I will be spending a day in Stuttgart on a business trip later this month. And - I will be spending 2.5 to 3 days in Berlin at the end of my trip, with 1 to 1.5 days between my Stuttgart meetings and my time in Berlin. My question is how to best use my 1 to 1.5 days between my Stuttgart meeting and my Berlin stay. I could stay in Stuttgart and visit the Porsche or Mercedes museums, make a day trip from Stuttgart, visit another city, or add the extra time to my Berlin trip. It’s my first trip to Germany - and I’m potentially interested in seeing castles, the Alps, Munich, etc.. looking for recommendations on how to best use the 1-1.5 days based on all of this. Thanks for any insight!
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
I think I would go to Berlin early. Berlin is wonderful. There is so much to see and do there. You could do palaces. I didn't visit Charlottenburg palace on my most recent trip, but if you want palaces it could be the one for you. Another option would be to go to Potsdam. It's a full day but has wonderful places and things to see. It's a lot of outdoors walking, so if the weather is not good, you may want to do something else. The museums are amazing in Berlin. It looks like the Pergamon altar is still closed, but the Babylonian gates are magnificent. I thought that the memorial for Holocaust near the Brandenburg Gate was amazing. I will always remember seeing the gate on a bus with barbed wire and soldiers back in the '70s. I stayed in the West back then for obvious reasons, but most recently stayed in Prenzlauer Berg. I like it. I would go back a second time and visit the alps.
Posted by
Germany
268 posts
How about a day trip to Tübingen? A rather "old world" town, and quite different in style to Berlin (or Stuttgart). But you cannot really go wrong: You will not run out of things to do and see in Berlin, and if you decide to visit the excellent Mercedes-Benz museum, I don't think you will regret that either.
I am afraid you will have to come back to Germany to see Munich and the Alps...
Posted by
OP
Nashville, TN
13 posts
Thank you! These are great ideas!
One related question - is the train ride from Stuttgart to Berlin scenic, or should I just hop on a quick flight between these two cities?
Thanks again!
Posted by
Paris
6897 posts
The train ride is nothing special, and takes six hours - this is one of the few German routes where flying really makes sense.
By the way, the Mercedes Benz museum is great even if you're not passionate about cars. It is really well done. However, the Porsche museum is only worth it if, well, you are interested in Porsche.
Posted by
OP
Nashville, TN
13 posts
Thanks everyone - when I wrap up my business trip to Stuttgart, I’ll fly to Berlin and spend a few days based there. If you have any favorite highlights in Berlin or nearby, I would appreciate your insights!