# Cerca de Berlin

Berlin is almost always left by regional train. Around it, Brandenburg is water: Potsdam, Werder, the Havel, the canals of the Spreewald and the lakes of Rheinsberg. Further south, by ICE or EC, Leipzig, Dresden and Saxon Switzerland, and to the north, the Baltic at Stralsund.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/berlin/getaways

## Planes de un día
- [Potsdam by train: Sanssouci and the Dutch Quarter](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/potsdam/itineraries/sanssouci-and-dutch-quarter-from-berlin.md) (45 min en coche): Half an hour by train from Berlin: Sanssouci at a fixed time, the park as far as the Neues Palais, cake in a 1770 pagoda and the Dutch Quarter at dusk.
- [Werder by train: island, gondola and thermal baths](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/werder-havel/itineraries/werder-gondola-and-thermal-baths-from-berlin.md) (45 min en coche): RE1 to Werder, a stroll round the island and its mill, an hour's gondola ride on the Havel, Sunday lunch at the Alte Überfahrt and an afternoon of thermal baths on the shore of the Zernsee.
- [A monastery in the forest and a boat lift](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/chorin-and-niederfinow/itineraries/monastery-and-boat-lift-from-berlin.md) (1 h 5 en coche): An hour from Berlin: the Cistercian monastery of Chorin, lunch beside the canal and the afternoon at the Niederfinow boat lifts, with a boat trip included.
- [Neuruppin by train: lake, boat and Fontane](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/neuruppin/itineraries/neuruppin-boat-and-fontane-town-from-berlin.md) (1 h 5 en coche): RE6 to Neuruppin, a walk beside the two-towered church, an hour by boat on the Ruppiner See, lunch on the shore, the town museum and Fontane's birthplace.
- [Lübben by train and punt to Lehde](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/lubben/itineraries/luebben-punt-to-lehde-from-berlin.md) (1 h 10 en coche): Train to Lübben, a full-day punt to Lehde through the high forest of Wotschofska, lunch at Kaupen No. 6, the open-air museum and a return to the palace island.
- [The town that gave the state its name, by train](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/brandenburg-an-der-havel/itineraries/cathedral-and-lakes-from-berlin.md) (1 h 15 en coche): On the RE1, 45 minutes from Berlin: the cathedral on the Dom island, the three medieval centres between arms of the Havel, lunch by the water and a boat on the lakes.
- [The Spreewald by train: punts and wooden houses](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/spreewald/itineraries/spreewald-punt-and-lunch-from-berlin.md) (1 h 20 en coche): Train to Lübbenau, two hours on a punt along the canals, lunch at a farm in Lehde, the wooden-house museum and a walk back between the canals.
- [Rheinsberg by train: palace and five lakes](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/rheinsberg/itineraries/rheinsberg-palace-day-from-berlin.md) (1 h 30 en coche): Train via Oranienburg and Löwenberg, the Rococo palace of the young Frederick, a walk in the lakeside park, lunch opposite the palace and two hours by boat on five lakes.
- [The Bauhaus and the Wörlitz gondolas](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/saxony-anhalt/dessau-worlitz/itineraries/bauhaus-and-gondola-from-berlin.md) (1 h 45 en coche): RE7 to Dessau, a guided tour of the Bauhaus building and the Masters' Houses, lunch at its café, a bus to Wörlitz and a gondola and a walk in the park.
- [Leipzig by ICE: Bach, 1989 and Faust's cellar](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/saxony/leipzig/itineraries/bach-and-peaceful-revolution-from-berlin.md) (2 h 5 en coche): An hour and a quarter by ICE: Bach's tomb and his museum, lunch in Faust's cellar, the church of 1989 and the Stasi in its offices, and a Gose to finish.
- [Dresden by train: the dome, the treasure and the Elbe](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/saxony/dresden/itineraries/frauenkirche-and-elbe-steamer-from-berlin.md) (2 h 5 en coche): An early train to Dresden: the Frauenkirche dome, the Brühl Terrace and the Procession of Princes, the treasure of Augustus the Strong and an hour and a half on a steamer on the Elbe.
- [Meissen by train: the castle and the porcelain](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/saxony/meissen/itineraries/castle-and-porcelain-from-berlin.md) (2 h 15 en coche): Train to Dresden and S-Bahn to Meissen: the Albrechtsburg and the cathedral above the Elbe, lunch on the hill, the manufactory's workshop and the Market Square.
- [Schwerin by train: palace, gardens and lake](https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/mecklenburg-western-pomerania/schwerin/itineraries/schwerin-palace-day-from-berlin.md) (2 h 15 en coche): Train to Schwerin, the island palace with an audio guide, Sunday lunch at the Weinhaus Wöhler, the palace gardens and an hour and a half by boat on the lakes.

## Only one of these plans is done by road

There are direct flights to Berlin airport from Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga, Seville, Bilbao and Palma de Mallorca, and from Gran Canaria, Tenerife South, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Palma. Once in the city, the car is unnecessary for almost everything: of the plans on this page, only one is set up by road.

