🇩🇪 Berlin Day Trip to 🇵🇱 Szczecin (Polish Border Town)

It’s more fun and lively than expected—definitely worth a weekend trip to “step into another country” for a short escape! 🚉 Transportation: Berlin ↔ Szczecin Going to Szczecin Search on DB App: Enter your starting address (e.g., home in Berlin) to “SZCZECIN”. I live in eastern Berlin, so I took the RE3 train from Gesundbrunnen Station to Angermunde Station. Transfer to Bus: After exiting Angermunde Station, take bus RB66X. If you have a German monthly rail pass, just buy a €4.1 bus ticket from the driver Unexpected Delay Note: Our bus was ~40 minutes late due to driver delay, police checks, and ticket machine malfunctions. Plan extra time if your schedule is tight! Returning to Berlin Bus Departure: Take the return bus from the same stop as your arrival. (Our driver didn’t check tickets and let us board directly.) ID Check: Bring your passport and residence permit! Border police boarded our bus to verify identities on the way back. Route Alert: After 7 PM, there were no more RE3 trains from Angermunde. We had to take the RE3 bus to Bernau, then transfer to the S-Bahn. It was crowded (no seats left), and the whole trip took over 4 hours—always double-check return routes! 🍟 Food: Quick Bites Not many local recommendations (I don’t like Polish dumplings), so I ate KFC twice! KFC in Szczecin has more menu options than in France/Germany, and prices are cheaper. I even packed some for the return trip. Check Xiaohongshu (Red Book) for discount combos available before July 1! 🗺️ Key Attractions (4-5 Hours to Explore) St. James’ Cathedral (Katedra Świętego Jakuba) Climb to the top for panoramic city views: €4.5 (adults), €2.5 (students). Note: The viewing area is small, enclosed by glass, and has lots of bird droppings—skip it if you’re short on time. How to Climb: Take the elevator next to the ticket office to the 3rd floor, turn left, then take a second elevator to the top. Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle (Zamek Książąt Pomorskich) Free stamp at the visitor center! I stamped mine on a Polaroid. Ask staff for tape to keep it from peeling (the small tape looks a bit messy, but it’s meaningful). The staff was very friendly! Szczecin Philharmonic (Filharmonia Szczecińska) Unique, eye-catching architecture. The intersection diagonally opposite is a great photo spot—shoot with the philharmonic or the café behind it as the background. I spent 30 minutes taking photos here! Bonus: If you have extra time, sit by the river and watch the sunset. There are other small attractions, but they didn’t stand out much—leave room to discover them yourself! #BerlinSurroundings #BerlinTravel #Poland #BerlinWeekend #Germany #Szczecin #BerlinLife #OffTheBeatenPathCountryTravel #InternationalStudentTravel #MyStudyAbroadLife