so as to do our laundry every now and then at our friends’ homes. No issue at all, thank you all who have supported us in this way.

And no, nothing major happened, except for me having had a cold and sore throat for well over a week. It can be a little more exhausting than usual when travelling with a young child, but nothing too difficult, either. Honestly, it was ok.

All our luggage, waiting for the bus at Luxembourg central station to take us back into Germany.

Liam learning to drink in a restaurant …!

Definitely a trip worth doing: Taking the kid(s) out when they are still young!

Where will your next trip lead you to – whether with or without children?