Berlin for 10 days?

For me there would be enough in the city to keep me busy that long, but I like art and decorative-art museums and 20th century history, especially the WWII and Cold War periods. Berlin is very rich in sights that appeal to those interests, and I am a slow traveler who likes walking rather than using a lot of public transportation--though Berlin is so spread out that one cannot walk everywhere. It is important to know that, because of wartime destruction, Berlin doesn't have a lot of picturesque historic architecture.

The top day trip would be Postdam, which does have the historic architecture not much found in Berlin proper. I haven't been out there yet, so I don't know whether it would be worthwhile to spend two days there. Potsdam is very close to Berlin, just to the west.

North of Berlin in Oranienburg is a memorial/museum on the site of the Sachsenhausen Nazi concentration camp, later a Soviet prison camp. I haven't been there, either. Oranienburg isn't far from Berlin.

I did go to the Spreewald, south of Berlin near Cottbus, quite a bit farther away than my first two suggestions. The Spreewald is a marshy area where you can take a ride on a small boat or hike. I enjoyed spending a few hours there; it was a nice change from the urban areas I had been visiting. However, it doesn't provide super-dramatic scenery such as one finds in the Alps, Norway's fjord country, etc. I recall having a bit of a walk from the train station.

I'm sure there are other worthwhile sidetrips from Berlin. We have a few people on the forum who are highly knowledgeable about Germany. I'm sure they'll add more suggestions.

Rick's favorite sightseeing stops in many cities are listed on this website. Go here for Berlin and click on "At a Glance": https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/germany/berlin. Note that the German History Museum and the Pergamon are undergoing long-term reconstruction, with just some of their artifacts visitable at temporary locations. Rick's list doesn't include all the places I saw and enjoyed in Berlin.

You can easily spend ten days in Berlin without being bored. What makes Berlin spectacular are the neighborhoods: https://www.visitberlin.de/en/neighbourhoods-berlin. Click on this link to learn more: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/germany/berlin > then scroll down and click on the + sign on the At a Glance line. Don’t miss the DDR Museum.

Numerous day trips you could do from Berlin aside from Potsdam depending on your level of interest in this area of Brandenburg....Werder an der Havel, Rheinsberg, Schwerin ( a bit far but still doable) , Babelsberg, Halbe and Seelow (if you're interest also in WW2) , Weimar to name a few of these places. Maybe even 2 days in Potsdam, including the river cruise of 3 hours on the Havel, the river that flows through Potsdam. Since my latest visits to Potsdam, I now always take the Potsdam river cruise, serene, tranquil, .

On how much time: I agree that one could easily spend ten full days in Berlin, even an entire month, no problem at all, ....all depends on the seriousness and level of your interest.

If you're after architecture in Berlin, it's there . I suggest going to these areas of Berlin... Grunewald, Spandau, Koepenick, Charlottenburg, Nikolaiviertel (Quarter), and Mitte to see the famous examples of K Schinkel . If it's singular historical sites you're after, much of that is east of the Brandenburg Gate, ie historical Berlin is basically eastern Berlin.

Berlin can easily fill 10 days. Besides the typical sights and attractions plus 170 museums you can enjoy several events around the year plus just letting the life passing by, e. g. by visiting flea markets and weekly markets. In addition Berlin's outskirts and various day trips from Berlin can enhance the experience.

Tip: this blog has a lot best-of and weekend tips.

For 10 days you can use the Deutschland-Ticket (D-Ticket for short) which lets you travel easily by all means of local public transport for just 58 euros per calendar month. Do not forget to cancel this subscription service early enough.

10 days would be a lot for me. Including a day out in Potsdam, I think five days would be enough with additional days allowing for a deeper dive. With some of its headline museums undergoing renovations, I think Berlin lacks a lot of real “must sees.” Weather can affect this too. If it’s nice out you could totally spend a day exploring Tiergarten.

I just think it would be a real missed opportunity to not spend a few days in Dresden and/or Leipzig while you’re in this area of the country. Dresden was a quick favorite of mine. It’s a beautiful city with a much more inviting atmosphere, and honestly its museums kind of blow Berlin’s out of the water.

