Everything You Need to Know about LEGOLAND Günzburg

From Leipheim to Günzburg, we are finally getting closer to our final leg of our Bavarian summer trip: LEGOLAND. Although for going there we used the fast trains of the ICE, but at a good price thanks to the BahnCard 25, offering 25% discount to the otherwise expensive train tickets, for regional trips, we used the advantage of the Deutschland Ticket, a Germany-wide monthly plan - 50 Euro per month - covering regional trains and local transportation. I am very much in awe of this system, because it allows me to freely make the best of my time outside Berlin, without additional costs.

We took the bus from the Günzburg train station and we can feel the excitement in the air from the first sight. Children and their parents, waiting for the long planned dream trip to happen. As we approached the adventure park, gigantesque Lego-made open air sculptures were letting us know that we are approaching our final destination. 

And just like this, we are finally there, hurrying out of the bus through the gates of the park. Although we hurried up figuratively, because from the moment you arrived, the clock is ticking. Like in the case of other adventure parks, like Disneyland, you should plan a lot in advance, in order to be sure that you get the best of your adventure. 

If you are planning to stay only one day, be sure you start it very early in the morning, to have enough time to stroll through the mini-thematic parks. Try to be smarter than us and buy an Express pass, that will save you important time from queing in line, an activity I personally abhor. 

We arrived with a travel package, purchased via Limango travel, but there are many offers - for types of tickets and accommodation - available on the park´s website. As usual in Germany, if you are planning enough months in advance you can get a good price plan that will not make you feel guilty for indulging in so many adventures, or must save some money to purchase some latest bricks-game.

The predominant feature of the park is that everything is made out of Lego pieces. If you want to really enjoy a long time here, you can book a longer stay in the lodge situated within the park and there the rooms and furniture and everything looks like a Lego construction. The various accommodations are following different themes, from Pirates to Ninjago. 

Even the restrooms on the premises are decorated accordingly. 

There is so much creativity in the ways in which the small Lego pieces are used, that there is no wonder that there are so many recent trends trying to integrate the bricks into a larger learning system, aimed at better introducing various concepts and skills to children and teenagers.

With over 57 million Lego bricks used for various settings, you may imagine how much work was invested into creating this place.

There are attractions tailored for every age category and tastes, including adults. After walking a bit around to get used with the ambiance, we headed to a mini-train that took us around different locations. For a first, it was very useful, as gave us an idea about what we can and want to do next.

Miniland, the mini-village reproducing various sightseeings in Berlin and the world, was our next destination. 

As someone guessed that we may miss Berlin, this reproduction of the Bundestag building helped us to better survive the few days far away from the busy capital.

All those constructions, looking so real, gives a funny feeling of Gulliver in the Lilliput land. 

There is even more Berlin, although without necessarily respecting the geography of the place, which does not matter too much anyway. 

Talking about geography, we are just walking the world, one step at a time. With everything within reach.

Age and size are very important when it comes to enjoying various attractions. The higher in the sky is the adventure, the stricter the security requirements. If you are trying to plan in advance your adventure, you may get to know what works and what not for your child and use the best of your time.

The food courts display the same motives, offering fast-food menu to hungry visitors. Everything should be fast, because there is still so much to experience. If you are really out of time, you can try to get some take away from the kiosks around the park, such as the Oriental menu at Fata Morgana. 

Maybe this kind of adventures are preferable to try without a full stomach.

But nevertheless is worth checking the world from the top of this needle. 

Lego Extreme and Adventure Land are two thematic parks that may not be for everyone, but maybe one can give it a try. The Fire Dragon is an adrenaline-rush roller coaster on the back of a hungry dragon, but those who just like moderate things can just try the Dragon Hunt, which is a roller coaster for beginners. Count me in for this!

Pharaohs´ Land is a creative journey through the old world of Egypt, in a bricked-version. It may open the appetite for learning some history as well. 

One of our highlights was the ride with the old air baloons. Very safe and offering the kind of adventure small children will keep talking about with their new colleagues in their first day of school.

Add to this some Pirates Water Fun, which is perfect to experience during a hot summer day.

The 5,000 square meters park will encourage you to play a game of seafarers and pirates, a remnance of old times of stories and mystery rides. 

It may look scary but actually, like everything in Legoland, it encourages you to dream and free your imagination. The Pirates, the Ninjago interactive movie experiences, the creative spaces where children can build with bricks whatever they want. There is always something new and exciting going on here. 

As we had to leave the place, shortly before closing, we knew that although we couldn´t see everything, maybe only around 40% of it, maybe less, at least we had the good feeling that we had a great time in a dream place. Where we will definitely return to check other adventures, hopefully soon. I am sure we will not be disappointed.

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Family Fun at Koserow Adventure Park

What you do when on your way back from Ückeritz, you have around two hours to kill until your connection to Berlin? You go a couple of stations away to Koserow Erlebnis Dorf. The fun is just about to begin!

It is build following the same concept of Elstal Strawberry Village near Berlin that I've visited twice and it offers a combination between old village-bound traditions and modern fun, with a strong strawberry scent - and taste too! The entrance is free, and you pay only for the different experiences. The prices are relatively low - starting from 2 Euro, but as there are many temptations around, expect to pay at least 20 EUR.

