If you’re one of those people for whom science is an unfathomable turn-off, a visit to the Deutsches Museum (deutsches-museum.de; adult/child €15/8) might just show you that physics and engineering are more fun than you thought. Spending a few hours in this temple to technology is an eye-opening journey of discovery, and the exhibitions and demonstrations will certainly be a hit with young, sponge-like minds.
There are tons of interactive displays (including glass-blowing and paper making), live demonstrations and experiments, model coal and salt mines, and engaging sections on cave paintings, geodesy, microelectronics and astronomy. In fact, it can be pretty overwhelming after a while, so it's best to prioritize what you want to see.
The place to entertain children aged three to eight is the fabulous Kinderreich, where 1000 activities await, from a kid-sized mouse wheel to interactive water fun. Get the littlies to climb all over a fire engine, build things with giant Lego, construct a waterway with canals and locks, or bang on a drum all day in a – thankfully – soundproof instrument room. Note that Kinderreich closes at 4:30pm.
This is a huge museum by any standards, its permanent and temporary exhibitions taking up an overwhelming 20,000 sq meters of Munich real estate. A great way to tackle the place is to download the museum app, which will guide you through the highlights in around two hours. The Deutsches Museum is madly popular and you are advised to get there early even in low season. By lunchtime the queue for tickets snakes right around the building.
