Hi dear Hivers at @Worldmappin! I’ve just came back from Germany with my kids and as the memories are still fresh, I'd like to share the highlights of our trip and must-see places in Dortmund and Düsseldorf (overall and especially if you're traveling with kids).
As soon as summer vacation starts, social media bursts with funny memes about the hard times ahead for parents. There are humorous tips on traveling with kids, jokes about needing solo vacations after family trips, and more. Most parents react with a bittersweet smile because, as the saying goes, "many a true word is spoken in jest."
This summer, I decided to take my kids to Germany, specifically to Dortmund, to visit a close friend who moved there a couple of years ago. My kids—a 12-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter—were over the moon about this idea. My friend in Dortmund was equally excited but warned me that the city isn’t very touristy, which might make it challenging to keep kids entertained for 10-12 days.
For me, the goal was to make this trip memorable for my kids, comfortable for my friend and her family, and fulfilling for myself. Striking that balance was the biggest challenge.
German Football Museum in Dortmund – Something for HIM
My 12-year-old son loves football, his little sister loves ponies. So, visiting the German Football Museum was an obvious choice for him, a burden for her, and the first test of finding a family consensus for me.
The museum has several rooms. The first ones didn’t captivate us much—mostly documents and photos that didn’t really catch our eye. The mood changed dramatically when we entered the 3D cinema, where "almost real" 3D football stars presented the history of football. Although the movie was in German, we had headphones with English translation, which made it both enjoyable and educational.
After the 3D movie, we entered a room full of interactive football-related games, suitable for all ages—even my daughter was fascinated. For example, we took the role of football referees, watching famous game moments and guessing whether the players received red cards. Funnily enough, my daughter scored the highest in this referee competition! At another interactive stand, the kids created healthy menus for football players, choosing options for match days, training sessions, or post-injury recovery. It was learning through play, which I believe is always the best learning way for kids.
In addition to the interactive fun, we saw the trophies of the German national team—World Cup Winner’s Trophies and European Championship Cups. They were huge, shining, and, most importantly, the originals! We could only imagine the immense effort behind each trophy before it reached the museum—truly impressive!
The museum's website claims:
We are more than a museum. We are a world of experience for the whole family. A cultural place of the past, present, and future of football. Vivid – emotional – interactive.
I couldn’t agree more!
The Wild Walk at the Wildpark – Something for HER
My daughter loves nature and almost every animal. My son, on the other hand, is afraid of many animals and doesn’t enjoy being in nature. Needless to say, nature often reciprocates his feelings.
Visiting a popular type of park in Germany called a Wildpark (Enlg:Wildlife Park) was a dream for my daughter, a challenge for my son, and yet another balancing act for me. Together with our friends, we drove about an hour from Dortmund to the Wildpark Granat, bought boxes of corn to feed the animals, and started our "wild journey." We had barely taken a few steps, admiring some incredibly chubby pigs, when my son started screaming in panic— appeared that a bee bit him. That was definitely his ‘RED CARD’. After receiving first aid and calming him down, he decided to overcome his ‘bee-stress’ by staying at the playground near the entrance and playing his video games, so we continued our ‘wild walk’ without him.
Soon, we were surrounded by a large number of deer of all sizes, ages, and types. We were lucky (or perhaps not) that the park was nearly empty that day, which meant the animals were quite hungry. They didn’t avoid people but instead eagerly approached anyone with food. We fed the deer right from our hands and even had to run away from the hungry crowd sometimes, which was also fun.
After feeding the deer, my son rejoined us to observe the games of white wolves, the graceful jumps of kangaroos, and the newborn wild boars. At the end of the day, both kids enjoyed an unusual trampoline near the exit while I managed to have my cup of coffee. Despite the "bee incident," I’d say it was a successful day.
Digital Art – Finally, Something for ME
After visiting places my children were interested in, I planned one activity for myself—but of course, with the kids in tow. We visited the 'Phoenix des Lumieres' museum, where world-known art masterpieces are digitized and ‘brought to life’. This season, the museum in Dortmund is showcasing the digital show "Dali: The Endless Enigma," which includes three exhibits—artworks by Dali, architectural masterpieces by Gaudi, and the magic of movement. It was a great digital art experience, accompanied by wonderful music. I enjoyed every second, especially the Gaudi section.
At first, my kids tried to fight for my attention—one wanted to sit, the other wanted to walk—but once they realized I was fully immersed in the show, they calmed down and joined me in admiring the art. Frankly saying, mostly they enjoyed the selfie room and the museum shop afterward, which was perfectly fine with me this time.
Wrapping Up the German Trip
In addition to the amazing places I’ve described, our ‘must-see’ list in Dortmund included a tour at the famous Signal Iduna Park stadium, the DASA museum (Germany’s largest working world/professions exhibition), walk around beautiful Phoenix lake at Hörde district, visiting various toy shops, back-to-school shopping on Westenhellweg street, and numerous playgrounds around the city.
While arranging all these with kids, me and my friend were lucky enough to have our ‘Prosecco time’ and a few meaningful conversations. Every parent would understand that it’s a real ‘bingo’ while having 4 kids in your radars 24/7. We also agreed on our next ‘child-free’ trip - to keep the balance :)
As our trip came to an end, and since our flight home was from Düsseldorf, we decided to explore the city and stay overnight before our departure.
One Day in Düsseldorf – Something for All Three of Us
When time is limited, the best way to explore a city is visiting its peaks. Düsseldorf offers a great option—the Rhine Tower Rheinturm, where you can enjoy a 360-degree panorama of the city from 168 meters high. The tower is well-prepared for visitors of all ages, with a super-speed elevator that takes you to one of the top levels in seconds. In addition to the stunning views, a variety of delicious treats are available at the panoramic café.
From 168 meters up, you can see the harbor of Düsseldorf, ships floating along the Rhine, the old city with its tiled roofs, the modern city with its uniquely shaped buildings, distant factories, and the true diversity of life.
After the Rhine Tower, we explored the new, modern part of the harbor—Medienhafen, which impressed us all with its outstanding architecture and buildings of all possible shapes and colors. "These are houses of the future," my kids rightly noted!
We continued our walk along the Rhine, had lunch and ice cream on Königsallee street (well-known for its luxury shopping), and then explored the old town (Altstadt) with its cozy 19th-century buildings, cathedrals, and numerous shops. I wanted to visit Zara, but you know, sometimes it’s a waste of time when you’re with two kids, so we ended up at the Lego store, which turned out to be super creative.
On this final day of our German vacation, we walked a lot, laughed a lot, and recalled our best memories from the past 12 days. The list of memories was long and varied for each of us, which was fantastic!
Main Takeaway from Our German Trip
We’re back in Tbilisi, and as my husband hugged me, he whispered, "You must have had some stressful days traveling with the kids..." "Mmmm... not really," I replied. "We obviously had some emotional clashes, a ‘bee-story’ and other adventures... actually, we had it all! And overall, I must say - it was a pure joy!"
P.S. The photos, the text and the children are genuinely mine with 100% copyright :)
P.S.S. Photo from stadium was taked by my friend and I got his permission for publishing