berlin and northern germany

The hinterland of Berlin is mostly forest, wheat and cattle farming. Like all areas of Germany, there's some interesting stuff, particularly Potsdam, but the greater region apart from metropolitan Berlin is rather sparsely populated.

I like the garden realm of Wörlitz near Dessau, about 90 minutes or so SW of Berlin. Schwerin further north is also interesting, mainly for it's castle, sometimes called "the Neuschwanstein of the North". I also like the Baltic coast, particularly the island of Rügen, but two days doesn't give you enough time.

HI,

You can spend all four days in Berlin itself, but since you want to see a smaller town in Brandenburg, aside from Potsdam, I would suggest a place up north from the Gross(Greater)-Berlin area...Neustrelitz, formerly of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, easily accessible by train, an hour or so. I made a day trip out there on this last trip, as usual, not enough time, ie, will have to go back....worth it.

"...in that area...." In which direction? Another small town within an hour from Berlin is Lutherstadt Wittenberg or Halle an der Saale, both southerly from Berlin, worth it for cultural and historical reasons.

If you like nature consider the Spreewald, where the river Spree meanders in thousands of small waterways through meadows and forests. It's also the home of the Sorbs, a small Slavic minority. The area is great for all kinds of outdoor activities; you can rent a canoe, do tours on punted barges, hike or bike etc.. It takes just one hour to get there by train, and the castle hotel of Lübbenau, which is in a small park and next to the small old town and the harbor, is a good base.

Equally close is Potsdam. Most people just go there to see (a small part of) Sanssouci, but the city is surrounded by parks and castles (and water). You could explore all the other parks, although Sanssouci already requires a full day if you want to see all of it, do a boat tour or explore the surroundings. Einstein for example lived in a village to the south of Potsdam.

2 hours away is Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Schwerin offers a beautiful old town surrounded by lakes, a mix of representative 19th century government buildings, half-timbered houses and Brick Gothic, but the highlight is the 19th century fairytale castle, situated on a island. From Schwerin you could do a day trip either to other beautiful towns like Wismar, Stralsund or Lübeck, or spend a day at a seaside resort on the Baltic coast.

Many people think that Rothenburg deserves huge detours, endless hours on the road/train, and at least one or two nights. If you are one of them I highly recommend Quedlinburg, which is 3 hours away from Berlin (direct trains on weekends). Quedlinburg is a medieval, preserved town just like Rothenburg, but with a bigger old town and less tourists. From there you could do day trips to Goslar or Wernigerode or take the steam train up to the highest peak of Northern Germany, the Brocken.

I found Potsdam to be one of the most charming and attractive cities in Germany. The Dutch Quarter is my favorite neighborhood there. It loans itself to lovely strolls down side streets as well as the pedestrian zone.

My recommended hotel was this one, with a great breakfast and very friendly service:
http://www.hofmaler-hotel-potsdam.de/

We enjoyed a very nice day in Potsdam. Easy connections and a pleasant change of pace from uber-urban Berlin, though we spent several fascinating days there as well. We did not overnight in Potsdam however.