Germany Self-Guided Study Tour Route Suitable for Family Travel with Children in Summer 2023: An Enlightening Education for Children's Future Study Abroad

Specifically, this means adding visits to famous German universities into your travel itinerary.

German universities are open-style, without walls and without the need for appointments. You can take your child to stroll around the campus, eat in the university cafeteria, and even walk into the library to see the hardworking students. All of this is free, and there is no need for children to participate in those expensive European study tour summer groups!

Combined with the travel route (the conventional key cities are Berlin and Munich), the famous campuses worth visiting are:

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.

I will first describe the universities, then the travel route, so you can review them together.

### Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Founded in 1809, it has a world-class reputation in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, law, and medicine, and has produced 55 Nobel laureates. It is one of Germany's 11 elite universities, currently with 34,700 students and 171 majors.

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin was founded in 1809 by Friedrich Wilhelm III and Wilhelm von Humboldt. Its founding philosophy was to combine research and teaching, providing a comprehensive education that cultivates independent thinking and well-rounded students. This educational philosophy has had a significant impact on the entire European university system.

In its early years, the university became a center of liberalism, humanism, and free thought. It attracted many renowned scholars and scientists, such as Ferdinand von Raesfeld, Jacob Grimm, and Wilhelm von Alexander. In the 1920s-1930s, many Chinese students studied at Humboldt University, including Premier Zhou Enlai, Guo Moruo, Luo Jialun, and Zhao Jiuzhang, who later became pioneers in many fields of New China.

Humboldt University has three campuses. The main campus (Campus Mitte) is located on Unter den Linden, within walking distance of Museum Island. The main campus retains the original appearance of Humboldt University and is very beautiful. Here are some photos.

### Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

One of the oldest universities in Europe, founded in 1472. It is one of the world's top research universities with an excellent academic reputation. It ranks highly in many fields, especially leading in natural sciences, medicine, humanities, and social sciences, and is also strong in emerging disciplines such as computer science, communication, and artificial intelligence. It has produced 42 Nobel laureates. In various international university rankings, it consistently ranks first or second in Germany and around 50th globally. In the 2022/2023 academic year, it had 52,418 students.

The part of the campus worth visiting as a study tour attraction is the Munich University Library, whose central library dates back to 1573 and holds 4.4 million volumes. Address: Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, 80539 München.

The following itinerary is divided into a 5-7 day (light version) and an 8-10 day (in-depth version), suitable for children aged 5-15. For details, refer to the travel guide I posted yesterday.

This summer study tour guide will focus on attractions that inspire children's knowledge.

### 5-7 Days (Light Version)

**Cities**: Berlin and Munich. Transportation between the two cities is via Germany's high-speed train ICE, which takes about 4 hours direct.

#### 1) Museum Island

Museum Island is an island in the center of Berlin on the Spree River, famous for its five world-class museums. These museums are UNESCO World Heritage sites and offer a rich variety of cultural and art collections, showcasing thousands of years of human history and civilization.

The five adjacent museums on Museum Island offer a combined ticket for the day. There is no need to rush through all five; you can choose 2-3 based on your child's interests. The most worthwhile are the Pergamon Museum and the Alte Nationalgalerie.

a. **Altes Museum**: This ancient museum displays the art and cultural heritage of ancient Greece and Rome. You can admire sculptures, pottery, jewelry, and other ancient artworks.

b. **Pergamon Museum**: One of the most famous museums on Museum Island, it exhibits precious artworks and architectural remains from ancient Babylon, Assyria, and the Islamic world, including the famous Ishtar Gate of Babylon.

c. **Neues Museum**: This museum displays ancient civilizations and archaeological finds, including Egyptian art, artifacts from the Stone Age and Bronze Age, and the famous statue of the Egyptian Pharaoh Nefertiti.

d. **Bode Museum**: Known for its collection of sculptures and Byzantine art. You can admire artworks from the medieval and Renaissance periods, including sculptures by Michelangelo.

e. **Alte Nationalgalerie**: This museum houses German and European artworks, displaying paintings and sculptures from the 19th to early 20th centuries. You can see works of German Romanticism and Impressionism. It includes not only works by French Impressionist masters like Paul Cézanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir but also all the masters of German Romanticism and Impressionism, such as Erich Heckel, Edvard Munch, and Max Liebermann. If your child loves art, do not miss it.

