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TRAVEL NEWS

Nine of the best day trips from Berlin with the €49 ticket

As of May 1st, it's been possible to use the €49 monthly travel card around Germany. Now you can get ready to explore some new destinations on a day trip from the German capital.

Published: 26 May 2022 17:13 CEST
Updated: 10 May 2023 09:45 CEST
A boy jumps from a tower at the lido in Buckow into the water of Schermützelsee.
A boy jumps from a tower at the lido in Buckow into the water of Schermützelsee. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Patrick Pleul

The €49 monthly travel card will enable travellers to explore Germany via its regional trains for a fraction of the usual price and you may be amazed how far you can go with a regional train.

Here are our top nine destinations which you can reach with the travel card on a day trip from Berlin (though there are many, many more!). Keep in mind that you can’t use long-distance services (like the ICE) with the ticket. 

READ ALSO: Reader Question: Can I still get Germany’s €49 travel ticket for May?

Wittenberg (Lutherstadt)

View of the town hall and the town church of Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

View of the town hall and the town church of Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Peter Endig

Take the regional RE3 train from Berlin Central Station and, in less than an hour and a half, you’ll find yourself in the world-famous city of Wittenberg in Saxony-Anhalt.

The so-called Lutherstadt was the home of reformist priest Martin Luther for over 40 years and is home to the Stadtkirche where legend has it, he posted his 95 theses in 1517.

The city has many very well-preserved historical landmarks, including the Luther House and the Castle Church, which are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The city is also full of medieval alleyways and open streams, making it a perfect destination to explore on a summer’s day. 

Stralsund

An aerial view of the historic city of Stralsund.

An aerial view of the historic city of Stralsund. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Stefan Sauer

Amazingly, the €49 monthly ticket will even get you all the way to Stralsund on Germany’s northern coast. If you take the RE3 from Berlin Central Station in the morning, you will get there in just over three hours and have time to explore the city in a day before hopping on the same train back in the evening.

The Hanseatic city on the Baltic coast is full of treasures, including its UNESCO World Heritage Old Town, the 17th century St. Mary’s Church, and its futuristic Ozeaneum Natural History Museum.

Cottbus

Branitz Palace in Cottbus.

Branitz Palace in Cottbus. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Patrick Pleul

From Berlin Ostkreuz you can take the RE2 and in just over an hour you’ll be in the eastern city of Cottbus.

With a historic old town, medieval city walls, towers, and gates, the second-largest city in Brandenburg is a perfect destination for a summer day trip.

A particular highlight is the Baroque Branitz Palace, built in the 18th century and nestled in the grounds of the English-style Branitzer park.

Beelitz-Heilstätten

View of the tree-top walk on the grounds of the Beelitz Heilstätten in Beelitz.

View of the tree-top walk on the grounds of the Beelitz Heilstätten in Beelitz. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Patrick Pleul

For an alternative kind of day trip, take the RE7 in the direction of Dessau and get off at the station Beelitz – Heilstätten. After a five-minute walk, you will reach the entrance to a unique tourist attraction.

The old sanatorium in Beelitz-Heilstätten consists of 60 listed buildings that were abandoned for years. Now, the area has been adapted for tourism and, as well as being able to wander around the spooky buildings, visitors can take a 320-meter-long treetop path 20 metres above the forest floor.

Amid the unusual architecture and decay of the sanatoriums, you may recognise some locations of famous films, including The Pianist and Operation Valkyrie.

READ ALSO: Weekend Wanderlust: How to travel the world without leaving Germany

Waren (Müritz)

The harbour of Waren an der Müritz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The harbour of Waren an der Müritz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Bernd Wüstneck

Taking the RE5 from Berlin central station, you will arrive at the city of Waren (Müritz) in the heart of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania lake district in an hour and forty-five minutes.

In the historic town centre, there are plenty of restaurants, cafes and bars, and several shopping streets, and the harbour offers lovely views over the water in the summer.

The city’s Müritzeum is also worth a visit, as it features the largest freshwater aquarium for native fish in Germany, as well as an interactive, multimedia exhibition on the nature of the Müritz region.

The city is on the doorstep of the Müritz National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), which, with its 1,117 interconnected lakes, is the largest water sports area in Europe.

READ ALSO: Germany’s favourite spots for a short staycation

Chorin Monastery

Aerial view of Chorin Monastery in Brandenburg.

Aerial view of Chorin Monastery in Brandenburg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Patrick Pleul

In the middle of the Schorfheide-Chorin Reserve north of Eberswalde, lies the historic Chorin Monastery, an old Cistercian monastery. The architecture is amazing and the fantastic surroundings full of lakes and forests make it a popular destination for a day trip from Berlin. It also hosts regular cultural events, such as theatre performances or concerts.

You’ll need just under an hour and a half to get there, taking the RB24 from Berlin Lichtenberg, followed by the RB63 from Eberswalde Hauptbahnhof, and then the 912 bus from Britz.

Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island)

Peacock Island Palace on the eponymous Peacock Island in the Havel River.

Peacock Island Palace on the eponymous Peacock Island in the Havel River. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bernd Settnik

From Berlin Central Station, take the RE1 and a short bus ride to Pfaueninsel and, in just over half an hour, you’ll find yourself on the fairytale Peacock Island.  The island, which is about 1.5 kilometres long and half a kilometre wide, gets its name from its free-ranging peacocks on the island.

The island’s castle was built from 1794 to 1797 and was the former summer residence of the German royal family.

Lübbenau Spreewald

A house in the Spreewald is reflected in the water of a stream.

A house in the Spreewald is reflected in the water of a stream. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Patrick Pleul

The Spreewald in southeastern Brandenburg is a classic destination for excursions from Berlin. The RE2 from Ostkreuz station will get you to the town of Lübbenau in just under an hour.

