Three weeks in Berlin- too long?

I don't think it is too long. We typically spend 3+ weeks in a single large city but take day trips and a couple of overnight excursions.

You have lots of options nearby if you enjoy history, the beautiful former East German cities and the region such as the day tripable (or overnight excursion) Harz and Baltic Sea.
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My husband and I spent 3 weeks in Berlin back in 1982 and a love affair was born between us and the city. We have returned at least 6 times, most recently earlier this December for the Christmas markets. There is so much to do and see in this city, as well as the close proximity to other areas of interest - Hartz Mountains, Baltic, Saxony. Enjoy!

I am a great fan of staying in a place for as long as you possibly can, and I am absolutely sure you won't be bored for a minute. There are many day trip opportunities for you to discover, and Potsdam certainly is one of them.

That said, however, I would add that there are limits to what I would find enjoyable as a day trip. Of course you can do places like Hamburg or the Harz as day trips, but for my taste, those are too far away for travel time and enjoyment time to be in good proportion. If you want to do Hamburg, get a hotel there for two or three nights at least. Same thing for the Harz.

I personally love visiting cities, but after a week in a big city I really yearn for some nature and outdoors. If you happen to feel the same way, you might want to think about spending a couple of days in the Harz, the Elbsandsteingebirge, the Müritz National Park, or near the Baltic Sea.

It's not too long. Berlin is a great place to stay for an extended time. Potsdam, Leipzig, Wittenberg, and possibly Magdeburg make good day trips from Berlin. However, I think I would spend at least a couple of nights in Hamburg, not just do it as a day trip from Berlin.

I would enjoy 3 weeks jn Berlin if I mixed it up with day-trips. For one nature break I recommend the Spreewald, doable as a day-trip. You can walk around the marshy area and/or take a boat ride. The town of Lubbenau is quite picturesque.

The historic university city of Erfurt is gorgeous and about 2 hours from Berlin. That's a bit long for a day-trip, and it's a place where 2 or 3 nights would be good for both seeing the city and taking short excursions to Weimar, Buchenwald and Eisenach. There are a lot of Luther sights in that area. But with an early start you could see a lot of Erfurt in a day.

There's one morning rail connection that would get you to Schwerin in about 2 hours. There's a castle (with gardens) in the middle of a small artificial lake, plus another beautiful old town. This area can be substantially cooler than Berlin in mid-summer, which I really appreciated.

No, it isn't too long, you just have to find a good guide book that mentions some less known places away from the centre too, like Köpenick castle (nice museum), the Gardens of the World, or the Botanical Garden.

Usually people also spend just one day in Potsdam, and visit just Sanssouci, but the city offers easily enough for two or three days. Renting a bike and exploring all the other royal parks and the posh neighborhoods around the famous Spy Bridge is highly recommended. Other nice day trips are Wittenberg (Luther), Schwerin (fairytale castle and beautiful old town surrounded by lakes), Tangermünde (medieval hidden gem), Leipzig (Bach), Dresden, Erfurt or the Spreewald.

Speaking of the Spreewald: just like Anna I need to get out of big cities after some days, and with three weeks available consider some days outside of Berlin. The Spreewald and the Baltic coast are two favorites of the locals (which means weekends can be crowded). The Spreewald is a region in which the river Spree meanders in thousands of small waterways through meadows and forests. A very slow and relaxing area, where you can rent a canoe and enjoy nature.
The Baltic coast offers both nature and culture. Four towns there are World Heritage Sites, and many seaside resorts preserved their beautiful 19th century spa architecture and offer white sand beaches.
What you defenitely shouldn't miss however is Quedlinburg, a town like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which you probably know, but bigger and without the tourist hordes. A real medieval gem, with more than 1.000 half-timbered houses, and a World Heritage Site. It's possible to see the town on a day trip (there are direct trains on weekends), but it takes 3 hours to get there. You can also spend a few days in the area and explore equally beautiful towns like Wernigerode or Goslar (also a World Heritage Site), or take a steam train up to the Brocken, Northern Germanys highest mountain.

Immerse yourself in Berlin; better to stay 3 weeks than 1 or 2 nights. Enjoy day trips -- it's so easy from Berlin. Go on day bike rides. Spend a Sunday afternoon on a lake with locals. You mentioned a day trip to Hamburg. I would NOT do that. You'll rush through Hamburg as you spend most of your time on the train.

Hi,

Outside of Potsdam and Babelsberg as day trips, once or twice, you can stay the entire three weeks in Berlin, numerous places and sights to see in the city, only depends which ones you're willing to track down...Spandau, Köpenick, Pankow, Wannsee, Karlshorst, the river cruises in Berlin and in Potsdam on the Havel, Mitte, etc,etc.

Last June I spent two weeks in Berlin, booked 14 consecutive nights at the Pension. If you want to include a couple of day trips, numerous towns can be chosen from whichever direction....Halle an der Saale, Magdeburg, Weimar, Neustrelitz, Leipzig, etc. A day trip to Hamburg is very doable using the ICE connections.