Extraordinary short trips with children: Great microadventures with the family

“Landeier” treehouse in the Allgäu

Not all treehouses are the same. At the Bechteler family’s “Baumhaushotel Allgäu”, you’ll stay in some very special ones: here, six “Landeier” float above the ground.

A safe wooden staircase takes you and your children up to the egg-shaped treehouse, which has space for four people across three floors and is fully equipped. In the dining area, you can start your morning with breakfast whilst looking out over the surrounding fields.

The ‘Landeier’ are situated on the edge of the Kempten Forest and form part of an Allgäu farm with ponies, cows, goats, rabbits and cats. It’s the children who are particularly kept busy here: they can groom the horses, feed the goats, explore the playground and build dams in the stream.

You can round off the evening as a family in the barbecue hut on the edge of a forest clearing and enjoy some regional delicacies.

Mützingenta Treehouse

The story of the second treehouse actually began as a cultural festival. The ‘Mützingenta’ has stood for art, culture and crafts for several decades and is organised by the Schoppe family, who decided in 2015 to build their own holiday cottages for visitors.

Today, Mützingenta is a whole holiday complex where families can find plenty of space to enjoy their holidays and, amongst other things, stay overnight in a treehouse.

The wood for the walls, sauna and hot tub comes from local forests. The Schoppe family built all the furniture themselves, using offcuts of wood and finds from the flea market: the washbasin is an old barrel, the clock is actually a guitar and the carousel for kitchen utensils is an old cartwheel.

There’s plenty for young adventurers to discover on the farm. On request, there are also short crash courses in axe throwing, archery and geocaching.

Tree tents in the Black Forest

Here’s a tip for true adventurers. We’ll still be high up in the trees, but we’re moving into a tent. Unusual short breaks with children do require a bit of courage – but above all, the desire to try something completely new.

A tree tent lets you float amongst the trees and enjoy your nights at a height of up to three metres. It feels a bit like sleeping on a waterbed or in a hammock. You won’t find any luxury here – it’s all about adventure.

The Black Forest Camp is situated in a peaceful woodland near Lake Schluchsee. Our top pick in the area is the ‘Haus der Natur’: children can earn their Junior Ranger badge here, and you can all take part in guided tours of the nature reserve together.

Important when booking: a tree tent only fits two people. So, as a family, it’s better to book two tents – or a family teepee straight away. You can even bring your dogs along.

Spending the night in a castle

At Ehrenburg Castle in Brodenbach, you can sleep just like in the Middle Ages. For 850 years, pilgrims and travelling merchants have found shelter behind these mighty walls – and now you can too.

In the rooms with historic charm, you can stay as a group of three and look forward to a hearty ‘knight’s breakfast’ in the morning. Want to travel as a group of four? Then you’ll sleep in one of the caravans parked at the foot of the imposing castle backdrop.

Children love Ehrenburg Castle above all for its many hands-on activities: they can have a go at pottery and archery, and together you can take part in the castle tours.

Spending the night on a boat

Cruising into the sunset whilst being lulled to sleep – you can experience this on one of the ‘Hausboote Lahn’. All the boats in the fleet feel like a little holiday home on the water: cosily furnished, with two bedrooms and double beds.

The electricity for the fridge and other appliances comes from the solar panels on the roof. From your floating accommodation, you can cruise leisurely down the River Lahn, right through the heart of the countryside. If you fancy it, you can moor along the way or hire a canoe for a trip.

Off to the Hobbit Village

Even though ‘The Hobbit’ was filmed in New Zealand, you can immerse yourself in the Shire with your family without leaving Germany. In the Thuringian Forest, there’s the ‘Auenland Holiday Village’ with holiday flats that look as though they’ve stepped straight out of a film set.

This extraordinary short break with children will be perfect as soon as you head to the summer toboggan run or the adventure playground. Both are part of the complex and are free to use. What’s more, the Thuringian Forest is right on your doorstep.