The dense green region is a cultural historic landscape and is full of forks of the Spree River which can be explored by canoe. Don’t forget to try the original Spreewald gherkins while you’re there!

Buckow

The Schermützelsee in Buckow.

The Schermützelsee in Buckow. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Patrick Pleul

Surrounded by deep valleys, gorges and turquoise lakes is the town of Buckow in the Märkische Schweiz Nature Park.

The lakes are very inviting, especially in the summer, but there are plenty of cultural and sporting activities on offer too. Also worth a visit is the summer house of playwright Bertolt Brecht.

You’ll need just over an hour to get there, taking the RB26 from Berlin Lichtenberg, followed by the 928 bus from Müncheberg.

Don’t forget: The €49 travel card is only valid on regional trains, so make sure you stick to those with an RE or RB prefix!

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For members

EES PASSPORT CHECKS

How will the new app for Europe’s EES border system work?

With Europe set to introduce its new Entry/Exit biometric border system (EES) in the autumn there has been much talk about the importance of a new app designed to help avoid delays. But how will it work and when will it be ready?

Published: 7 May 2024 10:29 CEST
How will the new app for Europe's EES border system work?

When it comes into force the EU’s new digital border system known as EES will register the millions of annual entries and exits of non-EU citizens travelling to the EU/Schengen area, which will cover 29 European countries.

Under the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), non-EU residents who do not require a visa will have to register their biometric data in a database that will also capture each time they cross an external Schengen border.

Passports will no longer be manually stamped, but will be scanned. However, biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images will have to be registered in front of a guard when the non-EU traveller first crosses in to the EU/Schengen area.

Naturally there are concerns the extra time needed for this initial registration will cause long queues and tailbacks at the border.

To help alleviate those likely queues and prevent the subsequent frustration felt by travellers the EU is developing a new smartphone app.

READ ALSO: What will the EES passport system mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The importance of having a working app was summed up by Uku Särekanno, Deputy Executive Director of the EU border agency Frontex in a recent interview.

“Initially, the challenge with the EES will come down to the fact that travellers arriving in Europe will have to have their biographic and biometric data registered in the system – border guards will have to register four of their fingerprints and their facial image. This process will take time, and every second really matters at border crossing points – nobody wants to be stuck in a lengthy queue after a long trip.”

But there is confusion around what the app will actually be able to do, if it will help avoid delays and importantly when will it be available?

So here’s what we know so far.

Who is developing the app?

The EU border agency Frontex is currently developing the app. More precisely, Frontex is developing the back-end part of the app, which will be made available to Schengen countries.

“Frontex is currently developing a prototype of an app that will help speed up this process and allow travellers to share some of the information in advance. This is something we are working on to support the member states, although there is no legal requirement for us to do so,” Uku Särekanno said in the interview.

Will the 29 EES countries be forced to use the app?

No, it is understood that Frontex will make the app available on a voluntary basis. Each government will then decide if, when and where to use it, and develop the front-end part based on its own needs.

This point emerged at a meeting of the House of Commons European scrutiny committee, which is carrying out an inquiry on how EES will impact the UK.

What data will be registered via the app?

The Local asked the European Commission about this. A spokesperson however, said the Commission was not “in a position to disclose further information at this stage” but that travellers’ personal data “will be processed in compliance with the high data security and data protection standards set by EU legislation.”

According to the blog by Matthias Monroy, editor of the German civil rights journal Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP the Frontex app will collect passengers’ name, date of birth, passport number, planned destination and length of stay, reason for travelling, the amount of cash they carry, the availability of a credit card and of a travel health insurance. The app could also allow to take facial images. It will then generate a QR code that travellers can present at border control.

This, however, does not change the fact that fingerprints and facial images will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing into the Schengen area.

So given the need to register finger prints and facial images with a border guard, the question is how and if the app will help avoid those border queues?

When is the app going to be available?

The answer to perhaps the most important question is still unclear.

The Commissions spokesperson told The Local that the app “will be made available for Schengen countries as from the Entry/Exit System start of operations.” The planned launch date is currently October 6th, but there have been several delays in the past and may be another one.

The UK parliamentary committee heard that the prototype of the app should have been ready for EU member states in spring. Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the UK Department for Transport, said the app will not be available for testing until August “at best” and that the app will not be ready in time for October. The committee previously stated that the app might even be delayed until summer 2025.

Frontex’s Särekanno said in his interview: “Our aim is to have it ready by the end of the summer, so it can then be gradually integrated into national systems starting from early autumn”.

READ ALSO: How do the EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Can the system be launched if the app is not ready?

Yes. The European Commission told The Local that “the availability of the mobile application is not a condition for the Entry/Exit System entry into operation or functioning of the system. The app is only a tool for pre-registration of certain types of data and the system can operate without this pre-registration.”

In addition, “the integration of this app at national level is to be decided by each Schengen country on a voluntary basis – as there is no legal obligation to make use of the app.”

And the UK’s transport under secretary Guy Opperman sounded a note of caution saying the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

When the app will be in use, will it be mandatory for travellers?

There is no indication that the app will become mandatory for those non-EU travellers who need to register for EES. But there will probably be advantages in using it, such as getting access to faster lanes.

As a reminder, non-EU citizens who are resident in the EU are excluded from the EES, as are those with dual nationality for a country using EES. Irish nationals are also exempt even though Ireland will not be using EES because it is not in the Schengen area.

Has the app been tested anywhere yet?

Frontex says the prototype of the app will be tested at Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport, in Sweden. Matthias Monroy’s website said it was tested last year at Munich Airport in Germany, as well as in Bulgaria and Gibraltar.

According to the German Federal Police, the blog reports, passengers were satisfied and felt “prepared for border control”.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

 
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