I will be in Berlin for 8 days and will have my home base in Berlin. Please recommend 2 must go to places for a day trip. Either via train or car is fine. I was thinking of baden-baden but it looks far on the map. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Baden Baden is WAY too far - more than 6 hours.

Look into Potsdam (a really short trip), Dresden (about 2 hours), and Lubbenau (Spreewald - about 1.5 hours).

That would give you a good mix of regality, culture, and a unique natural cultural environment, roughly in that order.

Hi Haras.

My two choices would be Hamburg and Dresden. Leipzig would be my third. I would take the train to Hamburg. (Potsdam is so close that I wouldn't call it a day trip.)

It's not what I'd call a "must see" but Goslar is a lovely small town located in the Harz Mountains, about a 3 hour drive to the west and I'd say Dresden would definitely be doable as a day trip from Berlin.

I also agree that Potsdam is so close, calling it a day trip would be like calling the Vatican a day trip from Rome, so to speak. The "Final Solution" house (link below) is located in Wannsee which isn't far from Potsdam... and both would be worth a visit.

Tschüss

http://www.ghwk.de/engl/kopfengl.htm

I second Dutch's recommendation for Hamburg and Leipzig because they are about 90 minute by train from Berlin. Both cities can be appreciated/enjoyed in one day.
I love Dresden too but it is more than a two hour train ride from Berlin and there are so much to see that you must stay at least one night. Dresden can be a base on itself as there's a lot to see in the surrounding areas as well.

I think Potsdam also makes a good easy daytrip. There are enough to see in one day from the New Palace, Sans Souci, the huge garden to the Dutch Quarter.

Potsdam is a must and, as a suburb, it is practically part of Berlin. The train ride from Berlin is 23 min.

A nice option for a daytrip is Schwerin which has a gorgeous castle (1:43 by train):

http://www.schloss-schwerin.de/schwe...hwerineng.html

Another option is renting a car and driving through Mecklenburg (nice scenery, lots of lakes and zillions of castles - one more beautiful than the other: Güstrow, Ludwigslust, Schlitz..).

Dresden is spectacular and certainly worth a daytrip from Berlin (2:06). Yes, it deserves a longer stay, but one day will give you an impression.

Hamburg is 1:33 from Berlin, also a city which deserves a longer stay.

If you want to go on the romantic side, a daytrip by car to the Harz might be interesting: Wernigerode, Quedlinburg...

I agree with traveler

My first choice would be Potsdam. Too close to skip.

My second choice would be Schwerin. I think it has the most beautiful castle in Germany. Be sure to take the tour if you go.

I just returned from Dresden. Although it certainly deserves more than a day, rain or shine, there's lots to do and see and is a part of Germany well worth experiencing.

and more - Sachenhausen, just north of Berlin in old DDR is a so-so town but with a former Concentration Camp that is now a moving memorial - the old camp is still there and enough buildings remain to remind us of the grim brutal Nazi era.

Potsdam is a must but with 6 days in Berlin i'd consider it a part of Berlin

Dresden is fantastic IMO

Lutherstadt-Wittenberge is about an hour by train or road south of Berlin - neat old town reeking of Luther artifacts and history

I loved Lubenau - go there to take the punt boats that a beer-bellied German propels through a series of interesting canals - very popular with Germans - the boat i was on most were drinking beer and Schnapps the whole way and the boat even stops at a pub - do some research on it

Schwerin has a great castle on a lake and is a neat old town as well.

I took a day trip to Poland - just for a quick look at Poland - about an hour away by train - probably would not drive into Poland however without checking whether it's advisable

wow...thanks to all for all the great recommendations! I can't wait for the weekend so I can spend all day researching these areas. I've never been to a castle, so I'm definitely going to hit one of those during our trip. I vaguely remember a boat ride in Berlin...is that something we should check out? Also, my DH loves poker so I wanted to find out if there are any casinos where they have poker? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

Judging from this thread, you can just tell how many Fodorites are excited about Berlin (myself included). Here's a link for the Berlin boat rides:
http://tinyurl.com/6pcjjc

Dax,

Yes...I can tell it's a popular and loved city! My husband was born there and went to visit every summer break until the age of 16, until his grandmother came to the states which was when that came to a halt. He and his mother (my MIL) haven't been back since before the wall came down, so this is a very exciting trip for us. They've never been to the east side, so when I mentioned possibly staying in Mitte, or another area in the East, they can't fathom the thought!

I know so much has changed in Berlin in the past 20 odd years and I can't wait to experience the new east along with the old west with them.

Thanks for the link for the boat tour!

In nice weather there are some fine boat trips on the Spree in Berlin - many start on Museum Island and environs and go past the New government buildings and Reichstag, etc. on to Charlottenburg Palace - not a castle but a lovely palace right in the heart of Berlin

But my favorites are on the Wannsee, from just below the Wannssee S-Bahn stop not far from Potsdam - boats scoot all over the Wannssee, stopping at places like Peacock Island (an amazing island - do some research on it) and also boat rides on the Spree in southeastern Berlin at Kopenick, etc.