Daytrips from Berlin

We did a daytrip from Berlin to Leipzig in December and enjoyed it. We primarily walked around the Christmas market and old town, had lunch at Auerbachs Keller (touristy - yes, but good food and very enjoyable). On a previous trip we stayed 2 nights in Dresden but it is definitely feasible as a daytrip - the key sites are very central and the trams are very convenient for getting around.

Hamburg might also be feasible - we visited Miniature Wonderland (an overwhelming model train exhibit) as a daytrip a few years ago and enjoyed the bit of the city and port that we were able to see.

I asked this same question in the "General Europe" forum a few weeks ago and got some good suggestions. My trip is coming up in September, and I think for now our plan is to visit Potsdam and possibly Schwerin? Schwerin in particular looks really beautiful.

Or Wittenberg, with its associations with Luther. Just 40 mins on the Intercity.

Dresden can more than fill a day. Though the reconstructed part of the city is rather small, the museums there make it an important stop. If you appreciate things that are beautiful as well as historical, the Historic Green Vault is a must. It requires a timed ticket, so if you don't attempt to book ahead of time (https://ticket.hgg-skd.de/webshop/index.php/korona/?theme=-1533230), stop by first thing on your arrival to try to snag one. Check with the Tourist Office for English-language walking tours.

Schwerin has an interesting castle with some gardens around it, as well as the pretty old town. Worth a trip, but I think it will take a bit more than 2 hours. Accent's on the last syllable, by the way. What might be a bonus is that Schwerin might not be as hot as Berlin. I had cool rain there at the end of July last summer, and "cool" was not something I encountered often on that trip.

A different sort of destination which I enjoyed as a break from the bustling city was the Spreewald area to the south. I took the under-one-hour train ride to Lübbenau, walked to the small half-timbered old town (maybe 15 minutes), then took a boat trip through the marshes. Alternatively, you can rent a canoe or kayak and do it yourself. There's also at least one marked trail to follow. This day-trip is very popular with Germans. I went there on a Wednesday in August and there were frequent boat departures. I don't know whether the crowds would be overwhelming on a weekend.

Bill,

I'd also suggest Dresden, and agree with a previous reply that you could easily spend more than a day there. Travel time will be about two hours each way if you use one of the direct trains.

I quite enjoyed my tour of the beautiful Dresden Frauenkirche, and there's also a very interesting military museum there, with a distinctive "wedge" designed by the famous architect Daniel Libeskind. Other sights are listed in the guidebook. The large pedestrian shopping area that starts across from the main station has lots of interesting stores and restaurants.

This thread was already mentioned. Here are some more ideas:

Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Kingdom - first English park on the continent, today a World Heritage Site
Dessau - Bauhaus and Meisterhäuser, in case you are interested in architecture
Erfurt - Rick Steves likes it
Naumburg - a provincial, preserved town close to Leipzig with a famous Gothic cathedral
Halle/Saale - this city close to Leipzig is really underrated. Unlike Leipzig, which is a 19th century city, the old town of Halle offers a bit of everything, even two castles. Birthplace of Händel.