A weekend with children full of adventure

Author: FREEONTOUR and Journal International; Copyright text and image rights held by Journal International,, Getty Images, laif, PR.

A weekend with children full of adventure

Extend the holiday feeling a bit: A weekend trip in a motorhome is an adventure for the whole family.

We have exciting goals and tips for family vacations!

Friday lunchtime, school off, office closed, let’s go

"Get on board, please!“How exciting and relaxing a short vacation can be is only clear once you start traveling. Because Lessing already knew: "You will soon get full of the good and the best when it starts to be commonplace." Pack your loved ones and the suitcases and break out of everyday life a little: wave instead of shopping and lying on a sofa this time freedom, fun and adventure!

Exciting from the first minute

In a caravan, the adventure begins with being on the road. With such a comfortable “yacht on four wheels”, the path to the goal and a huge experience for the children alone becomes. If you don’t have a motorhome, you can borrow one – it’s simple, cheap and practical. You will see that the mood on board is very different from that in a cramped car. But of course an exciting travel destination is needed, because the little ones want to experience something! So where should it go? Aim high or deep? We have six adventurous tips for her.

1. Between heaven and earth

There is a bit of Tarzan in each of us – so why not take a monkey’s perspective? Climbing parks or high ropes courses are now everywhere in Germany – they are particularly idyllic in the forest. Secured with a belt and helmet, beginners can start at a height of one to two meters. For the brave, there are often courses up to 15 meters high, with wobbly bridges and balancing ropes.

The most beautiful climbing gardens:

Adventure Park Potsdam: 12 courses and 170 different elements make the park in Potsdam one of the largest in Germany.

Parker Outdoor: Directly on the shore of the beautiful Chiemsee, you can climb with a lake view and book more outdoor offers.

Adventure Park Rheinfall: Swing, slide and jump in Neuhausen, Switzerland with a magnificent panorama of the Rhine Falls.

Age: Children accompanied by adults are usually allowed to take the easy course from the age of 6, sometimes from 3 or depending on their height

Costs: adults approx. 20–25 euros, children and young people staggered approx. 6–20 euros, usually for 2 to 3 hours

Tip: Check the website of a park beforehand to see whether there are quality tests, DIN and TÜV seals, and membership in ERCA or IAPA

2. Down into the underworld

Mystical, dark and fascinating – the world of stalagmites, stalactites and bats has always attracted people: caves served as dwellings, hiding places, magical places and are still something like the memory of the earth to this day. Explore the water-formed caves with your children!

The most beautiful caves:

The only navigable water cave in Germany: The Wimsen cave in Hayingen, Baden-Württemberg, southwest of Ulm, attracts with a boat trip to the grotto and fine organic gastronomy.

The Iberg in the Harz was once a coral reef – today the cave experience center of the Iberg stalactite cave allows exciting insights into the history of the earth and mankind.

With lantern tours, treasure hunt, crawl cave and cave concerts, the Dechen Cave and the German Cave Museum Iserlohn offer a lot of supporting programs around the stalactites.

Age: Recommended from 3 years at the earliest

Costs: adults approx. 3–8 euros, children approx. 2–6 euros, some combined offers, e.g. B. with museum

Tip: Not all are open all year round. It is always cool and wet in the caves: warm jackets, sturdy shoes! Dogs are usually not admitted

3. Medieval feeling

The knights were hard-working: there are an estimated 25,000 castles in the German-speaking region. Many of them, however, only as ruins – but even that can be exciting to discover. Otherwise, some of the preserved monumental monuments invite you to special children’s or family tours.

The most beautiful castles:

Burghausen Castle: B. "On the trail of a changing of the guard" the longest castle complex in the world and wave over the Salzach to Austria.

Imperial Castle in Nuremberg: Or would you prefer to plan a burger conquest with your children at the Imperial Castle in Nuremberg??

Eltz Castle: Undamaged and family-owned since the 12th century, the 500 DM bill near the Moselle invites you to its picturesque halls and chambers.

Age: Recommended for ages 3+

Costs: guided tours adults approx. 5–10 euros, children approx. 2–6 euros. Dogs are not always welcome

Tip: You can plan a whole castle tour along the UNESCO World Heritage region of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley: www.burgen-am-rhein.de

4. Be a paleontologist once

You probably won’t find a dinosaur skeleton right now – you’d better tell your kids beforehand. But small amateur paleontologists are also very proud when they uncover a snail-shaped ammonite with a hammer and flat chisel.

The most beautiful "excavation sites":

Slate quarry Kromer: ln Ohmden (BW) you should be able to find ammonites, belemnites, petrified wood (Gagat) and with luck, even fragments of fish or ichthyosaurs. So yes!

Otherwise you can see the dinosaurs in the nearby Urweltmuseum Hauff.

Eifel Nature Center: In Nettersheim you can not only dig for fossils on the fossil field, but also get a lot more: Coral reef aquarium, house of fossils, adventure trails, historical buildings, high ropes course and more. v. m.

Museum Berger: Eichstätt is known for its prehistoric finds. Dig yourself in the fossil kingdom of Solnhofen limestone limestone. There is also an educational trail and a museum.

Age: Approximately recommended from primary school age

Costs: Excavations approx. Adults 2–3 euros, children approx. 1–2 euros, tool rental approx. 1–2.50 euros, museums extra

Tip: Robust clothes and shoes (possibly changing clothes), with sharp-edged slate, gloves and plasters if necessary, a bag for transporting the finds

5. Silver, salt and black gold

It’s far from night underground! Many mines open their tunnels to curious visitors and show where and how mineral resources were mined there. Whether salt, coal, slate or even gold – other attractions often came to light.

The most beautiful mines:

Berchtesgaden Salt Mine: In Berchtesgaden, the mine train takes you 650 meters deep into the mountain, then slides down twice to caves, tunnels and shafts before an impressive journey across the Spiegelsee awaits you at the end.

Museumpark Rüdersdorf: Imposing industrial monument, active limestone open-cast mining and educational museum park – the Brandenburg Rüdersdorf is a whole mining world with exciting offers.

Zollverein colliery: Essen once counted 291 collieries. In 1986 the last of them closed, the largest in the world. The Zollverein Coal Mine is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and lives on thanks to imaginative modern tours, family offers and events.

Age: Approximately recommended from primary school age

Costs: guided tours adults approx. 6.50–16.50 euros, children approx. 4–9.50 euros

Tip: Warm Kle >

6. Sandbox art with a difference

Seven times seven gives fine sand – the little one knows that as well as the perfect recipe for a successful sand cake or the best sand castle on the beach. How will he be amazed when he sees what so-called carvers “bring together” at sand sculpture festivals!

The most beautiful sand sculpture festivals:

Sand Sculpture Festival Usedom: “Trip around the world” is the motto on 4,000 covered square meters on Usedom. Sand sculptures up to seven meters high recreate buildings, cultures and traditions from all continents.

Sandfest Rügen: Only 50 kilometers as the crow flies, a huge sand zoo attracts visitors to Rügen. The sculpture artists created animals from all over the world on 5,600 square meters.

Sand Sculpture Festival Rohrschach: For the 18th time, the Swiss Rorschach invites you to “sand” on Lake Constance, where ten international teams of artists vie with sculptures on the theme of adventure.

Monschau Festival: The Eifel town of Monschau offers a year-round indoor journey through a sandy Europe. 20 carvers presented important European sights and events in a hall.