Discover Berlin's Surroundings

Berlin has interesting sights to discover right on its doorstep – and lots of regions and cities within easy reach that are all well worth a visit:

Potsdam

Potsdam, the capital of the state of Brandenburg, is undoubtedly one of Germany's loveliest cities – and is easy to reach on Berlin's public transport system. The renowned Sanssouci Palace and park must be Potsdam's most famous attraction, but the city also offers a range of sights including the historic quarters – the Russian Alexandrovka colony, the Dutch Quarter, and the Weavers' Quarter established by refugees from Bohemia. Potsdam can be reached in just 40 minutes from Berlin Main Station (Hauptbahnhof).

 

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City Breaks

Berlin to Hamburg is only 228 km (about 140 miles). Hamburg is Germany's second largest city, with around 1.8 million residents. It is also the third largest centre for musicals in the world, after New York and London. Hamburg is not just a cultural centre, with concert halls, theatres and museums, but has a long and proud tradition as a major port, renowned for the Landungsbrücken landing stages and the Speicherstadt, the city's historic warehouse docklands. It is also home to a series of major annual events including the Hamburger Dom funfair and the Schlagermove music festival.

The city's best known street is the Reeperbahn, right at the heart of the St. Pauli red light and entertainment district with its restaurants, music clubs, cabaret theatres and discos.

Hamburg is easy to reach from Berlin on either the ICE inter-city express (only 90 minutes) or on the scheduled coach services running several times a day from various departure points in the city.

 

Dresden is just 194 km from Berlin (about 120 miles). Beautifully situated on the River Elbe and with a tradition of art and culture, Dresden has long been dubbed the "Florence of the Elbe".

After German reunification in 1990, Dresden once again became the regional capital of the state of Saxony and launched a restoration programme for the city centre. The cityscape is dominated by such well-known historic buildings as the Frauenkirche Church, the Semper Opera House, and the Royal Palace. Dresden can be reached in less than two hours by train, and there are several trains to Dresden every hour.

 

Leipzig is only 190 km from Berlin (just under 120 miles). The city is renowned as a major centre for music and was home to both Johann Sebastian Bach and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

Leipzig also has a long tradition as an exhibition centre with the Leipzig Fair, and since 2000 has been home to the new Leipzig/Halle airport hub.

 

It's also well worth taking a trip to Warsaw, Poland's capital city. Warsaw is one of the main transport, business and trade hubs in central and Eastern Europe, and is a leading political and cultural centre. Warsaw has many theatres, museums and monuments. It is also home to numerous universities and has a lively student scene. Warsaw is divided into 18 boroughs, with the main centre located in the central borough of Śródmieście ("city centre"). The regular Berlin-Warsaw Express provides a convenient and affordable day and night rail service between these two capital cities in less than six hours.

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Unique Landscape

 

Spreewald

The Spreewald is a romantic landscape of streams and rivers to the south-east of Berlin. The Spreewald countryside is totally unique in central Europe, comprising a spreading network of branches of the River Spree and ideal for boat tours, fishing and many other outdoor activities.

All of the Spreewald regions are in easy reach of Cottbus, the nearest larger city. The Spreewald is only around an hour by car along the A13 motorway, and Cottbus is less than 90 minutes away.

 

"Berlin's Bath Tub"

The Baltic Sea coast is around 200 km (about 125 miles) from Berlin. This area of coastline is a popular tourist destination, with many camping sites and a wide range of water sports on offer. The Berliners have affectionately nicknamed their traditional summer destination "Berlin's Bath Tub". The Baltic coast can be reached easily and affordably in 3 hours from Berlin Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) with the Ostsee Express train. The island of Rügen is one of the best known Baltic resorts, with wide, sandy beaches and the spectacular Königstühl chalk cliffs.

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