Nine journeys with the 9-euro ticket: From Berlin through Germany

The 9-euro ticket is a door opener for many: For little money, you can explore all of Germany from Berlin. You can scramble in the Harz mountains, stroll through "Frau-Holle-Land" and drink a few beers at the Ruhr river. You can reenact "Inglourius Basterds" in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and find out in Eisenhuttenstadt that Tom Hanks is not as boring as he always seems. We present you nine journeys with the 9-Euro-Ticket.

The river of life, the Ruhr

The Ruhr is actually an idyllic little river, at least at its origins. If you want to experience this water vein, from whose banks the largest industrial conglomerate in Europe was once carved, in all its glory, it is best to travel to Mulheim an der Ruhr. On the edges, grasses rustle and cormorants roost, and in the narrow course of the river, excursion ferries bob on dozy afternoons. The mansions of the Ruhr barons are enthroned along the slopes, including the old Thyssen fortress, and the funniest son of the city, Helge Schneider, is said to have once owned a ranch somewhere.

The great thing is that Mulheim an der Ruhr, this amazing place, is not just about harmony. Just a walk from the river valley, social scientists can visit an open-air museum of the old, soot-smeared FRG. There is the urban center, once built thanks to the added value of coal and steel. At the main station there is typical 70s model city chic, with an intricate shopping center complete with residential towers. The pedestrian zone is real social realism, with pawnshop and bakery. Melancholy that goes to the heart. This city has not yet found its role in the post-industrial society, despite its premium location. But characters who are searching are usually considered to be particularly interesting. Philipp Wurm

Journey: From Berlin-Hbf 7:39 h, 6 changes, u.a. via Hannover, Wolfsburg, Minden
Overnight stay: Gartenhotel Luisental, Trooststr. 2, 45468 Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany. Single room from 80, double room from 100 €. Tel.0208/99 21 40, gartenhotel-luisental.com. A convenient starting point for trips, for example to venues of the Ruhrtriennale (11.8.-18.9.) or to sights such as Zeche Zollverein in Essen

With the 9-Euro-Ticket to Hesse in "Frau-Holle-Land

The Hessian Mountains are mild to all those who want to see peaks without being hardened hiking professionals. The routes in the region between Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Berkatal, Waldkappel and Hessisch Lichtenau – all close to the border with Thuringia – are well signposted and quite easy to follow. On the Hohe Meibner, the most prominent massif of the region, the first "Free German Youth Day" took place in 1913, a kind of anti-Wilhelminian Woodstock, where the drill-ridden teens in the empire made a statement against militarism.

But the Hohe Meibner is also the scene of legends: according to legends, the Frau Holle pond located there is infinitely deep and forms the entrance to the "other world" of the fairy-tale lady. The Brothers Grimm in the flesh took a look at the whole thing and probably found it plausible. No wonder, as enchanted as the entire nature park "Frau-Holle-Land" looks like.

But the bustling Frau Holle was not always just the nice grandmother who makes it snow. According to a Hessian folk tale, she sometimes turned nasty girls into cats and then locked them up in the "Kitzkammer" – a rock face made of basalt columns, today a natural monument. Who is once in the area, should (necessarily with a guidance!) visit the Kripp- and Hielocher, a bizarre karst landscape, which is under nature protection. In 1958, a team of cows fell into the cow hole, which has since been called that – supposedly every child in the area knows the story. A region of wonders and pitfalls – and easy to reach from Berlin with the 9-euro ticket. Julia Lorenz

Journey: From Berlin-Hbf 5:29 hours, 3 changes, via Magdeburg, Sangerhausen and Eichenberg
Overnight stay: Pelikans Krone, Kirchstr. 76, 37242 Bad Sooden-Allendorf, rooms from €79.90, 05652/2057, pelikans.en

Art refuel in Kassel: With the 9-Euro-Ticket to the Documenta

From the 18. June until 25. In September, Documenta will once again transform the former royal seat of Kassel into the artistic epicenter of Europe. Every five years, several exhibitions cover the entire city area – most of them housed in historic buildings such as the Fridericianum, one of the oldest public museums in the world, but also in otherwise culturally remote locations such as the Hotel Hessenland. Although it is not currently possible to spend the night in the listed building from the 1950s, you should still stay in the city for a long weekend. Kassel has much more to offer besides the Documenta: Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, for example, namely Bergpark Wilhelmshohe, the largest of its kind in Europe, and the fairytale world of former residents Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, who left their mark all over the city. Desdeweesche (in high German: because of that) grab the 9-Euro-Ticket and off you go to Hessen! Lisa Levkic

Journey: From Berlin-Hbf: 5:59 hours, 3 changes, via Magdeburg, Sangerhausen and Kassel-Wilhelmshohe
Accommodation: Biohotel Kassel, Heinrich-Schutz-Allee 24, 34131 Kassel, single from 81 €, double from 110 € per night, 0561/93890, biohotel-kassel.de

