recommendations for a stay in berlin suburb

Is there a particular reason you don't want to stay in Berlin proper?

I can’t imagine leaving Berlin either but we took a day trip to Potsdam with a German friend, a lovely town which would be a good choice,

Good idea. I don't have a specific establishment to recommend.

If you want to experience staying in a former suburb of Berlin, that is, until 1920, then I would suggest two districts to choose from: Karlshorst and Koepenick. These are districts basically empty of foreign visitors, even at the famous Rathaus Koepenick , the small souvenir shops or the restaurant on the side street , the patrons are locals, the menu appears in English too. Check out the famous Schloss Koepenick too. Walking there from the S-Bahn station takes at least 45 mins but the tram goes that route too to reach the Schloss.

From Berlin Hbf the S-3 gets you there directly unless some sort of construction is happening which then requires a transfer at Ostkreuz (itself a very busy station). The food court across the street from S-Bahn station "Koepenick" is worth a visit if you want ordinary German cuisine and want to go to a simple cafe. In that complex is also a Tourist Office.

To get into the city, the S-Bahn 3 will do it, depending on where you finally relative to being in the outer fringes of Berlin. You'll see too the diversity in population.

"...stay in a suburb of Berlin...." In which direction?

Above I suggested two former suburbs way out in eastern Berlin. If you prefer staying in the opposite direction, ie in the west, then I would suggest Spandau, no specific place to recommend.

Even though I have been out to Spandau a few times as day trips, the Zentrum, etc, I am not quite as familiar with it as with Karlshorst and Koepenick where I have spent much more "exploration" time. Spandau was a Prussian garrison town against the French they lost.

Bottom line: In the west Spandau , in the east Karlshorst and Koepenick.

We have been to Berlin many times and always stay in Berlin proper or with friends who all live in western suburbs. We always go to Potsdam when we visit. If it were me, wanting to stay in a suburb, I’d look to the western suburbs and lakes as far as Potsdam but close to a U or S-Bahn line.

We prefer to stay across the street out the side door of the Berlin train station. You can get anywhere on the underground that runs through the train station. Trams take you down the street for the museum and the remaining wall. The Ibis Berlin Hauptbahnhof hotel was very decent.

Our favorite excursion was down to Dresden for a weekend. That was the German city we were after all along. Much better museums and architecture than Berlin. We will be back there.

Believe it or not - Berlin has also very quiet places in the center; if this is what you are looking for.

A little more info what you look for helps recommending because all the suburbs were own little towns and villages 100 years ago and still have their own character.

Info: Be prepared for long ways from suburbs. Berlin's area is larger than NYC.

Car: yes / no?

On taking pubic transport into the city, how much of a radius, ca. 2 hours max?

I recommend also the following , not suburbs of Berlin, but towns and cities doable logistically, such as Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Halbe, if a WW2 site is of interest to you, or Magdeburg.

thanks for the responses. Rationale: I've been to Germany a half dozen times. Occasionally, I have found that a fairly short stay outside of the large cities can give quick access while enjoying a casual social experience of German villages Thanks again

Have you decided on which village or suburb close to Berlin to stay? If not, I would also suggest Rheinsberg, close enough and still far away enough.

When I was there (pre-pandemic), the famous Schloss was being refurbished. Now that it is, you might find it quaint and captivating to explore. All in all, a very relaxing place, few visitors I saw and that was peak summer season.

I loved Potsdam and if I ever HAD to live in Berlin, I'd probably live there. Easy train options to Berlin and Poland etc. Feels like a city of its own and IMO away from the hustle and bustle.

That said, unless there is a reason you have to stay in a suburb, I would stay in Berlin. It's an easy walking/biking and public transit city .

Berlin is so big you’re basically in some sort of suburb to somewhere there. I think Charlottenburg might fit your profile. As a West Berlin residential zone, it’s out of the hubbub.

My own experience has been that in prosperous countries, post-war sprawl, by developers making masonry and reinforced-concrete single and two-family homes surround large cities (and a few picturesque medieval square remnants.) Staying in a "village" is a dream.

I should add that when we could not find an acceptable hotel in Koblenz, we did stay in a family-owned hotel in Andernach. We got a small, slightly obsolete, bedroom, and a small breakfast room with a few other guests. Since we spend every day (at a BUGA garden show) in Koblenz, we only experienced the, attractive enough, town for dinner. I don't remember feeling like I was looking through a window into modern German life. One Opinion.

As a native of a large city (NY), I say, "to visit NY/Berlin/Paris/London, stay in NY/Berlin/Paris/London." You'll also have more time each day in the real target of your trip.

Above I recommended in the west Spandau and those 2 places in the east.

I should add that my first time in Spandau was not until 2016 or 2017, ie finally got around to doing it and automatically felt that the place did not have the Berlin feeling. Quite a subjective feeling on my part. . Spandau just did not give me that Berlin feeling. At the same time, I thought that I should have visited Spandau ages ago, say , back in the 1980s (I did have the time then) when the cold war was on.