Berlin is a great place for kids. Not only are there lots of parks and playgrounds, the city also has plenty of activities for children and decent daycare facilities. There’s a museum designed just for kids, MachMit! (www.machmitmuseum.de), where it’s all about hands-on fun. Of course, there’s Berlin’s well-known zoo, with its famous polar bear Knut, who won kids’ hearts around the country while he was an orphaned cub. But the zoo’s eastern counterpart, the Tierpark, actually has more space for animals. For those rainy days, the municipal pools (Berliner Bäder-Betriebe) offer baby swim courses and there are a few indoor amusement parks around town, such as FEZ (www.fez-berlin.de) and Bim & Boom (www.bim-boom.de).

Some innovative Berliners have even come up with the concept of the neighbourhood kiddie cafe, where children can play while their urban mothers get a decent latte macchiato. If you’re looking to unload your offspring for an hour or two, the local English-language events magazine ExBerliner often has ads for English-speaking babysitters.

If you take the kids along for dinner, many restaurants will have children’s menus and colouring gear, although not necessarily highchairs.