See what Faschists can do Gedenkstätte Sachsenhausen

45min north of Berlin by S-Bahn from Friedrichstrasse to Oranienburg

and

something totally different

Schloss Rheinsberg

1,5hr north of Berlin by car

I could fill 10 days in Berlin quite easily. I've been several times and still not taken in everything I want to so future visits are required however I'm a big WW2 and Cold War fanatic and this is reflected in my museum and other sights choices. Some people don't share my enthusiasm so for them 10 days might be too much.

I haven't taken any day trips from Berlin as I haven't exhausted what the city has to offer to me.

See what Faschists can do Gedenkstätte Sachsenhausen

Worth mentioning that there was also resistance. Visit of German Resistance Memorial Center recommended although not a day trip.

I've spent 61 nights in Berlin since 2016, including two extended trips of more than a week. For me, there is plenty to do in Berlin for 10 days, but, of course, it depends on your interests. I like architecture, history (especially cold war and WWII), music of all types (including classical and opera), and walking neighborhoods/parks.

I agree with a Potsdam day trip. I am a fan of Cecilienhof, where the Potsdam Conference was held, but I believe it is closed for renovation right now. I have done a day trip to Leipzig, but it is at the upper limit of my tolerance for a day trip in terms of time to get there (takes about 2 hours each way), and I was traveling with a young man who I knew would absolutely love the Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Monument to the Battle of the Nations) there.

Honestly, I have found pleasure in just taking a U line to its terminus and exploring whatever lies at the end of the line.

I consider the Berlin Airlift one of the US's greatest moments. Gail Halvorsen -- a pilot who started dropping candy to kids in Berlin during his flights -- is my favorite historical figure. So it was important for me to see and to do a tour of the former Tempelhof Airport, the main airport for the Airlift. If you watch from 0:34 to 1:20 on this PBS American Experience video, you can get a less than 1 minute summary of the Airlift (and you'll get to see Colonel Halvorsen talking about flour!).

I spent five days there a couple months ago and there's a lot I didn't see. But I think part of the answer would have to include the time of year in consideration. When it's warm there's a lot of walking, street fairs, flea markets, etc. that just aren't around once the rainy season hits (like now). And a some of the other sights also close for the winter. But if you can, do an underground tour.

I think it really depends on how locked in you are to history, and what time of year youre going. I was in Berlin for 4 days, around Christmas time, and it was plenty for me. I kind of wish I had gone in warmer months. Then you have access to more, including all the beautiful parks. Berlin is so well connected by bus and train, you could easily take a day trip to Hamburg, or spend a few days in Prague and then return to Berlin.

I lived in Berlin for two months, went to a new museum or monument or palace or park or neighborhood every day after work, day trip to another city every weekend, and never ran out of things to see. How much you would enjoy ten days would depend, I think, on how well you like spending time in big cities in general, how many museums and Baroque palaces you can see without them starting to get repetitive, and how much you enjoy taking in neighborhood ambiance-- many of Berlin's neighborhoods have very different feels.

Other people have recommended Pottsdam as a day trip, but if I remember right, Leipzig and Dresden are also both doable, depending on how much time you mind spending on a train.

It takes most of a day, despite the short mileage, but I recommend The Gründerzeit Museum in Mahlsdorf. (S-Bahn and taxi) Especially if you have read or seen the Pulitzer-Prize winning play, "I Am My Own Wife". The principal (authentic) character is Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who was a Trans person who survived both the Nazi and the Stazi days. They also have a real Weimar barroom and a prost***te's room.

Try to book the English tour, in advance. It's a real, furnished, old home, so it's seen ONLY by tour.

Have been to Berlin 5 times and still haven't seen everything I want to see. The city is huge and they have dozens of museums and dozens of themed tours that are all interesting to me. Day trips to Potsdam, Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück KZ would be on my list of must things to do. Include Wannsee Villa.

Another Berlin Airlift fan here, since the flights flew out of Frankfurt. One of my favorite themes to talk about, that so few people seem to know about today. Still haven't been to the museum in Berlin though, so it is on my list. Did get to meet Mr. Halvorsen in 2008. What an honor!

I want to just second what another individual mentioned. Make sure to visit the DDR museum. It is wonderfully curated, IMO.

Here's another person who would recommend Berlin. I spent seven nights there in 2022, and still did not see everything. There's a lot of interesting places to visit while you're there, but, as others have pointed out, a lot depends on your interests and how much you enjoy large cities. But it would also give you the opportunity to take some wonderful day trips, like Dresden and Leipzig, as someone pointed out, and/or Potsdam.