First, you go through a huge covered market hall, with walls plastered in shelves with teacups and teapots of different sizes and colours. One of my favorite views in Elstal.

On the ground, you are surrounded with various products made of strawberry, and marmalade is, indeed, one of the tastiest ones. The prices are moderate but it's hard to resist the temptation of purchasing more than - at least - three items. After all, the winter is coming and you need to feed the little bears a lot of tasty marmalade!

Outdoors, the yard is decorated with - not surprisingly - strawberry-related themes, but it goes beyond it: you have small water parks for the little ones and slides from the top of a wooden tower for the courageous big ones. Meanwhile, the parents can overview the activities while sipping some strawberry syrup or eating some strawberry cake...You got it!

Personally, we were happy to meet some funny musicians that we know already from Elstal.

A round tour with the tractor was also a much appreciated choice. The same for the pony tour that we enjoyed way too much to take a picture anyway.

The small indoors spaces where you can order various sweets and savory fast meals creates a warm mountain cottage ambiance. It's such a good feeling that you hardly want to leave.

But especially for city-children, such places are more than an opportunity to learn basic knowledge and skills about village life. How the milk is made, for instance, or how to make bread or how life looks like in the traditional countryside.

Adults - especially those who did not grow up in the German lands - learn something here too. Like, how big can a Rumtopf - rum pot for the English-speaking readers, where mixed fruit and alcohol are spending some time together before being served around the winter holidays' time - be. 

Erdbeerebratwust anyone? (Which in plain English translation means strawberry sausage, yep)

Or just some touch of strawberry mustard - Erdbeer Senf - as for now?

Fortunatelly for the average visitors as we are, there are also some 'normal' choices and we are back in the market hall for some good strawberry supplies, while watching how some bonbons are made - a fascinating experience for both adults and children - or for some chocolate tasting too.

Koserow Adventure Park was a great choice and we had two hours well spent. As such 'Erlebnis Park' are in many places in Germany, we are looking forward to trying at least a couple of them more in the next months. It's genuine simple fun and why refuse such an opportunity!?

For more travel stories, follow my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ilanatravels

Germendorf, the Jurassic Park near Berlin

Looking for spending some gorgeous unforgettable time with your children, not too far away from Berlin? Desperately searching for an unique place to spend the birthday of your dinosaurs-loving children? The happy parents of a kid - or two - keen to learn as much as possible about science and animals? The petting farm and dinosaurs, plus the little beach and adventure park and the many playgrounds are enough to keep your little ones and yourself busy for as much as a full day of entertainment at Germendorf.

The biggest challenge to arrive to this secret natural oasis near Berlin if you don't drive is transportation. First, you need to arrive to Oranienburg - with the ABC transportation ticket - and then to wait at the S-Bahn station for the bus 842, which during the weekend operates only once the hour. You need to stop at Germendorf station and from there, walk for another couple of minutes until you reach the park. As from the bus station there are no directions, you better use your Google Maps to reach the Tierpark or just follow people with children.

If you drive here, you can easily reach it via the highway Berlin-Stralsund, or follow the directions Kremmen/Nauen.

We personally decided to have a stop first at the Seeterrasse nearby, for a lunch with a view over the lake, within minutes of walking to the park entrance.

The park is open all round the year, from 9am to 7pm, including weekends and banking holidays. The entry is 5 EUR for adults and 2 EUR for children up to 2. The 69 hectars of land offers practically almost everything you may need for spending a family day outdoors: fishing opportunities, over 650 animals, plus the open playground and other entertainment options.

The petting farm is a real attraction among children, with the possibility of purchasing food to feed them on the spot. Besides the chance offered to the little ones, mostly growing up surrounded by concrete and stuffed animals, to encounter real life, there is also a psychological aspect of such a meeting, as the children learn to be good with the animals, to do not fear them, and respect them.

Besides the usual farm animals like goats and goose and hen, there are also the gracious deers, which are always happy to grab some food from your hand.They were as many and as friendly as the ones from the Wildpark Frankfurt/Oder, and as we've been there recently, it was a great pleasure to meet them again.

Does it look this little one as the precious Bambi? You don't have to be a child to instantly fall in love with this gorgeous creature...You can go further with your love for animals, riding the poneys, for instance. In addition, you can also visit the noisy monkeys or the collection of exotic birds.

And there is more to this park than the pets: the spectacular, huge-size dinosaurs. As shortly upon arrival it started to rain, we sheltered for a little while in a small museum playing a movie life during old ages which was both interesting scientifically-wise and entertaining for the less 'literate' small ones. However, the spectacular views created outdoors are really impressive.

Some of the dinos are uttering some low scary sounds which make the ambiance even more authentic. There is even a volcano that can be visited and the park is organised up to various geological time frames. 

Peek-a-boo! It's me, the scary dino! Compared to the ones I've seen at the Biosphere Potsdam, the ones from Germendorf do not move, but their presence is impressive enough to make you think about them a lot after the visit.

One of the many options offered by Germendorf is also the chance of spending a lot of time outdoors - when weather allows - with your picnic friends and basket full of food, sunbathing and even swimming a little bit.

With the summer holidays coming up in just a couple of weeks, there will be a lot of things to do with children in Berlin or elsewhere, such as in Elstal, and adding Germendorf to the list will only add more fun to some unforgettable family times.

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...