In addition to the sources mentioned below, information on destinations in Brandenburg, which completely surrounds Berlin, is available from the state tourist office, Reiseland Brandenburg (tel: (0331) 200 4747; website: www.reiseland-brandenburg.de).

For a Half Day

Potsdam: One of the best excursions from Berlin is a visit to Potsdam, with its pleasant main shopping street and Dutch Quarter, as well as the nearby palaces and gardens of Sanssouci, Schloss Cecilienhof and the Babelsberg Film Studios. Potsdam is located approximately 20km (12 miles) from Berlin’s centre and is reachable by S-Bahn S7 or the regional train RE1, both leaving from Bahnhof Zoo. The Potsdam Tourismus GmbH, Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse 5 (tel: (0331) 275 580; website: www.potsdam.de), can provide further information.

Haus der Wannsee Konferenz: The Wannsee Conference House (tel: (030) 805 0010; website: www.ghwk.de) is a place that some Berliners would rather the tourists never see. Nestling in a plush lakeside suburb in the ‘Berlin Riviera’, this Wannsee villa looks innocuous enough. However, those who walk down the pebble-strewn driveway enter the building where leading Nazis gathered with German industrialists to mechanically plan the deaths of millions of Jews. The free exhibition is open daily 1000 to 1800 and best reached by S-Bahn to Bahnhof Wannsee, then bus 114.

For a Whole Day

Spreewald: To the southeast of Berlin lies the nature reserve of the Spreewald (Spree Forest). Some 48,000 hectares (120,000 acres) of forested land interspersed with a labyrinth of 1,000km (621 miles) of waterways marks the headwaters of the Spree River, which flows through Berlin on the way to the sea. This area offers a great opportunity for visitors to get out into nature, either for walks or bicycle rides in the woods or for watersports or boat tours (in punts). The best place to start a tour is from the large harbour in Lübbenau or one of the smaller ones in Lübben or Burg. Spreewald is located 110km (68 miles) on the A13 from Berlin. Regional trains depart hourly from Königs Wusterhausen in southeast Berlin (journey time – 40 minutes) and approximately every two hours from Bahnhof Zoo (journey time – 1 hour 30 minutes) and Ostbahnhof (journey time – 1 hour). Tourismusverband Spreewald, Lindenstrasse 1, Raddusch (tel: (035433) 72299; website: www.spreewald.de), can provide further information.