5 best day trips from Berlin

Berlin's day trips include Potsdam's palaces, the Sachsenhausen memorial, and the Spreewald canals.

How: 30 min S-Bahn Travel time: 30 min When to go: Year-round; gardens loveliest May-Sep

Frederick the Great's rococo summer palace + Cecilienhof (Potsdam Conference)

How: 1h S-Bahn + walk Travel time: 1h When to go: Year-round; closed Mon Oct-Mar

Concentration camp memorial near Oranienburg — sobering, essential

How: 1h 30m train Travel time: 1h 30m When to go: Apr-Oct

UNESCO biosphere — punt through canals like the Dutch but in a forest

How: 2h ICE train Travel time: 2h When to go: Year-round; Christmas markets famous

Baroque Saxon capital + Frauenkirche + Zwinger

How: 45 min ICE Travel time: 45 min When to go: Year-round

Where Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door

Best day trips from Berlin