Premium Germany & Poland tour: ‘Amazon of the North’

Check in: 3:30 PM – 4 PM, Merlijn sets sail for Demmin, where we will arrive after dinner and stay overnight. We will offer you a welcome drink and introduce the crew, as well as informing you about the tour and the ship, and give you a safety briefing. After departure, your holiday starts, as you enjoy the scenery on the ‘Amazon of the North’. Nature lovers can explore mysterious forests, blossoming meadows and hidden valleys. Our cruise will take us over the large Kummerower See & Peene River. Dinner will be served during the day’s cruise.

While you enjoy your breakfast, the Merlijn will continue her trip by following the Peene River downstream to Alt-Plestin. The docking area is quite small, and therefore perfect for getting to know your bike. Here, our cycling tour to Stolpe will begin. After visiting the village of Jarmen with its St. Mary’s Church, and the ‘Waterstraat’ residence with its Art Nouveau elements, we will follow the Peene River to Stolpe. Here, you will board the Merlijn, and together we will cruise on towards Anklam by boat - or you can extend your bike tour, and cycle to Anklam. The Peene will cross the largest uninterrupted lowland moor area of Europe. The Hanseatic city of Anklam boasts the brick buildings of St. Mary’s Church and the Nikolai Church, the Brick Gate (Steintor) and the Gothic gabled house.

We first cruise to the very charming Isle of Usedom. Your bike tour will start in Karnin on the southern coast of Usedom. The isle of Usedom, situated very close to the Polish border, is one of Germany's major holiday and recreation areas due to its beaches, natural beauty, and a number of elegant seaside towns such as Zinnowitz and Heringsdorf, which have been frequented by German and international nobility, as well as the general public. We will stay overnight at Kamminke.

For today’s programme, you will cycle on the isle for a few more hours to explore the beautiful beaches, and perhaps have a dip in the Baltic Sea. Afterwards, Merlijn will cruise across the Stettiner Haff and the River Oder to the city of Szczecin in Poland. During this cruise we will serve you lunch on board.

Along the way, we will pass through an endless succession of areas of untouched natural beauty. Take a break on our Merlijn and enjoy the view. We continue our cruise along the last section of the magnificent Stettiner Lagoon before we reach the estuary of the River Oder and the Polish border. This is a German-Polish region located on the Baltic Sea that is definitely well worth exploring. We will stay in the former German city of Stettin, which is now part of Poland, and named Szczecin. Tonight, you will have the opportunity to discover the regional Polish cuisine in one of the many restaurants this city offers. We will stay here overnight.

During breakfast, we will leave Szczecin and cruise into Germany, where we will soon reach yet another German State: Brandenburg. Our cycling tour will start in Mescherin, and will take us to Schwedt, where we will stay the night. Schwedt is a historical town where you will be able to discover and experience some of the remains of the lifestyle and atmosphere of the former German Democratic Republic. The surrounding landscape on today’s trip is again filled with natural beauty.

Our cycling tour will take us from Schwedt to Oderberg, passing magnificent natural scenery. The tour also leads along the castle of Stolpe where you will be offered a guided tour. The castle has one of the best-preserved medieval castle towers in Germany. Enjoy the majestic view from its roof; a view that extends from the National Lower Oder River Valley up to Poland, or picturesque wooded slopes up to beautiful chains of hills in the spacious hinterland. If you choose the shorter tour for today, after lunch you will board the Merlijn. The longer tour will take us through many more magnificent scenic areas before we reach the city of Oderberg. From here, everyone boards the Merlijn and cruise towards the Niederfinow ship lift. This is the oldest German ship lift, and forms one of the highlights of this tour. The Merlijn and its guests will be taken up 38 metres with the lift to continue the onward journey to Eberswalde, where we will stay overnight.

Today’s cycle tour has 2 options. If you choose to bike the longer route, you will start pedaling after breakfast from Eberswalde, while the Merlijn will sail to Zerpenschleuse, where the shorter bike tour will start. During today’s route, the main focus will be on nature and culture. The afternoon heralds our arrival in Oranienburg, which received its royal name from the Dutch princess Louise Henriette of Nassau-Oranien (1627-1667), the House of Orange. Since the reunification of Germany, new trade and industry have been established, most of the residential areas have been thoroughly renovated and redeveloped, and roads, footpaths and cycle tracks have been newly constructed. At Oranienburg, you will re-join Merlijn for a relaxing afternoon cruise to Berlin along the charming Havel River. Before the farewell dinner, we will dock in Berlin.

After breakfast, it is time to say goodbye and continue your European trip. You might want to extend your holiday and stay in Berlin for a few days.