See lakes in Ratzeburg

All dams had better not burst here. Not even one. The historic and extremely picturesque old town – Ratzeburg's history goes back some 950 years – is situated on an island, to which only three dams lead. This picturesque town in Schleswig-Holstein is surrounded by four lakes and is therefore very popular with water sports enthusiasts. Also, in 1966, the renowned Rowing Academy Ratzeburg was founded here by the then coach of the German eight, "rowing professor" Konrad Adam. For the Ratzeburg Cathedral, which towers over the bishop's town, Henry the Lion – a Saxon duke with a Guelph background who was considerably keen on conquest (1129-1195) – laid the foundation stone in 1154. Whereby the brick building rises from the water side (eight does not have to, pedal boat is enough) particularly instagramable.

A city tour "In the footsteps of the lion" with lion tracks in pink shows the way to 35 landmarks, from the old town hall to the curious limestone figure "The contented citizen". Especially in summer, the little island town with its alleys, the spa park with swan pond, the bathing area at the Schlosswiese, the various ice cream options and several restaurants (the Fischerstube with a view of the lake!) and natural cycling and hiking trails are easily worth a day trip. If no more. Here you will find one of only two Ernst Barlach museums in Germany. The expressionist sculptor (1870-1938) is even buried in Ratzeburg. But maybe you don't have to stay that long after all. Erik Heier

Journey: From Berlin-Hbf 4:04 hours, 2 changes, via Schwerin and Buchen
Accommodation: Ratzeburg youth hostel, built in 2012, sparse view of Lake Ratzeburg, Reeperbahn 6-14, 23909 Ratzeburg, bed and breakfast from €31.50 (shared room), also 1- to 4-bed rooms, Tel: 04541/840 95 04, [email protected]youth hostel.de

With the 9-Euro-Ticket on Rugen: An island to curl up on

It does not have to be the chalk cliff. Much too crowded, the rock face is crumbling, and the Konigstuhl will be closed from July due to construction work. Before a lot of visitors are expected, there is even an extra closing program. In other corners of Rugen, however, people seeking tranquility can be almost alone. To the west of Cape Arkona, for example, the windswept Nordstrand leads west for hours and later south to Dranske, where kite surfers whiz across the Wieker Bodden, along the old military site on Bug, a closed headland, currently a nature park, soon perhaps – but this is disputed – a luxury resort. The view over the water to Hiddensee compensates for the fence.

In any case, there are plenty of opportunities to hole up on the island, including in the southeast, on the Monchgut peninsula in the biosphere reserve. Along its rugged outline, the path leads over the Hubbelstrabe of a fishing village and wild beaches into past millennia, to erosion and landfall, glacial abrasion and pioneer plants. Time quickly becomes relative here. How the Baltic Sea landscape was formed can be understood from a bird's eye view, on the tree top walk near Prora with a view over several Bodden to Denmark. If you want to know exactly, book a guided tour of a small island off the island of Rugen, where only 60 visitors a day are allowed, because one of the last primeval forests in Europe grows on Vilm. Oh yes, and of course you can also swim on Rugen. More Rugen tips we have written down for you. Claudia Wahjudi

Journey: From Berlin-Hbf 3:56 hours, 1 change, among others via Stralsund
Overnight stay: Youth hostels Rugen, from 9,60 € the night, group house.de
Camping: camping-auf-ruegen.de (with vacation bungalows), guesthouses, hotel, vacation apartments: ruegen.de. Attention: Rugen is quickly booked out in the high season

First ride the train, then hike up the Brocken mountain

My favorite hikes are the ones that take me further. Not just around in circles. Which is why the train is recommended as a means of transportation to the base camp anyway. You always have to go back to your own car. The train but has the advantage that you can walk from one station to the next. Or to the next but one. But first of all there is a chunk. The most beautiful ascent to the highest mountain in the Harz is not from Wernigerode, but from Ilsenburg through the wild and romantic Ilsental valley. Paternosterklippe, Waldgasthaus Plessenburg (Tip!), Upper Ilse Falls, Ferdinand Stone.

