Best Children's Museums In Europe

Museum-goer parents usually have a few tricks in store to lure children into the exhibition halls. However, there are museums that children rush to on their own, and mothers and fathers ask to tour at least as chaperones. Most of these are called children's museums.

Enfant, kinder, bambino, child — in every language, the word 'child' in the name means that young travellers are in for a treat, while adults want to relive their childhood. Here's a quick look at some of the best children's museums. When planning a holiday with children in Europe, make sure you include a visit to one of these museums in your itinerary.

Statistically, the museum attracts as many adults as children. Parents not only accompany their children, but they also enjoy being in a world free of routine and tension. Children enjoy being immersed in adult life, trying to be a shop assistant or a shopper, a fireman or an agronomist. The colourful exhibits, which the children can set in motion, help to gain essential knowledge — how weight is measured, why water flows upwards in a fountain, what recyclable materials are suitable for, and so on.

There is a separate play area for the kids under 3 with soft toys, a maze, a wall of banging and tapping instruments, a giant mosaic and more. There are also areas for 3-6 year olds and 6-12 year olds, although the division is relative. You can spend as much time as you like with any exhibits.

Website: https://www.mdbr.it/en/
Address: Via Flaminia 82, Rome

As loud as it sounds, Zoom in Vienna teaches children to trust themselves. The fun exhibits in the 5 themed areas encourage children to use all their senses to explore the world around them. The learning conditions are highly unusual. Firstly, children become detectives, solving the mystery of a missing cake using an arsenal of tools ranging from a magnifying glass to a DNA tester.

Secondly, they build a city out of old furniture, painting the missing pieces directly onto the walls or floor. Thirdly — they make and voice animated films. The Ocean Baby Zone is open to children aged 8 months to 6 years — there are plenty of developmental attractions. And for teenagers, there's the Science Studio, where you can learn about different research methods and the work of scientists.

Find out more about the visiting this museum on our website.

The founders of the children's museum in Ixelles (Belgium) have chosen the motto "play, learn, imagine, create". Here, children can try on a sailor's coat, pilot a spaceship, cook an exotic dish, or participate in a painting workshop.

Fun is guaranteed if a child prefers to paint on paper or on their own apron. You can also get the exact recipe for a happy family. The secret ingredients include 2kg of kisses, 300g of festivities, noise and chaos to add to taste.

The exhibition changes every four years, so you can come with an adult child and see a brand-new museum.

Website: http://www.childrenmuseum.be
Address: Rue du Bourgmestre 15 Burgemeestersstraat, Ixelles, Belgium

The MachMit! Museum in Berlin, Germany, has a different tactic: it finds the surprising in the ordinary, presents the familiar, and travels through time — in short, it creates miracles out of nothing. In this museum, children will try to make paper and operate an ancient printing press, play with naive and charming old toys, and try to understand the purpose of objects used by people a hundred years ago.

They can also carry out exciting experiments, such as finding out what a plasma can do other than create a bright image on a monitor and what can disturb a single-celled amoeba. MachMit! has a big playground for active children with a separate area for the youngest visitors. And the laughing room is open to all visitors, whatever their age.

Find out more about the visiting this museum on our website.

The museum in Baden (Switzerland) is relatively straightforward: its exhibition tells children... about children — why they are curious, why they play games, why they don't want to learn the multiplication table. Children's curiosity and the guidance of their elders help them grow up, the museum says.

They will tell you how educators looked for ways to help children develop through play, how the approach to schooling changed and how children's toys reflected what was happening in the adult world. Best of all, you can play with the many toys on display — and there are plenty to choose from.

And children also create their collections by bringing unusual items into the museum, such as heart-shaped stones.

Website: http://www.kindermuseum.ch/
Address: Ländliweg 7, Baden

The Junges Schloss Children's Museum halls in Stuttgart, Germany, are like stations on a time machine travelling from the Mesozoic era to the 21st century. Instead of boring stories with lots of unfamiliar words, visitors get brief instructions on how to avoid being trampled by a dinosaur, build a house out of stone, and pay homage to a queen.

And all this knowledge will have to be put into practice immediately because the exposition allows you to experience the peculiarities of each era. The museum will interest children from 4 to 12 years old.

Website: http://www.junges-schloss.de/
Address: Schillerplatz 6, Stuttgart

The Young V&A is, first and foremost, a museum of creativity, a vibrant and positive place with the power of design and creativity at its heart. Within its grounds, young visitors will find sensory play areas, a skateboard park, the Imagination Playground construction area, a performance and storytelling stage and an open design studio for children and young people. These elements promote playful learning through creativity and create intergenerational activities and experiences. Surprise: Admission to the museum is free.

Website: https://www.vam.ac.uk/young/
Address: Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PA

The MUBA Children's Museum in Milan, Italy, may be young, but it is already a favourite with young residents and visitors. The huge hall in the old building is a warehouse of ideas and possibilities. You can make houses out of wood and cardboard, trees out of ceramic tiles, bobbins, thread scraps, rubber tubes — you can make almost anything.

This museum is a fantastic opportunity for parents to work with their children and experiment in creative laboratories. The MUBA programme is designed for children over 4, but mothers with babies have a special place to rest and feed them.

Website: http://www.muba.it/
Address: via Matteo Bandello, 16, Milano

After a visit to one of these interesting museums, you may find that your child has developed a new talent or has become more careful with toys. Either way, the whole family will have a lasting impression of such an unusual outing. Visit our website for a complete list of children's museums and activities.