Weekend getaway

You could take a day trip to the Spreewald. A pole boat trip (Kahnfahrten) and a mid day meal, gets some pickles as this area is famous for them. There are several outdoor museums/museums there too. In the evenings the area sleeps (quiet), so I would not necessarily recommend an overnight, unless you enjoy nature and just want to relax. We stayed in Lübbenau.

http://www.spreewald.de/
https://www.luebbenau-spreewald.com/pages/en/home.php?lang=EN

I like the idea of the Spreewald as I've always wanted to visit there too. I'd suggest that you think about what your interest are and look at a long range (10 day) weather forecast before you decide. If it's warm in September you might consider a resort on the Baltic Sea. If you want to see some of the well preserved older cities of Germany you might take a look at the Harz Mountain area and consider Wernigrode or Quedlinburg. If you like beautiful cities, art and classical music you might consider Dresden. All of these suggestions are within a 1-3h train ride.

Thank you to you both for your suggestions - very helpful.

We did a one-day excursion bus trip to Dresden from Berlin. Dresden is called the Florence on the River Elbe - because of her beautifully restored heritage buildings. The Church of out Lady (Frauenkirche) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We really enjoyed the guided walking tour.

If the long range forecast looks good, a weekend in Binz on Ruegen Island would be a nice getaway. Awesome beach, hiking, eating. :)

Thank you everyone!

I vote for Dresden if you intend this to be a week-end getaway...very doable, time wise and logistically.

Don't visit the Spreewald on a weekend, it will be incredibly crowded!
If you know Rothenburg ob der Tauber and think that's one of Germanys highlights you should see Quedlinburg in the Harz mountains, which is bigger, equally beautiful, less touristy, and a World heritage Site. There is a direct train from Berlin on weekends. If you stay there for more than a night you could see other preserved towns like Goslar (also a World heritage Site) or Wernigerode, or take the steam train up to Northern Germanys highest mountain.
Another popular weekend destination is the Baltic coast, which offers nature, beautiful resorts and several medieval towns that are World Heritage Sites. Best connected to Berlin are Warnemünde and Stralsund. Warnemünde is a suburb of Rostock and a busy seaside resort with a great beach, Stralsund is a beautiful Hanseatic town and a World Heritage Site. From Stralsund you can explore Rügen island, the Darss peninsula and Hiddensee, a car-free island, from Warnmünde you can see Wismar, Schwerin or rent a bike and explore the surroundings.
If you like hiking I highly recommend Saxon Switzerland to the south of Dresdens. These are without a doubt Central Europes most picturesque mountains after the Alps.

I vote for Dresden! A jewel of a city with wonderful sights, history, art museums and a relaxed ambiance. I spent a day and a half there in June 2015 and would love to return.

Judy B

Thank you everyone. Dresden is the winner, but I am passing along all your suggestions to my daughter who will appreciate exploring all the places you discussed. She has many months ahead of her to make that happen.

Your daughter should also check out Görlitz, about 3 hours from Berlin by train (closer to Dresden). Fabulous large and colorful half-timbered historic district and some significant sights as well. That city and Quedlinburg are really special. And the Spreewald is, indeed, a laid-back, different sort of place. Lubbenau has a smallish, cute historic district.

If you want to see the incredible Historic Green Vault in Dresden, be aware that you'll need a timed ticket.