Frankfurt With Kids: Zoo, Dinosaurs, Palms
Frankfurt With Kids: Zoo, Dinosaurs, Palms
Children in Frankfurt can walk through a darkened house of nocturnal animals, stand under a Diplodocus and row a boat among palm trees, all in the same city. The sections below run from the best all-day option to the quick stops, with ages and prices in euros.
Zoo Frankfurt, a full day
The zoo at Bernhard-Grzimek-Allee 1 in the Ostend has its own U-Bahn stop, Zoo, on the U6 and U7. Adults pay €13 and children aged 6 to 17 pay €6. A family card costs €30 for two adults and up to four children, and under 6 is free. The Grzimek House reverses day and night so that nocturnal animals such as aardvarks and galagos are active while you walk through the dark. The Exotarium combines an aquarium with reptiles, and the Borgori Forest is the ape area. Hours are 09:00 to 17:00 or 09:00 to 19:00 depending on the season, and the tills close an hour earlier. See zoo-frankfurt.de .
Senckenberg for dinosaur fans
Senckenberg Natural History Museum at Senckenberganlage 25 is the best rainy-day choice. The central hall has a Diplodocus skeleton, a mummified Edmontosaurus with skin impressions and a T. rex cast. Adults pay €12 and ages 6 to 17 pay €6. Under 6 is free. Opening hours are on museumfrankfurt.senckenberg.de .
Palmengarten, for fresh air
The 22-hectare Palmengarten at Siesmayerstraße 61 is free for under-18s, and adults pay €9. Children can ride the little Palmen-Express train for about €1.50 a trip in the warmer months, and rowing boats on the central lake cost about €6 for 30 minutes. The glasshouses of the Tropicarium run from desert to rainforest. Details are on palmengarten.de .
Experiminta, hands-on science
Experiminta at Hamburger Allee 22 to 24 in Bockenheim has around 200 hands-on stations over four floors, from giant soap bubbles to a camera obscura. The building lease ends at the close of 2026, so check that it is still running before you go. Weekday opening is 09:30 to 14:00 in school term, while weekends and school holidays run from 10:30 to 17:30. See experiminta.de .
A skyline stop
Main Tower has a family ticket at €20 for two adults and up to three children aged 6 to 12. Part of the platform is open-air, so bring a jacket. It closes in bad weather.
Getting around with children
A child’s single on city transit costs €1.55. Hold the little ones’ hands on crowded trams and around the Hauptbahnhof, where pickpockets work. If you want a guided introduction to the city for the family, you can look at Frankfurt family tours on GetYourGuide . For a calmer outing, the activities page suggests the Kleinmarkthalle for lunch.
Tip: start at the zoo when it opens and keep the Senckenberg as your back-up if rain arrives.