Berlin 2022: A Technology Museum, Sweet Shops and a Sunday Market
A museum we could not finish, pandas we could hardly stop watching, three sweet stops and a market full of flavours. An enjoyable side of Berlin for children and adults alike.
In Berlin, activities for children can be just as rewarding for adults. We stayed at the technology museum from the afternoon until closing, and the Sunday market offered plenty to enjoy without buying anything. We also found sweet shops that were experiences in their own right. These are the places from our 2022 visit, with practical information to help you include them in your own time in the city.
The Technology Museum: Give It Several Hours
We arrived at the German Museum of Technology in the afternoon and stayed until closing, yet still did not see everything. The variety was enormous: transport, aviation, experiments, technology and robotics. Moving between subjects was part of the enjoyment, especially when everyone had different interests.
This is one of our strongest recommendations from the visit. Come with time and energy rather than leaving it until the last hour before dinner. Choosing a few subjects to explore properly is more satisfying than rushing through every floor.
The museum opens Tuesday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:30 and on weekends and public holidays from 10:00 to 18:00; it is closed on Mondays. Under-18s enter free. Check the official opening hours and visitor information for your intended date, including details of the Spectrum Science Center.
Berlin Zoo: An Enjoyable Walk and Plenty of Panda Watching
We found Berlin Zoo a lovely place to explore. The grounds were well cared for, there was a wide variety of animals, and walking between areas was pleasant. On our visit, food and drink stops along the way made it easy to take breaks.
The pandas were the highlight for us. They sat, chewed and watched us while we watched them back. Something about their behaviour made it difficult to move on. Allow time to linger, without expecting every animal to be active at the precise moment you reach its enclosure.
Before booking through the official ticket shop, decide whether you want the zoo, the aquarium or both. These are separate choices: aquarium admission is not automatically included with every zoo ticket.
The Aquarium: Our Impressions and a Recent Renovation
We combined Aquarium Berlin with the zoo. Watching the fish and other aquatic animals was enjoyable, as was seeing the reptiles upstairs. However, we had seen more impressive aquariums elsewhere. For us, it was a pleasant addition rather than necessarily the main reason to visit the area.
Our visit was in 2022. Since then, the zoo has announced the completion of a major aquarium renovation in August 2026, including improvements to the visitor experience and new multimedia stations. Our photographs and personal impressions here predate that renovation.
If you choose a combined zoo and aquarium ticket, read its conditions: both visits must take place on the same day, and you cannot leave the grounds between them and re-enter on that ticket. Plan breaks and the order of your visit accordingly.
Combining Stops Around the Zoo
The zoo and aquarium can be combined with exploring the Kurfürstendamm area and stopping at M&M’s. You do not have to fit all three into one day; a long zoo visit may be enough, with shopping saved for another time.
For an optional sightseeing bus tour, Tiqets offers Berlin’s Classic Route with stops around the zoo and Kurfürstendamm. This is an additional planning option, not a service we are describing as part of our own visit. It does not include admission to attractions and is not a public transport pass. Check that its route and operating hours suit your plans.
M&M’s: More Than a Bag of Sweets
At M&M’s Berlin, we found two floors of colour and sweets, alongside clothes, bags and cushions. The highlight was the row of dispensers filled with M&M’s in different colours, ready to fill your own cup. Browsing here is part of the entertainment, even before deciding what to buy.
The store is in the Kurfürstendamm area; check its official branch page for the current address and opening times. With children, agreeing on a small shopping budget beforehand can help. Faced with all those colours and choices, settling on just one thing is not always easy.
Ritter Sport and Bonbonmacherei: Chocolate and Handmade Sweets
We enjoyed the carefully arranged displays and dazzling choice of flavours at the Ritter Sport shop. Dark chocolate with marzipan is our favourite. It is a good stop for anyone who likes the brand and wants to see more than the selection on a single supermarket shelf.
The store is at Friedrichstraße 83, normally open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:30 and closed on Sundays and public holidays. Check the Ritter Sport opening hours before visiting. Do not save all your sweet shopping for the same Sunday as the flea market.
Bonbonmacherei offers a very different experience: a tiny shop selling sweets made on site. We recommend checking production or demonstration times ahead of time, so you can enjoy the process as well as the finished sweets. Then comes the difficult part: choosing what to take home.
The shop is in the Heckmannhöfe courtyards at Oranienburger Straße 32. The official Bonbonmacherei website is the place to check opening days and opportunities to watch the sweets being made. Combine these two shops with exploring central Berlin, and leave M&M’s for time spent further west.
Sunday at the Market: Finds, Food and Cheesecake
The Sunday flea market was much more than a browse through second-hand objects. It was a large market with clothes, records, jewellery, household items, antiques and plenty of stalls. Even without looking for anything specific, we enjoyed exploring what was around each corner.
Food was an important part of the outing. We found flavours from around the world, including Korean, Japanese, Italian and Mexican food. One of our favourite stops was a stall at the end of the market devoted to different cheesecakes, which were excellent. That recommendation comes from our visit; traders can change, but bringing an appetite remains a good idea.
Mauerpark market takes place on Sundays from 10:00 to 18:00 at Bernauer Straße 63–64, with free entry. If you plan to visit, check the City of Berlin opening hours and updates. Allow time to browse and eat rather than treating it as a quick stop on the way somewhere else.
Where We Stayed: Novotel Berlin Mitte
In Berlin, we stayed at Novotel Berlin Mitte. We thought it was an excellent hotel in a great location, with convenient access. It worked well as a base for our time in the city, and we recommend it.
The hotel is at Fischerinsel 12 in Mitte. Before booking, check the room type, the rate for your dates and what is included.
Putting the Places Together Without Rushing
Make the technology museum a main visit in its own right. The zoo and aquarium fit time in the Kurfürstendamm area, while Ritter Sport and Bonbonmacherei work with central Berlin. The market belongs on a Sunday. These are convenient combinations, not a fixed day-by-day itinerary.
There is no need to rent a car just to visit these places within Berlin. If you are continuing on a trip outside the city, compare offers through DiscoverCars, choose a Berlin pickup location and start the rental when you actually leave. Tiqets and DiscoverCars links on this page are affiliate links.
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