Great ideas for short trips

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Just get out, switch off and see something new: Discover great destinations with these exciting short trips!

Tip: The destinations presented are suitable for both day trips and trips lasting several days.

Short trips around Berlin

Our beautiful capital Berlin has a wonderful surrounding area to offer, where you can discover a lot of places. We present two great destinations for short trips and an insider tip.

#1 Spreewald

With the Spreewald (Spree Forest), a magnificent natural and cultural landscape stretches out before the gates of Berlin. Hikes, bike tours, canoe trips: In the Spreewald all this is possible, even romantic gondola rides. What is especially nice is that the Spreewald is worth visiting at any time of the year. In summer the dense foliage of the trees offers cool shade, in autumn the rich pumpkin harvests and art markets impress, in winter the landscape fascinated again completely new with ice and snow, until nature awakens to new life in spring.

#2 Beelitz-Heilstätten

Once a sanatorium for lung diseases, the Beelitz-Heilstätten (Beelitz Sanatorium) have become one of the most famous lost places. The eventful and sometimes dark past fascinates adventurers and tourists alike, and several documentaries and feature films have been made about the sanatoriums.

Buildings such as the Old Surgery, the former combined heat and power plant and the sanatorium are definitely worth a visit, but since they are ruins, we recommend a professional guided tour, where you will also learn a lot of exciting background knowledge about this historic place. A special highlight here is the treetop path, which winds through the railing at a height of up to 23 meters.

Lost Places Extra Tip

Do you like historical lost places like the Heilstätten in Beelitz? Then we recommend Teufelsberg in Berlin for a day trip. During the Cold War, the U.S. military operated a listening and flight surveillance station here. Urban art has long since emerged from the relics of that time, and you’ll also find a downhill trail on the mountain and lots of exciting historical information.

Short trips around Bonn

You want to get out of the big city? Then the surroundings of Bonn offer perfect opportunities.

#1 Drachenfels

The Rhine Cycle Route stretches from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea over 1,391 kilometers. Don’t worry, that’s way too much for a short trip, of course. But part of the Rhine Cycle Path is ideal for getting a great view of the Drachenfels in the Siebengebirge.

On the way there, you’ll have the opportunity to pay a visit to the Nibelungen Hall and Drachenburg Castle. In addition, you’ll be driving along the Rhine almost the entire time, so you’ll get to enjoy nature and culture in equal measure.

#2 Skywalk Rabenlay

Feel like Luke Skywalker for once and … wait, the 24 square meter Skywalk Rabenlay viewing platform has nothing to do with Star Wars. But with a fantastic wide and deep view of Bonn on the Rabenlay mountain.

Online, the travel community recommends enjoying the vantage point in good weather with sunshine. But even on a starry night, the sky above the skywalk, which opened in 2017, shows itself in unforgettable beauty. And who knows: Maybe you’ll see Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing light up on such a night?

Short trips around Kaiserslautern

If you look at the Barbarossa city of Kaiserslautern on the map, you will quickly recognize its favorable location. At the gates of Kaiserslautern, the Palatinate Forest to the south and a more than 100-year-old tunnel to the west are waiting to be discovered by you.

#1 Pfälzerwald

The Pfälzerwald (Palatinate Forest) offers fascinating landscapes and cultural monuments that are great to explore with a hiking backpack as well as with a mountain bike. The Palatinate Forest is especially famous for the Karlstal Gorge, Berwartstein Castle, Hambach Castle and Orenfels with an excellent viewpoint.

#2 Over 100 years old tunnel

Anyone who has ever passed through this tunnel, which is over 100 years old, on a hot summer day will remember the experience. In the past, an old railroad line passed through here, but today cyclists and hikers cross the cool, almost cold illuminated tunnel. But this is not the only highlight: in the immediate vicinity there are other great spots such as the Ohmbachsee as part of the “Pfälzer Seentour” and the old railroad line. A water treading pool provides refreshment for the feet on this short trip.

Short trips around Leipzig

The “secret capital of Saxony,” as Leipzig is known behind closed doors, is a great place to live. Also and especially because natural highlights have developed around the city over the decades.

#1 Leipziger Neuseenland

During the GDR era, there was a lot of lignite mining in the Leipzig region. When open-cast mining was discontinued, the question arose in landscape planning at the time: What to do with the gigantic holes in the ground?

They were flooded, creating the so-called Leipziger Neuseenland, which includes Lake Cospuden (“Cossi”), Lake Hainer, Lake Markkleeberg, Lake Kulkwitz and many others. For the first exploration of the Leipzig Neuseenland we recommend as a destination the Cospudener See, which is not even 5 kilometers away from our apartment house.

#2 Halle

Compared to Leipzig, Halle does not have a particularly good reputation. Unjustly so! The city on the Saale River is considered a cultural center in Central Germany with the municipal theater, the opera house, the art museum Moritzburg Halle and numerous other institutions. Striking sights are also the Red Tower, the Halle Cathedral, the Botanical Garden and the zoo.

In addition, Halle had several hip clubs, such as the dance bar Palette or the club Drushba. Halle is also a university town, where many young people live, similar to Leipzig.

Short trips around Nuremberg

Located north in Bavaria – and yes, strictly speaking in Middle Franconia – is Nuremberg, one of the most beautiful and diverse cities in Germany. If you’re wondering why Franconia is in Bavaria and why there are such vast differences … you’d better ask a local (Lower, Middle or Upper) Franconian. We give you here in this article great short trip tips for the region around!

#1 Schwarzachklamm

Schwarzachklamm is one of the most beautiful so-called geotypes and is located directly near Nuremberg. Follow the course of the Schwarzach River and discover the region, which has been under nature protection since 1936. Over millions of years, the Schwarzach has washed geographic formations into the sandstone, which look impressive and are worth at least one visit.

#2 Beer hike Fränkische Schweiz

Over the centuries, a beer brewing culture has established itself in the Fränkische Schweiz (Franconian Switzerland), a hilly and mountainous landscape in Upper Franconia. 69 breweries in the region brew Franconian beer of various kinds and are happy to welcome hikers who want to combine the pleasure of beer with a beer hike or walk. The great thing is that you can put together your own route for the beer hike according to your mood and include overnight accommodations.