Do you love a fun day out at a spectacular museum? You’ll want to hit the Speyer Technik Museum for all things transportation and technology. It’s great for kids and adults; in fact, you’ll want to go back again and again!
Traveling around central Germany really opens up lots of options. Whether you want to stick to fairytale castles like Mespelbrunn, ancient Roman fortresses like Saalburg, wine tasting, and grape picking through the many vineyards, meandering through quaint old city centers, or exploring some great museums, there’s always something to do.
In this article:
- Speyer Technik Museum
- What We Did
- Rating our Experience
- Where to Eat
- Things to do Nearby
- How to Get There
- Visitor Information
The Speyer Technik Museum
Built on the site of an old plane factory, which was chosen for its ample space and convenient location, the Speyer Technik Museum opened in 1991 as a sister museum of the Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim.
A sprawling area comprised of both indoor and outdoor spaces, we had a fantastic time with AJ wandering through the amazing exhibits. From a mock fire station complete with a fleet of fire trucks to the space shuttle and Apollo missions, there are so many exhibits to explore.
There is so much to do and see that you could easily spend two to four hours there. Luckily, there is a restaurant and a café on site. There’s also a picnic area where you can bring your own food if you choose.
Why Go? What We Did
Our tickets included an IMax film, and we chose to watch “The Magic of Flight.” Humorously, it is an American film that was dubbed into German and then had English subtitles below. It was so good. A little history, a little thrilling Blue Angels acrobat, all three of us really enjoyed it. I would say it got a bit loud at times, but of course, that added to the experience.
Consequently, we only spent a brief amount of time in the museum before heading out to watch the film. Once we returned, we spent a good two hours wandering around the vast and impressive main hall, and then the outside areas.
One IMax film ticket is included in your ticket price, so it’s imperative to plan out when you will see your movie before you head out. Many of the movies sounded good, but we chose the flight one because AJ loves airplanes. It was definitely the right choice.
In the main hall, we had fun seeing all kinds of vehicles, like motorcycles, trains, cool cars, and even some non-transportation things like musical instruments and carnival objects. Afterward, we went outside to some of the other exhibits, which just blew us away. In the future, I would skip the main hall to begin with and do that last, because I loved the other exhibits much more.
Outside we climbed up and through big planes, a submarine, and a Search and Rescue ship. There was a big slide that was a lot of fun but a bit big for a three-year-old. I’m not sure how high it was, but at least three stories high and enclosed in the tube.
Almost all the vehicles were ones that you could climb up on, take photos, or pretend you were driving. Getting to touch, sit, climb, and just explore really makes this museum a must for kids. There is also a good-sized “playground,” where you can pay for some automated rides, but they were a bit overwhelming for a preschooler. I’m sure larger kids would love it.
We then ventured into the space exhibit, where we marveled at the space shuttle and the Apollo lander. Overall, it was a fantastic experience that we would highly recommend to anyone interested in transportation and aerospace history.
Rating Our Experience
We took AJ to the Speyer Technik Museum because he loves all things mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and how things work and are made. We planned our visit for a midweek late morning time slot, and we were pleasantly surprised to find only a few other visitors upon arrival.
Even though we chose to go so AJ would enjoy the museum, Jim and I were surprised at how much we loved it as well. There was definitely something for everyone.
We feel for both kids and adults it really is a 5 out of 5 stars, because there was so much to do. We got to go outside and inside. It was a little rainy on the day we were there, so it was nice to have both options. And the big factor is that, yes, we would go back again.
Although tickets can be purchased online, we opted to buy ours at the counter, which wasn’t a problem. However, if you go during the summer, or on special event days, definitely buy your tickets ahead of time.
Our favorite things were the U-boat, the German submarine, where you can climb down and walk through the entire vessel. They have mockups of people working, and it’s really fun.
We also loved the Sikorsky helicopters, the Boeing 747, the huge Search and Rescue ship, and lots of military vehicles. The space exhibit was really modern and interesting as well.
The museum, as large as it is, is not well heated even in the main hall. There are lockers where you can put your jackets, but my advice is to carry them with you. The only place we didn’t wear ours was in the movie theater.
Where to Eat
There are two cafes on site, good for an easy lunch while visiting, however, we brought a picnic lunch and ate it there. The café is right across from the reception desk and of course only served coffee, drinks, and snacks.
For lunch, there is a cafeteria-style restaurant, called Hangar 10, that offers a few dishes each day. When we were there it was schnitzel and spaghetti. Everyone seemed to be enjoying it, and the portions were pretty big.
When we do a day trip, though, if we don’t eat lunch out, we definitely stop and have a coffee or snack stop. On this trip we stopped at a bakery only about two blocks away with good parking called Bäcker Görtz. We had coffees, a strawberry roll cake, a raspberry yogurt cake, and AJ had a donut. It was delicious and fun to recap the day and relax before heading home.
Things to do Nearby
In Speyer
- Speyer Cathedral
- Speyer Old Town
- Historical Museum of the Palatinate
Other Destinations Nearby
- Wiesbaden
- Mainz
- Mannheim
- Frankfurt
- Saalburg Roman Fortress
- Mespelbrunn Castle
How to Get There
As the name states, the museum is in Speyer not far from the old town in an old airplane factory. It’s an easy train ride and short walk (or bus) to arrive at the museum or there is parking on-site.
- By train– from Speyer Hauptbahnhof, take bus 571 toward Speyer Flugzeugwerke for 8 stops and get off at the Speyer Technik Museum stop.
- By car– Speyer is located near the intersection of A61 and A6, which is very centrally located and easy to get to from just about every direction.
Approximate Driving Distance from Major Cities and Military Communities
| Community | Driving Distance/Time | Time via Train |
|---|---|---|
| Kaiserslautern Area | 1 hour / 98 km | 3 hours |
| Wiesbaden | 1.25 hours / 108 km | 2 hours |
| Spangdahlem | 2.35 hours / 210 km | N/A |
| Grafenwoehr | 3.5 hours / 305 km | 7 hours |
| Stuttgart | 1.25 hours / 124 km | 2 hours |
| Brussels, Belgium | 4.75 hours / 430 km | 4.5 hours |
| Schinnen, Netherlands | 3.25 hours / 350 km | 4.5 hours |
Speyer Technik Museum Visitor Information
Address: Am Technik Museum 1, D-67346 Speyer
Opening Hours: Everyday from 9:00-6:00.
Cost: Prices can vary depending on your choice, but basic admission is 28 € and children 5 and older are 23 €.
For up-to-date information and events calendar, check out their website.
Notes: Along with a comfortable jacket or fleece, bring some Euro coins for outdoor rides, indoor rides (like the flight simulator), and souvenir coin machines. There’s also a great shop inside where you can buy some theme-related souvenirs. What I liked about it was there was a wide range offered from very inexpensive toys for the little kids to huge models, literally something for everyone.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a great side trip or day out, head to Speyer and the Technik Museum. You will have tons to do and it will be a lot of fun. You’ll love it.
Author Bio – Corinne is an avid camper and traveler. She’s been to all 50 of the US states and has four more Canadian provinces to visit. However, she’s not stopping yet. There’s always more to see of this great continent! Corinne loves local foods, getting outdoors, landscape photography, and road trips.