Family Fun in the Strawberry Village of Elstal

I visited Elstal a couple of years ago, but mostly focused on the outlet store and with a short stop only at the Strawberry Village. Now, I am here for the 1st of May to spend a full day of family fun.

Arriving here from by train from Spandau in Berlin takes within one hour, with a ABC ticket, plus a bus with an hourly schedule with stop near the train station. The bus is full and so is the parking place as people from all around the area brought their children here to enjoy the first of the many free days of the month of May.

Everything here is about strawberries, with the high season for the fruits about to start in just a couple of days. The little farm has everything you need for a full day outdoors, starting with the food and ending up with the many entertainment options for all ages.

If you have grown up kids, it is worth buying a day ticket otherwise, you can pay just per entertainment. The highlights of the season were the ice sculptures which are visited in a place where the specific thermic conditions are offered to maintain the works. 

The weather is (finally) lovely and staying outdoors at the food courts sounds a day-long temptation.

But for the little and no-more-too little ones, there are more interesting thing to do, such as sliding up from the top of a rusted funnel.

Or taking an adventurous ride over the village. Much easier that to make your way from one place to the other on the beaten crowded paths.

Adrenaline-driving activities are everywhere, therefore taking more than a foodie break is a must.

Taking a decision about where to eat is no easy business either. All places are packed so time-management is problematic. Between the waffles and millenial milk-shakes in Mason Jars, burgers and pizza and pancakes, we were for the latter. Our sugar cinnamon generous pancake for two was delivered in a big pan. To be accompanied by a strawberry-branded simple glass of water, at a table with strawberry-scented candle.

Out to the field again. For the small children, there is the option of driving a tractor around a fence-bordered area. Countryside feeling at its best. You can also pay at least 2 Euro for a pony ride, which goes to kids as small as 2 onwards.

The shopping temptations are also big, and ranges from new adds for your cupboards to other strawberry-branded souvenirs.

Strawberry jam, anyone?

The space outdoors offers more fun, with a big park surrounded by sand or coins mechanical cars for a couple of minutes shaking-ride.

It's hard not to have fun here, even without doing anything, just looking around spotting strawberry-bears, for instance.

It is the (Humans) International Workers Day, so donkeys are allow to work, isn't it?

It's hard to say how many hours we spent here, but for sure it was not enough. While after a full day out we finally decided to cross the huge shopping and food hall, decorated with the 27,390 coffee cups which entered the Elstal village into the Guinness Book of Records, I am sure that we will be back soon, at least before the strawberry season is closing. We know for sure that when we are really searching for fun, the entertainment is less than one hour away. Otherwise, there are even more Elstal villages across Germany, that I hope to visit soon too...