Around Berlin

Berlin is fabulous, and you'll certainly want to spend quite a bit of time there, but don't forget to earmark a day (or two or three) for the surrounding state of Brandenburg. A land shaped by lakes, canals and waterways, large swathes of it are protected as biosphere preserves and nature parks, creating a delightful escape from the urban hustle for Berliners and visitors.

Culture lovers, too, will be rewarded. Headlining the list of discoveries is the drop-dead-gorgeous park and palace of Sanssouci (the 'German Versailles') in Potsdam, a mere half-hour train ride from central Berlin. The Spreewald, one of Germany's most unique landscapes, is home to the indigenous Sorb ethnic minority, who cling to ancient customs and traditions in handsome remote hamlets. A sobering antidote to all that splendour – and no less important or memorable – is the Nazi-era concentration camp at Sachsenhausen, north of Berlin.

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Around Berlin.

  • Palace

    Schloss & Park Sanssouci

    This glorious park and palace ensemble is what happens when a king has good taste, plenty of cash and access to the finest architects and artists of the…

  • Palace

    Schloss Sanssouci

    Frederick the Great's famous summer palace, this rococo gem was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff in 1747 and sits daintily above vine-draped…

  • Memorial

    Gedenkstätte und Museum Sachsenhausen

    About 35km north of Berlin, Sachsenhausen was built by prisoners and opened in 1936 as a prototype for other camps. By 1945, some 200,000 people had…

  • Castle

    Zitadelle Spandau

    The 16th-century Spandau Citadel, on a little island in the Havel River, is considered one of the world’s best-preserved Renaissance fortresses. With its…

  • Museum

    Museum Barberini

    The original Barberini Palace was a baroque Roman palazzo commissioned by Frederick the Great and bombed to bits in World War II. Since January 2017, a…

  • Historic Building

    Chinesisches Haus

    The 18th-century fad for the Far East is strongly reflected in the adorable Chinese House. The cloverleaf-shaped pavilion is among the park's most…

  • Museum

    Freilandmuseum Lehde

    In the protected village of Lehde, this cluster of historical Sorb farm buildings gives you a good sense of what rural life in the Spreewald was like a…

  • Square

    Alter Markt

    Halfway between the Hauptbahnhof and the Altstadt, the Alter Markt is the site where Potsdam's settlement began. Under Frederick the Great, it evolved…

  • Gallery

    Brücke-Museum

    In 1905 Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Erich Heckel and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner founded Germany’s first modern-artist group, called Die Brücke (The Bridge)…

  • Palace

    Neues Palais

    The final palace commissioned by Frederick the Great, the Neues Palais has made-to-impress dimensions, a central dome and a lavish exterior capped with a…

  • Park

    Park Sanssouci

    Park Sanssouci is the oldest and most resplendent of Potsdam's many green patches. It's open from dawn til dusk year-round and is dotted with numerous…

  • Palace

    Park & Schloss Branitz

    A highlight of a visit to Cottbus is this palace-and-park ensemble, which stems from the feverish brow of Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau (1785–1871) –…

  • Memorial

    Memorial Leistikowstrasse (KGB Prison)

    Now a memorial site, Potsdam's central remand prison for Soviet Counter Intelligence – colloquially known as 'KGB prison' – is a particularly sinister…

  • Palace

    Schloss Glienicke

    Glienicke Palace is the result of a rich royal kid travelling to Italy and falling in love with the country. Prince Carl of Prussia (1801–83) was only 21…

  • Park

    Pfaueninsel

    'Back to nature' was the dictum in the 18th century, so Friedrich Wilhelm II had this little Havel island turned into an idyllic playground, perfect for…

  • Palace

    Schloss Köpenick

    Berlin's only surviving baroque palace, on a little island off the Altstadt, houses a branch of Berlin's Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts)…

  • Museum

    Liebermann-Villa am Wannsee

    This lovely villa was the summer retreat of German impressionist painter and Berliner Secession founder Max Liebermann from 1909 until his death in 1935…

  • Memorial

    Haus der Wannsee-Konferenz

    In January 1942 a group of 15 high-ranking Nazi officials met in a stately villa near Lake Wannsee to hammer out details of the ‘Final Solution’, the…

  • Historic Site

    Kloster Chorin

    A popular day trip from Berlin, this romantically ruined monastery near a little lake and surrounded by a lush park was built by Cistercian monks in the…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Around Berlin.

  • Activities