Ketzin – Charlottenburg – Berlin-Central – Fürstenwalde – Eisenhüttenstadt – Kienitz – Frankfurt – Schwedt – Niederfinow – Liebenwalde – Oranienburg – Potsdam – Werder – Ketzin

Berlin

Many major cities lie on rivers, but only one can be navigated on a houseboat. The metropolis of Berlin has a 183km-long vibrant network of canals with romantic arms and larger or smaller lakes (and a small number of locks). Through more than 12 waterways you can reach almost all the main tourist attractions of the city. The highlight of your trip may be a cruise in front of the Reichstag or the Chancellery.

Cruising further east, you will cross the Müggelsee to the enchanting Little Venice Canal (Kanal – Datschenlandschaft Klein-Venedig). Across the Dämeritzsee you sail into the clear waters of idyllic Rüdersdorf and Löcknitz.

Sailing westwards, you will sail along the Havel River, the so-called Untere Havel-Wasserstrasse leading from Spandau to the Elbe. You will pass Lake Wannsee and the smallest chain of lakes in the area, the Griebnitzkanal, leading to Potsdam.

River Spree

In Schmöckwitz, the Spree-Oder waterway separates from the Dahme. From Seddingsee, the canal leads further east to Fürstenwalde, with its 500-year-old cathedral, and offers children a welcome stop in Spreewald (entertainment possibilities). A cruise further east along the Spree-Oder waterway takes you through Eisenhüttenstadt to the Oder River, which forms the border with Poland here (no border controls here since 2008). From here, continue north to Frankfurt am Oder/Slubice, which offers a lot of culture. Then the Oder flows from Küstrin (Kostrzyn) through its original floodplains, forests and marshes to the turn west towards Berlin or Müritz.

Oder River, Finow Canal

The Finow-Oder waterway offers a trip into history and the world of technology. At the Niederfinow lock, you can cross the 36-metre difference between the level of the Havel-Oder Canal and the Oder in 5 minutes. The Finow Canal is the oldest still navigable waterway in Germany, you will sail through 12 locks from the last century. Hand-operated culverts, gems of industrial architecture such as steel-riveted bridges, old bastions, thebrick granary and densely overgrown banks give you the feeling of being in another time.

To sail on this route you need a licence called Sportbootführerschein Binnen. This can be replaced by a provisional permit, the so-called Charterschein, which you will receive after a training session (theory approx. 2 hours, sailing approx. 1 hour).