Greetings from California!

We will be driving from Wernigerode to Potsdam/Berlin in early May. I would like to break up the drive for a 1/2 day visit along the way.....maybe even just a couple of hours to stretch our legs. Magdeburg, Wittenberg, Brandenburg an der Havel, and Tangermuende have all caught my eye. We will be at the tail end of our trip and probably tired from celebrating Walpurgisnacht the night before. What's an easy stop to walk, enjoy the sights, and maybe grab a bite to eat? We are avid hikers, so suggestions for a pretty town with a great walk would be appreciated. I am tempted to drive straight through to add 1/2 day to our Potsdam stay, but also want to entertain a stop along the way.

We will have spent several days in Berlin, several in Dresden, and have 2 nights in Potsdam scheduled FYI.

Thank you!

Mafdeburg if you like Hundertwasser:

https://flic.kr/p/XkynLn
Tangermünde for a more traditional tourist venue:

https://flic.kr/p/W4GFUy
They offer free tours of the city core, but only in German.

I would LOVE to see the Hundertwasser building in Magdeburg. This is my friend's first trip to Germany and my 11th-ish....so we are leaning a bit more touristy than I usually do. Hmmm......

I did not think the Hundertwasser house in Magdeburg was very exciting. A quick look and that's it. (But Magdeburg has other excellent sights, of course.)

Another option: Dessau-Wörlitz parks

Truly amazing parks, UNESCO world heritage site. A very nice change of scenery coming from timber-framed old towns in the Harz mountains and going to a city (Potsdam.)

I think I looked at that area. I will take a closer look. Maybe a good option especially if the weather is nice that day.

Thanks!

If Dessau you might be interested in a tour of either the staff housing or the apartment and row house complex for the ordinary folk.

https://flic.kr/p/fm9Ra9 https://flic.kr/p/fm9HJY https://flic.kr/p/fm9Ves

Agree. Dessau offers 2 UNESCO world heritage sites, the Garden Kingdom and Bauhaus school. Both are worthwhile to visit. Might be easier to park at the Woerlitz Park as it is not in the city centre.

Magdeburg is also interesting. It was the city of Otto the Great.

If you have interest in Martin Luther, his 95 theses, his persecution, and where he worked and lived for 35 years there is much to see in Wittenberg, which is on the way to Potsdam but ESE of Magdeburg:
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Wittenberg