East meets West Germany tour

Check in: 3:30 PM – Merlijn will be docked in Berlin overnight. At 4 PM, we will offer a welcome drink and introduce the crew. We’ll also inform you about the tour and the ship, and give you a safety briefing. After dinner, there will be time to take a walk through the city of Spandau.

After breakfast, we will start biking from Spandau to the city of Potsdam, passing historic sites, which are in abundance here, such as the Glienicker Bridge and the House at the Wannsee. Potsdam is the capital of the Brandenburg province.

Potsdam, the capital of the Brandenburg province, is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany without doubt. For this reason, we have scheduled an extra day and night in this city. These are your options:

• You can spend the day on your own, or with the group
• Culture lovers can visit this historic city for the entire day
• Water sports on one of the many lakes around Potsdam is also a good option
• Or you can ride your bike around its lakes

Potsdam’s culture: The best-known attraction is Sanssouci Castle (its name means ‘without concerns’). In addition to this former summer residence of Frederick the Great, with its famous Sanssouci Park (entrance included), there are many other interesting attractions that are certainly worth a visit. The historical city quarters, the Russian colony of Alexandrowka, the Dutch Quarter, and the former Bohemian Weaver Quarters exude the atmosphere of a city heavily influenced by Europe.

In addition to culture, you will also discover the regional cuisine in one of the many restaurants of the city.

During breakfast, we will continue our trip, sailing to the insular city of Werder, the city of blossoming trees, and the starting point of our bicycle tour. Werder is surrounded by numerous lakes and tributaries of the Havel River.

From Werder, we continue our trip, and cycle on to Marquardt and Paretz, where Queen Louise enjoyed her summer resort in the local castle and Paretz Park. Shortly after Paretz Park, we will approach the picturesque fishing village of Ketzin. After having crossed the Havel on a ferry, we will travel along spacious lowlands and small “Märkische” villages (villages in the typical March style) with timber-framed buildings, the same as those described by Theodor Fontane in his ‘Wanderungen” (Hikes) books. Afterwards, we will arrive at the cradle of the March region: the city of Brandenburg on the Havel River. In the afternoon and after dinner, you will have the chance to explore this city a little more. 

The highlights of Brandenburg include:

• Nikolai Church, one of the oldest brick built churches
• Peter & Paul Cathedral
• Steintorturm: a defence tower of 32.5 metres in height, and the only defence tower in Brandenburg open to the public.
• And the most important building of the city: the old Town Hall, an outstanding example of late Gothic brick architecture from the middle of the 15th

Today, you will take your bicycle through two different German federal states: Brandenburg and the last state included in this trip, Saxony-Anhalt. Departing from Brandenburg, you will progress along the “Tour Brandenburg“ cycle path, which will lead you along the western side of the Havel Lake Plateau. Your bicycle tour will take you through endless forests with numerous ‘green’ views. We finish off the day in Genthin. Genthin’s governing mayor refers to his town as “The Pearl along the Canal“; and it’s truly nice, friendly, and quiet, with a small historical town centre.

During breakfast, you will cruise along the Elbe-Havel canal to Burg, where your bike tour will start. From here, you’ll cycle to Magdeburg, and arrive there during the afternoon. One of the most important sites in the vicinity of Magdeburg is the famous Magdeburg Water Bridge, where the ships on the Elbe-Havel Canal cross the Elbe via a navigable aqueduct.

The city of Magdeburg is also well known because of its important historical heritage as the royal palace of the Emperor Otto the 1st, the first Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, who was crowned in 962. Enjoy this city in our modern time, and visit some of its different attractions:

• Green Citadel: we can organize a guided tour for the group.
• The Magdeburg Cathedral, the first cathedral designed and built in the Gothic architectural style on German ground and one of the largest churches in Germany.
• Old Market square with the Golden Rider Statue, a gilded bronze copy of the first free-standing equestrian statue north of the Alps, which can be found right in the heart of the city centre. It was created in the year 1240 and presumably portrays Emperor Otto I.
• Old City Hall, the Hundertwasser Haus and many more places of interest.

For the real culture vultures, we suggest you leave your bike on board, and look around Magdeburg all day. We can help you order transfers from Burg to the city and back to Merlijn’s berth in Magdeburg. Our docking area is on the Midland-Canal & Elbe waterway junction, and following our dinner, we will take a walk over to the old ship lift and the new ‘Rothensee’ lock.

During breakfast, we will cruise to Calvörde, where the bike tour will start. Merlijn will await you in Wolfsburg, and after taking your bikes on board, you can walk over a bridge to cross the canal. There, you will find  ‘Autostadt’: the home of Volkswagen. You can explore the museum on your own, and later there will be a 45 min. guided tour through the park. Afterwards, you can visit more sites in the Autostadt at your own pace. If you are not a car fan, you can also visit the old city centre of Wolfsburg. There will be a farewell dinner and overnight stay on board.

After breakfast it is time to say goodbye and continue your European trip or leave for the airport.