Ketzin – Spandau – Berlin-Central – Märkisch-Buchholz – Erkner – Rüdersdorf – Teupitz – Bad Saarow – Potsdam

Destinations / Germany / Brandenburg / Ketzin – Spandau – Berlin-Central – Märkisch-Buchholz – Erkner – Rüdersdorf – Teupitz – Bad Saarow – Potsdam

• Length of voyage: 385
• Number of locks: 17
• Trip duration: 14 days
  
• Type of cruise: there and back

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.

The Dahme River

South-east of Berlin lies a landscape of canals and lakes. The Dahme River flows into the River Spree in Köpenick, and in the south the Dahme is connected by a series of lakes. You sail past the green shores of Lake Zeuthen and Lake Sellzug, the places where German history was written (Königs-Wusterhausen Castle). At Prieros, each crew has to choose whether to the right into the calm still waters at Teupitz or to the left towards Storkow, along the canals decorated withwater lilies, to the "Sea of Mecklenburg", Lake Scharmützel, where the spa services of Bad Saarow can be enjoyed. The third option is to sail directly, further down the Dahme River to Buchholz in the Marche. After the reunification of Germany, interest in the waterway area south of Berlin is experiencing an unprecedented rise.

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 the city of 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.

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