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Weser-valley tour in Germany

‘Following in Theodor Fontane’s footsteps”

May 27 - June 03 / 2023

Departure date: 27 may 2023
Average biking distance per day 30 to 45 km

Highlights

Bike, Barge and Cruise through the ‘Weser valley’ landscape and along the midland canal in Germany. Bike along the Weser Cycling Route - one of the most popular German cycle routes, and explore the cultural highlights offered by Hannover & Braunschweig (Brunswick). Follow in Theodor Fontane’s footsteps, and visit small villages in typical March style. Cruise the Weser River and Midland Canal, as we head away from the standard tourist route. Take a look around the ‘Herrenhausen Gardens and Autostadt, the home of Volkswagen, through the included tours, and ultimately consider extending your holiday in Bremen, a 1200 year-old Hanseatic city that has much to offer.

 

Do you want to travel longer on the Merlin? This is an excellent trip to combine with the next Bike & Barge cruise WOLFSBURG - BERLIN, combined your tour will be from Bremen to Berlin and you will travel the Weser & whole Midland-canal connection.

Weser-valley tour in Germany | ‘Following in Theodor Fontane’s footsteps”
Departure port: Bremen Destination: Wolfsburg Travel time: 8 days Countries: Germany Average biking distance per day: 30 to 45 km
Bike, Barge and Cruise through the ‘Weser-valley’ landscape, where tourists are hard to find. Explore the 'Herrenhausen gardens' & Volkswagen-car-city. (Entrance included).
€ 1.740,- p.p.

Day-to-day itinerary

Day 1 (Sat): Bremen - Verden

Check in: 3:30 PM – 5 PM. Merlijn will set sail for Verden, where we’ll stay overnight. We’ll present you with a welcome drink and introduce the crew. We’ll also inform you about the tour and the ship, and give you a safety briefing. While sailing, you can already see the lovely scenery of the ‘Weser Bergland’ as we pass by. After dinner, you may want to stroll through the equestrian city of Verden, home to the auctions of the Hanoverian horse, a world famous and powerful German Warmblood breed. Other Verden attractions incude its historical old centre along the Aller River, and the ‘Große Straße’ (big street) pedestrian area. The Cathedral Quarter at the Lugenstein is another gem with its bars, town hall, ‘Domherrenhaus’ (Cathedral Chapter House), vintage train and much more.

Day 2 (Sun): Verden – Nienburg
Day 3 (Mon): Nienburg – Stolzenau – Minden
Day 4 (Tue): Minden – Sachsenhagen - Hannover
Day 5 (Wed): Hannover – Peine
Day 6 (Thu): Peine - Braunschweig
Day 7 (Fri): Braunschweig - Wolfsburg
Day 8 (Sat): Wolfsburg

Your bike & barge cruise includes:

  • 7 nights onboard Merlijn
  • welcome drink
  • daily cleaning of your cabin
  • supply of bedding, towels, facial tissues, soap
  • culinary care: 7x breakfast buffet, 6x packed lunches and 6x 3 course dinners
  • coffee, tea, hot chocolate and ice water
  • service of a tour guide
  • daily information of the trip on the next day
  • use of 27-speed bicycle, including a bike bag, towel and helmet
  • we will provide you with your own water bottle
  • canal, bridge & harbour fees
  • entrance to the Herrenhausen gardens
  • entrance and guided tour Volkswagen autostadt

 

Your bike & barge cruise doesn’t includes:

  • one dinner
  • drinks other than mentioned
  • excursions other than mentioned
  • inbound and outbound journey
  • city maps (though a few are available on board)
  • bike maps
  • insurance
  • gratuities

For your comfort we rent electric bikes € 30 each per day, reservations ahead are advisable.

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05 may 2017

Belgium and Netherlands, from Bruges to Amsterdam, April 22nd 2017

Hi friends of Merlijn, We had a wonderful first bike/barge trip with all of you! The food was delicious, and the accommodations were great. I loved all the colorful table settings, and how friendly everyone was. Sorry the electric bike did not work out for me. I was able to handle the mileage well without it, and was more comfortable on a "regular" bike. We had nice visiting in Amsterdam (though very crowded for the holiday) and also in Haarlem. Again, thank you for a memorable trip!
Fran and John Betz