Brandenburg

Day Trips

Begin your day with a guided tour of Sanssouci Palace, marveling at its rococo architecture and perfectly manicured terraces. Wander through the terraced vineyards and lush gardens, pausing to enjoy panoramic views over Potsdam. Learn about Frederick the Great’s legacy as you explore the intimate chambers and hidden pavilions.

Head to the Neuer Garten to visit Cecilienhof Palace, site of the 1945 Potsdam Conference, and stroll lakeside paths under towering pines. Stop at the palace café for a light lunch of traditional German open-faced sandwiches. Continue on to Babelsberg Park to admire Gothic Revival follies and sweeping views of the Havel River.

Return to the Dutch Quarter for dinner in a cozy brick building serving regional dishes like Brandenburg goat cheese salad. Sample a local craft beer while watching the warm glow of lantern-lit streets. Finish the evening with a moonlit walk along the riverbank, reflecting on centuries of history under starry skies.

Set off early with a local guide from Lübbenau to paddle a traditional wooden canoe through the maze of verdant waterways. Listen for kingfishers darting across the calm channels and watch water lilies drift by. Pause at a shaded bank to sample fresh rye bread and quark.

Disembark for a cycling tour of the Spreewald’s reed-fringed paths, stopping at a family-run farm to taste Spreewald gherkins straight from the barrel. Learn about centuries-old irrigation techniques still used by local farmers. Enjoy a riverside picnic of smoked fish and seasonal salad.

Return to Lübbenau’s historic center for dinner at a thatched-roof tavern serving hearty goulash and regional beers. As dusk falls, join a folkloric boatman’s concert, where songs and stories echo across the waterways. End the night under thousands of fireflies dancing among the reeds.

Explore the Baroque Brandenburg Cathedral and climb the bell tower for sweeping views of the Havel River. Wander through narrow cobblestone streets lined with pastel-colored merchants’ houses. Discover the Dominsel archaeological museum’s treasures from Slavic and medieval times.

Visit the Altstädtisches Rathaus and its timber-framed façade, then sample local hearty pea soup at a nearby café. Stroll along the riverside promenades, watching historic barges float by. Head to the Industriemuseum Brandenburg to learn about the city’s ironworks and river trade.

Dine in a vaulted medieval cellar restaurant, savoring roasted game with juniper sauce and a rich plum compote. Attend an open-air medieval reenactment if it’s in season, complete with jesters and minstrels. Conclude the night with a craft beer at a riverside microbrewery.

Travel to the Cistercian Heiligengrabe Abbey and join a monastery-led walking tour of the tranquil cloisters and herb gardens. Admire the rare medieval frescoes in the refectory. Stock up on homemade herbal teas and monastic honey from the abbey shop.

Drive to pristine Kyritz Ruppiner Lake for a lakeside lunch at a rustic beer garden overlooking the water. Rent a paddleboard or rowboat to explore hidden bays fringed with reeds. Relax on a sandy bank, watching white-tailed eagles soar overhead.

Return to the abbey for an outdoor concert held in the courtyard during summer months. Savor a candlelit vegetarian feast crafted by the monks, featuring garden-fresh vegetables and artisanal cheeses. Drift off to the soft toll of the abbey bells at dusk.

Begin your day in Rathenow, famed as Germany’s birthplace of optical instrument making. Tour the Optikpark’s innovative exhibits, peering through historic telescopes and microscopes. Attend a live demonstration of lens grinding in the old factory hall.

Board a traditional passenger boat for a leisurely cruise along the Havel River’s willow-lined banks. Stop at Havelaue Nature Park for a guided birdwatching safari in a pristine floodplain habitat. Enjoy a picnic of artisanal meats and local bread on deck.

Dock at a riverside inn for dinner of grilled trout caught that afternoon. Sample a Riesling from the nearby wine region of Saale-Unstrut while watching the sun dip below the trees. Finish with a peaceful riverside stroll under a canopy of fireflies.

Travel to Fürst Pückler Park Branitz to wander its English landscape gardens and marvel at the colorful pyramids marking Pückler’s tomb. Glide across the mirror-like lake in a rowing boat. Pause at the Chinese house café for a sweet napoleon pastry.

Continue to Cottbus, the cultural heart of Lower Lusatia. Stroll through the Altmarkt Square and browse boutiques selling handwoven Sorbian textiles. Visit the State Museum of Lower Lusatia to delve into regional folklore and history.

Attend a performance at the Cottbus State Theatre, choosing from opera, ballet, or drama. Savor a pre-show dinner of venison stew and dumplings at a nearby bistro. After the performance, enjoy a nightcap in a jazz club tucked away in a restored 19th-century townhouse.

Set off early to Tropical Islands Resort, Europe’s largest indoor waterpark, housed in a former airship hangar. Glide down water slides, drift along a lazy river, and explore the lush indoor rainforest. Relax in a hammock on the white sand beach beside the wave pool.

Try a snorkel tour in the tropical lagoon or join a beach volleyball game. Recharge with a barbecue buffet lunch at the Polynesian-style restaurant overlooking the palm-fringed lagoon. Pamper yourself with a rainforest spa treatment or outdoor sauna.

Dine under twinkling lights in the Bali-themed restaurant serving Southeast Asian specialties. Attend an evening concert in the Summerland event hall or dance the night away at the beach party. Spend the night in a starlit bungalow for an unforgettable tropical experience.

Head to Caputh, where Albert Einstein once summered, and visit his wooden house museum overlooking the lake. Explore the quiet village streets lined with summer cottages and rose gardens. Rent a rowing boat to paddle along the calm waters of Schwielowsee.

Join a guided culinary tour in Caputh, sampling fresh lake fish, smoked in artisanal smokehouses by the shore. Cycle along the lake’s edge through pine forests and past lily-covered bays. Stop at a lakeside café for homemade apple strudel and coffee.

Return to Caputh’s harbor for a sunset cruise, sipping local sparkling wine as pastel skies reflect on the water. Disembark for dinner at a waterside restaurant, feasting on herb-crusted perch. Conclude with a lakeside bonfire, roasting marshmallows under a moonlit sky.

Drive north to Rheinsberg and tour the pastel-pink Rheinsberg Palace, the youthful dream project of Crown Prince Frederick. Wander the lakeside gardens and cross the ornamental bridge to the palace island. Enjoy a cellist’s morning recital in the palace hall.

Take a scenic steamboat across Grienericksee and Schlabornsee, pausing at hidden coves for a lakeside picnic of charcuterie and local cheeses. Rent a paddleboard to explore reed-fringed inlets. Photograph waterfowl and ancient oaks mirrored in the still water.

Dine in a lakeside pavilion lit by lanterns, savoring a dinner of venison goulash and spaetzle. Attend an open-air chamber music concert in summer on the palace terrace. Drift back to your lakeside inn to the sound of lapping waves and nightingales.

Travel east to the sprawling Oderbruch floodplain, a serene mosaic of wetlands, meadows and orchards. Join a horse-drawn wagon ride through the fields, learning about traditional land reclamation. Spot marsh harriers and kingfishers in the glistening waterways.

Stop at a family-run orchard for a farm-to-table lunch featuring plum dumplings and farmhouse bread. Cycle along levees lined with wildflowers, stopping at small villages to meet local artisans crafting ceramics and leather goods. Dip your toes in the Zützen Canal and soak up the peaceful countryside.

Enjoy a rustic farm dinner inside a timber barn, complete with roasted root vegetables and hearty pork roast. Share stories around a bonfire under a sky teeming with stars. Drift to sleep in a cozy farmhouse guest room lulled by cricket song and the scent of woodsmoke.