#### 2) Berliner Philharmoniker

If your child loves music, book tickets for the Berlin Philharmonic early. The ticket prices are not high, but you need to book early. This is the home of the world-class Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Website: https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/

#### 3) Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin

Transportation equipment and weapons are the two main focuses, as Germans have made great contributions to these fields.

#### 4) Humboldt Forum

A super museum in Germany newly completed in 2021, located on Museum Island but worth mentioning separately. The Humboldt Forum integrates collections from several Berlin museums, including the Museum of East Asian Art, with a total construction cost of 644 million euros / over 5 billion RMB.

What is it like to view tens of thousands of Chinese artworks in Berlin? Go to the China Pavilion at the Humboldt Forum. The designer of the China Pavilion is Wang Shu. Those who understand architectural design know that Wang Shu holds the top position among Chinese architects (in his creative period).

Next to the Humboldt Forum is the Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom). This church was flattened by the US military in World War II and later rebuilt on the original site by Germany. It is worth visiting.

#### 5) Reichstag Building (German Parliament Building)

Equivalent to our Great Hall of the People. It is free, but you need to book in advance; otherwise, even queuing hard won't work.

#### 6) Berlin Wall

Actually not a typical attraction. If your child is interested in post-war history, especially since the Berlin Wall is covered in junior high school textbooks, you can take a look; it won't take much time. Take the subway to Ostbahnhof (Berlin East Railway Station), turn left after exiting, walk along the opposite side of the street, and you'll be there in a few minutes. Take photos, then continue exploring other places.

#### 7) Ballet Performance

The Berlin State Ballet is a world-class ballet company. Their resident performance venue is the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin State Opera on Unter den Linden), not the Deutsche Oper Berlin. To be honest, due to language barriers, we may not understand German opera, but the Berlin State Ballet's performances are definitely worth watching.

### Munich: Two to Three Days

#### 1) Neues Schloss (New Palace)

The palace of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The Kingdom of Bavaria was the wealthiest among the German states, so its palace is much more luxurious than Sanssouci Palace. You can visit the palace interiors, museums, and admire lavish court decorations and precious artworks.

#### 2) Deutsches Museum (German Museum)

A top science and natural history museum worldwide.

#### 3) Pinakothek der Moderne

It has works by all the contemporary art masters you can name. A must-visit for art lovers.

#### 4) Lenbachhaus

Slightly different from Pinakothek der Moderne, this museum mainly collects works of modern art masters, including Van Gogh, Monet, and German modern art masters like Kandinsky.

#### 5) Alte Pinakothek (Old Pinakothek)

Here there are multiple works by Dürer, each a German national treasure. Dürer is definitely the most famous artist outside Italy during the Renaissance, on par with Leonardo da Vinci. Classical art lovers should not miss it, because Dürer's original works are not allowed to leave Germany or the Alte Pinakothek.

#### 6) Allianz Arena

If your child loves football, watching a match at the home of FC Bayern Munich will be an unforgettable experience.

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If you want to visit all the places listed above, it will take about 10 days. You can adjust based on your itinerary and your child's interests.

During the trip, you don't need to carry heavy bags; travel light. Germany is full of ROSSMANN drugstore chains, with nearly 3,000 stores. In Berlin and Munich, from the main train station to the main streets in the city center, there are ROSSMANN stores. Just go in and buy what you need. For summer travel, items like Sunozon children's sunscreen and ISANA children's shower gel can be bought directly; no need to bring them from China.

If you have any questions about traveling in Germany, leave me a message.