STB Contributors share their favourite day trips out of the city…
Bad Saarow: Spa, Lakes & Forest
Bad Saarow is a spa town at the head of the Scharmützelsee lake, and has long been a favourite weekend retreat for Berliners, developing as a tourist resort during the period of rapid industrialisation following the arrival of the railway. To my mind it is the perfect bolthole for anyone who has had their fill of the noise, grime and bustle of the streets and is looking for something completely different, yet within a Friday-night train ride from the city.
The journey from Alexanderplatz takes about an hour, which means you can even head home again on a Monday morning and still make it to work without waking at some ungodly hour. Whilst you are there you can do… well, not that much really. And that’s the beauty of the place, for Bad Saarow is a destination where you can really take your time.
Follow the trails through the woods to find ice age rock formations; take a boat-ride across the lake; stroll past the villas and try and work out which once hosted Soviet generals, Maxim Gorki or the famous German boxer Max Schmeling. Or hit the Therme for some warm mineral bathing…
The last option is perhaps more suited to the colder months, but in the summer the whole of the lake is available for bathing—another reason this sleepy town at the end of the lake is my favourite escape from the city: it doesn’t matter what time of year you arrive, you will be sure to find the stresses and strains of everyday life evaporating within minutes. Paul Scraton
How to get there: Bad Saarow is roughly an hour by train from Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Take the regional express train to Fürstenwalde (Spree), from where you catch the local train to Bad Saarow-Pieskow.
Briesetal: Along The 66-Lake Trail
The Briesetal offers a nice valley walk between S-Bahn stop Birkenwerder and Wensickendorf, where you can take the Heidekrautbahn (a local line north of Berlin) back to S-Bahnhof Karow. Besides the dark forested river valley and a pleasant cemetery in Birkenwerder there’s really nothing in terms of sights, but I really like the almost primeval character of this part of the 66-lake-hike—especially on rainy days when there are almost no other hikers aroun…