This route has already touched Heinrich Heine deeply. What you have to do when you reach the top: kiss or at least touch the summit stone. And wait until the Harzquerbahn has climbed the 1141 meter high Brocken with lots of steam and roar. What to avoid: the wretched restaurant in the defiant TV tower built in 1936. You can stop again in the valley in Torfhaus, a wooden house holiday settlement from the retort, but with pleasing gastronomy. A hiked three quarters of an hour before you have crossed the former German-German border. Seen in this way: a cross-border experience. Pure walking time: a good six hours. Clemens Niedenthal

Journey: From Berlin-Hbf 3:18 h, 2 changes, via Magdeburg and Halberstadt, return from Torfhaus, 4:35 h, 4 changes, via Bad Harzburg, Vienenburg, Halberstadt and Magdeburg. Best in the morning (6.11 a.m.) start, return in the evening

Another border triangle

It's probably the most exotic destination you can reach from Berlin with a 9-euro ticket and only one change: Zittau. Well, the small Saxon town itself, though quite pretty, is not that fancy – but its location is. Because it's only a stone's throw to a point where three countries meet: Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Such places always have something magical and surreal at the same time. The Neisse, at this point more of a stream through which one can wade, separates a large meadow on which three flags are flying. No matter in which direction the visitor looks, he sees the same wonderful mountain scenery: lush green, rugged rocks and neat houses. And yet it was not so long ago that the national borders were closed because of Corona, this point was more or less a restricted area.

Now it is again the gateway to three worlds. Czech Republic with its peaks up to 1000 meters high, rustic inns and delicious beers. The obscure tip of Poland is also worth seeing, but in its own way. The Turow open pit mine is over 200 meters deep, one of the largest in Europe. Coal is to be mined until 2040 – but the EU has actually forbidden this and Poland has 500 coal mines.000 euro fine imposed. Daily. Zittau also has an open pit mine. It has been flooded since the fall of the Berlin Wall and is now called Olbersdorfer See. A wonderful leisure and recreation area, a bathing lake with mountain panorama – almost as beautiful as in the Alps. Martin Hildebrandt

Journey: From Berlin-Ostkreuz to Zittau, 3:09 h, 1 change via Cottbus
Overnight stay: Caravan& Camping Christina Lake, Hradek nad Nisou 709, 463 34 Hradek nad Nisou, Czech Republic, kemp-kristyna.cz

Off to Eisenhuttenstadt!

Maybe it's the bulky name that attracts me: Eisenhuttenstadt. Even Tom Hanks has visited "Iron Hut City" several times and raved about it in US talk shows. Eisenhuttenstadt is a wondrous mixture of the organically grown medieval town of Furstenberg and the Stalinstadt, as it was called in the 1950s. Having grown up in a rather contemplative place, I am attracted by the impression of Germany's first socialist planned city – a showcase project of the GDR, built for the workers of the Eisenhuttenkombinat Ost ironworks combine.

Hutte" turned 70 last year, and even though the once booming model city has seen its best days, it remains a work of art. A walk through one of the largest monuments of the Republic reveals the architectural and urbanistic ideals of German socialism, which explicitly included art in construction. A side trip to the "Museum Utopia – Everyday Culture and Art from the GDR" and a snack in the large restaurant "Aktivist" is a must, of course. Ina Hildebrandt

Journey: From Berlin-Hbf 1:30 h, 0 changes with the RE1 – day trip possible.

Home of many movie scenes: the Elbe Sandstone Mountains

Some consider the Elbsandsteingebirge to be the most beautiful region in Germany, or rather, in Central Europe. The exciting landscape extends all the way to the Czech Republic in Bohemian Switzerland. And from Dresden (which is also always worth seeing) you can even get there by S-Bahn! The S1 runs every half hour along the Elbe via Pirna, Wehlen, Konigstein and Bad Schandau through the picturesque Elbe Sandstone Mountains to Schona, past tranquil villages and spectacular rock formations. You can get off anywhere: in Pirna, for example, you can explore the historic town center; from Wehlen, you can start a hike up to the Bastei Bridge, a 76.5-meter-long stone bridge that connects a mighty sandstone formation.

In Konigstein you climb up to the fortress of the same name, one of the largest mountain fortresses in Europe. It was once Saxony's state prison. In 19. In the 19th century, celebrities such as the SPD icon August Bebel (for treason) and the author Frank Wedekind (for lese majeste) were imprisoned here. Today's celebrities such as Quentin Tarantino are drawn to the impressive natural scenery of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains by choice. Some scenes of "Inglourious Basterds" and "Cloud Atlas" were filmed just here.

From Bad Schandau, the idyllic spa town in the heart of Saxon Switzerland, you can set out on various hikes or change to the old Kirnitzsch Valley Railway, which winds eight kilometers through the Kirnitzsch Valley that bears its name. None other than Hollywood star Kate Winslet once checked tickets here – in the movie "The Reader". The conductor can also come to us: The 9-Euro-Ticket is also valid here. And also for the national park train U 28, which connects the Czech towns of DeCIn and Rumburk via Bad Schandau – and thus the national parks Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland. This is how we get into the Czech Republic for our 9 euros. Friedhelm Teicke

Journey: From Berlin-Hbf: 4:27 h, 4 changes, via Elsterwerda, Riesa, Dresden, Pirna
Overnight stay: Pension Bergfriede, Schmilka 63, 01814 Bad Schandau OT Schmilka, directly on the Elbe, ca. 65 € in a double room with breakfast, Tel: 035022/92 60 36

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