Germany with kids, for us, means holiday parks out of season: November in the Harz, November in the Allgäu, Christmas market time at Landal Hochwald, and Center Parcs Hochsauerland. Plus a week in the Eifel from Büllingen, and since 2024 a day at Irrland just across the border every year.
Below, the four parks, the Eifel and Irrland, and for each what worked and what did not.
Irrland with kids: a day out just across the German border
Our third visit to Irrland in Kevelaer, this time on the busiest possible day: the Netherlands, Flanders and North Rhine-Westphalia were all on summer...
Landal Hochwald with kids: big indoor playground, small pool
Two weeks of November in a kids' bungalow at Landal Hochwald near Kell am See, with snow soon after we arrived. The indoor play hall is genuinely big...
Landal Salztal Paradies with kids: two weeks in the Harz in November
Two weeks of November at Landal Salztal Paradies in Bad Sachsa, southern edge of the Harz, in a roomy cottage with underfloor heating and the forest n...
Center Parcs Hochsauerland with kids: one big hill, rent the e-car
Center Parcs Hochsauerland with kids in September: ten nights in a six-person Premium cottage at around 138 euros a night, 3.5 hours from Utrecht. The...
Center Parcs Allgäu with kids in November: a ten-hour drive, the longest wild water river
Center Parcs Allgäu with kids in November: a ten-hour drive, and still our second visit. The wild water river in the Aqua Mundo is the longest of any...
The Eifel with kids
We spent a week in the Eifel with our kids and chose to do less instead of everything. This is our honest experience, what worked for us, and why that...Questions about Germany with kids
Which holiday park in Germany with kids?
Four done, one we would recommend without any buts. Center Parcs Allgäu near Leutkirch: a ten-hour drive, but you get the longest wild water river in Center Parcs (165 metres) and, in November, one evening of snow. Landal Hochwald near Kell am See: a kids' bungalow with grandma and grandpa along, snow shortly after we arrived (first stop the Lidl in Hermeskeil for boots), a big indoor play hall with robots, and Trier in full Christmas mode at normal prices, London anyone? The pool is small and closed in week two. Center Parcs Hochsauerland is one big hill, rent the e-car. Landal Salztal Paradies in the Harz, the first two weeks of November: underfloor heating and not much else, we will not go back.
What is a good day out in Germany with kids?
Irrland in Kevelaer, the only outing on this site we have been back to three times. From Utrecht it is 139 kilometres, so a day rather than a trip for much of the Netherlands. Entry in 2026 was 12.50 euros per person and everything is included: no paid attractions, no tokens, free parking, and you may bring your own food. We went in the middle of the summer holidays of three countries at once and had no waiting time anywhere.
What to do in Germany with kids beyond the parks?
The Eifel: a week from Büllingen (just across the Belgian border), with Monschau, the railbikes on the Vennbahn (7 kilometres to the turning point, cash only) and Lake Bütgenbach. From Hochwald the Christmas market in Trier, in the Allgäu St Martin's Day with lanterns.