East Germany

[sonjadog]

My partner and I want to go to East Germany on holiday this year. I am interested in any recommendations posters might have. We will get mostly train but can hire a car if needed. We like historical places, interesting architecture, walking in nature, sitting in cafés and drinking coffee and eating cake. We like to get out and see things on holiday, we are not keen on sitting around on beaches. Also, we aren't adventure sport people.

Any ideas? I am reading a bit online but not finding much that makes me think "yes, I really want to go there!". We'll probably arrive in Kiel or Hamburg and return out of Munich.

Why have you picked East Germany; do you have a specific interest you want to follow up?

We have been along the coast as far as Greifswald, which is a lovely university town where many painters were based.

Leipzig and Dresden both amazing cities we loved spending time in.

I know it is a bit of an odd choice! It is my partner who really wants to go there. He loves Germany and we have been to the west and north already. I would quite like to go to the south (I have been there a few times and have good memories), but he wants to try the east. I don't mind that much so am happy to go to the east if we can find enough interesting things to do. If not, I will make a push for the south!

If you're going from Hamburg to Munich via East Germany, I agree that Dresden and Leipzig are amazing. You could also stop off in Nürnberg on the way to Munich.

Yes you will have an amazing time. Hamburg is a busy city with some gritty industrial bits but I love it. Don't miss the Elbphilharmonie. You can also easily do a day trip on the train to Lübeck (or stay there) which is a beautiful small mediaeval city.

Leipzig has music heritage - Bach's church for example - and Dresden has tonnes of heart and history plus a great funicular and suspension railway and the Danube.

Thanks! I was looking at Lübeck as a possibility. I am also quite interested in visiting Prora. We are both history interested, so I think it would be a memorable place to visit. Anyone been there?

Rügen! I lived there in the 80s/90s and have been back since. It’s really beautiful with some breathtaking nature walks. Of course, it also has interesting history too, including Prora as you mentioned, but not just that.

Rügen does sound good. I was looking at the map now and thinking maybe we could end up in Poland instead of Munich. Have any of you been to interesting places in Northern Poland?

Leipzig and Dresden definitely. Also Weimar (Goethe/literature) and Jena (traditional university city - there's a lovely hill just outside that's a steep but short walk up, great views). Dessau, if you're into architecture (Bauhaus)? The Mecklenburger Seenplatte is supposed to be lovely. And the Spreewald is very beautiful, although very crowded in good weather and notorious for its midges...

I really like East Germany and think it's underrated for holidays. Hamburg and Munich are cool destinations too.
I would start in Rostock and the seaside town of Warnemunde, then I'd get train to Berlin and enjoy about 3 cultural days there. From there, I'd visit Leipzig and soak up some art, beers and cafe culture. There are some nice lakes nearby. You can go to the Harz railway from here, it's very charming. I'd then go on to Dresden to see the sights, Saeachisscher Scweiz and an Elbe cruise. Erfurt and Weimar are interesting places too.
I think you'll have a varied and fun trip!

As you mention Poland there is a cute town called Goerlitz in Saxony where you can cross over into Poland :)

Magdeburg, Halle and the surrounding areas are interesting. We stumbled across Bernburg last summer and spent a couple of days there in what was meant to be just an overnight stop.

Obviously once a very wealthy and important place, with a big castle and lots of old merchants' houses, but almost a ghost town. At one point we'd been walking around the castle and old town area and I don't think we'd seen a dozen people in the previous hour. We had the castle to ourselves.

Neither Hamburg nor Munich are "Eastern Germany " or what used to be...

But Thuringia with its forrest and the Cities od Erfurt, Weimar and Gotha are really interesting and worth a visit.

Plenty of German/ European history to discover.

Rugen is beautiful, gorgeous beaches and other nature trails to walk or cycle on, a steam train to travel on, the very strange and very atmospheric Prora to visit and a really gorgeous prom to stroll in Binz where we based ourselves. We were there ten years ago, did a week there in an apartment and 5 nights in Berlin and it was one of the best holidays ever. But youve probably been to Berlin (although it merits multiple visits!). Germany is such an under rated place to holiday in, I love it.

Goerlitz is amazing with a phenomenal history. Google it.

Do you want a road trip or a fixed place and then travel from Hamburg to it and then to Munich to return?

Any possibility to fly to Berlin instead? Unless you want the Baltic Sea, Hamburg is quite a distance away from what I call East Germany. Kiel is even further away.

Rügen, Schwerin, Rostock, Wismar
Mecklenburger Seenplatte - basically a Lake District
Spreewald - south of Berlin
Harz - if you like hiking
Thüringer Wald - again good for hiking
Dresden
Leipzig

I would recommend a car hire.

Of the larger cities, you certainly could do an itinerary including Poznan and Gdansk. The latter particularly interesting as it was one of the cities - like Warsaw - very much destroyed during WWII and rebuilt to the original plans. If you go by train, then Berlin to Poznan to Warsaw is an option with a detour to Toruń.

Lived in Hamburg and visited the East.
Hamburg is a great city with lots to see. Lubeck is awesome and maybe stay at Timmendorfer Strand. You can take a train to the East via Berlin so that may be a great way to go.
Dresden is great and lots to see. Feels like do three or 4 places - Hamburg, Lubeck, Berlin, Dresden/Chemnitz/Leipzig but any one or two work also.
From Hamburg I also visited Sylt and thought it amazing but it is the other direction.

East Hamburg I know nothing about. I will check it out. Berlin is great, but my partner has been there loads of time and I am trying to find something a bit new for both of us. But he loves Berlin so probably would be very happy with a few days there. I have only been once so there is a lot there I haven't seen. Lübeck is definitely a possibility, also Dresden and Gdansk. Nürnberg was actually the first place we went on holiday together! I will check out the other places mentioned. Thanks!

Looking for a road trip kind of thing and happy to change accommodation as we go along. We travel light. I think a combination of train and car hire would be good. We both love train travel and the German ICE trains are kinda fun to take when they get the speed up. But I think car hire at least for a few days is also a good idea. My partner is less convinced about it, but I am the driver and he just has to sit there, so I think he can be persuaded if I want to do it.

We don't have to arrive in Kiel or Hamburg, but it means we can take the ferry or train down to Germany. We are based in Norway. Flights are an option if that suits our itinerary better.

Sorry - There is a full stop between East and Hamburg :-)
Enjoy Hamburg, it is a great City.

How long can you take for your trip and are you planning to travel at a certain time of the year?

We went from Berlin to Prague via Leipzig and Dresden a few years ago. Loved it! We went to Colditz from Leipzig, which was really interesting. There was a lot to see around Dresden as well, depending on what you were interested in. Beautiful city.

Going for about 7-10 days, early July.

I hadn’t thought of Colditz. Will check it out…