The RE1 leaves Berlin Hauptbahnhof heading west and stops at [Potsdam](/en/germany/brandenburg/potsdam), with an ABC ticket; at [Werder](/en/germany/brandenburg/werder-havel) and at [Brandenburg an der Havel](/en/germany/brandenburg/brandenburg-an-der-havel), now with a regional ticket. The RE6, from Charlottenburg or Spandau, goes up to [Neuruppin](/en/germany/brandenburg/neuruppin); [Rheinsberg](/en/germany/brandenburg/rheinsberg) is reached by the RB12 from Ostkreuz and one change. To the south-east, the regional trains on the Cottbus line stop at [Lübben](/en/germany/brandenburg/lubben) and Lübbenau, at the gates of the [Spreewald](/en/germany/brandenburg/spreewald), and the RE7 goes direct to [Dessau](/en/germany/saxony-anhalt/dessau-worlitz). By ICE you reach [Leipzig](/en/germany/saxony/leipzig); by direct train, [Dresden](/en/germany/saxony/dresden), and from there on the S1 to [Meissen](/en/germany/saxony/meissen). The direct EC to Bad Schandau drops you in [Saxon Switzerland](/en/germany/saxony/saxon-switzerland), and another direct train goes up to Stralsund.

The hire car is only needed for [Chorin and Niederfinow](/en/germany/brandenburg/chorin-and-niederfinow), on the A11 towards Szczecin.

## Potsdam and Werder, three quarters of an hour by train

**Less than an hour away** are Potsdam and Werder, both 45 minutes: the Sanssouci palaces and the Dutch quarter in the first, and a gondola on the Havel and thermal baths beside the Zernsee in the second.

The Brandenburg of lakes and canals is **between an hour and an hour and a half away**. Neuruppin, Fontane's town, is 65 minutes away, as are Chorin monastery and the Niederfinow boat lift; Lübben and Lehde, 70; the cathedral and lakes of Brandenburg an der Havel, 75; the Spreewald from Lübbenau, 80, and the Rococo palace of the young Frederick at Rheinsberg, 90. Almost all are done by boat, and the Spreewald also has [a night](/en/germany/brandenburg/spreewald/itineraries/one-night-in-the-spreewald-from-berlin) with canoeing on the canals the next morning.

**Between an hour and three quarters and two hours and a quarter away** are the southern cities. Dessau and Wörlitz, 105 minutes, with the Bauhaus and the garden; Leipzig and Dresden, 125, and Meissen and [Schwerin](/en/germany/mecklenburg-western-pomerania/schwerin), with its palace on an island, 135. They are long days, and Dessau and Dresden have an overnight version: [Dessau-Wörlitz in one night](/en/germany/saxony-anhalt/dessau-worlitz/itineraries/one-night-in-dessau-woerlitz-from-berlin), sleeping in a Bauhaus student's studio, and [Dresden in two nights](/en/germany/saxony/dresden/itineraries/two-nights-in-dresden-from-berlin).

**From two and a half hours onwards** the journey calls for sleeping away: [Quedlinburg in one night](/en/germany/saxony-anhalt/quedlinburg/itineraries/one-night-in-quedlinburg-from-berlin), 150 minutes away; [Saxon Switzerland in two nights](/en/germany/saxony/saxon-switzerland/itineraries/two-nights-saxon-switzerland-from-berlin), 160, and [Stralsund and Rügen](/en/germany/mecklenburg-western-pomerania/stralsund-and-rugen/itineraries/two-nights-stralsund-ruegen-from-berlin), 170, with the Ozeaneum and the chalk cliffs.

## Advent in Dresden and Quedlinburg

In winter, the cities are best. [Leipzig](/en/germany/saxony/leipzig/itineraries/bach-and-peaceful-revolution-from-berlin) can be done all year round and almost entirely under cover: Bach's tomb, its museum and the Stasi museum. [Potsdam](/en/germany/brandenburg/potsdam/itineraries/sanssouci-and-dutch-quarter-from-berlin) is also open in winter, except on Mondays. The Werder thermal baths stay open until midnight, and at Advent Dresden and Quedlinburg are among the best there is from Berlin. In January and February the Niederfinow lifts close.

In spring, from April, the boats return: the Neuruppin one runs every day from late March, the Niederfinow one from April, and the Spreewald and Lübben punts from April to October. It is also the best time for Saxon Switzerland and Meissen.

From May to September, in summer, water rules: the [Spreewald punts](/en/germany/brandenburg/spreewald/itineraries/spreewald-punt-and-lunch-from-berlin), the Wörlitz gondolas, the five-lake trip at Rheinsberg, the four-lake line at [Schwerin](/en/germany/mecklenburg-western-pomerania/schwerin/itineraries/schwerin-palace-day-from-berlin) and the boat on the lakes of Brandenburg. Stralsund and Rügen, with the Baltic, are at their best.

In autumn, until October, almost all the boat routes continue, although in April and October the last Wörlitz gondola leaves at 15:00. From November the cities remain.

## Sanssouci at a fixed time

- **Without a car, in a day:** [Potsdam from Berlin](/en/germany/brandenburg/potsdam/itineraries/sanssouci-and-dutch-quarter-from-berlin). 45 minutes on the RE1, Sanssouci at a fixed time, the park as far as the Neues Palais and the Dutch quarter at dusk.
- **With a car, in a day:** [Chorin and Niederfinow](/en/germany/brandenburg/chorin-and-niederfinow/itineraries/monastery-and-boat-lift-from-berlin). 65 minutes on the A11, the Cistercian monastery in the morning and the afternoon on a boat through the lift.
- **With two nights:** [Dresden](/en/germany/saxony/dresden/itineraries/two-nights-in-dresden-from-berlin). By direct train, the dome of the Frauenkirche, the Green Vault, an afternoon in the Neustadt and a steamer on the Elbe.