Germany & Poland tour

Day 1: Embarkation in Berlin (Oranienburg – Tegel - Spandau)

Afternoon check in, afterwards Merlijn will start cruising. 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. After departure, your holiday will get underway, as you enjoy the scenery and dinner on board while gazing upon the inland lakes around Berlin. Your first delicious dinner will be served while enjoying the landscapes gliding by. Soon we’ll reach our dock for the night, a remote place surrounded by nature, perfect for a quiet night after a full day with new experiences.

*Please note: Berlin is a large city with many large districts. The center of Berlin is not accessible to Merlijn, which is why we have chosen a strategic embarkation point in one of the suburbs. One that is easily accessible by public transport or taxi, less than an hour's travel time from the center. We recommend that you plan your stay near the center before or after your trip, taking into account your travel plans and without considering the planned mooring location. The exact mooring location will be announced in the travel letter.

Also note that we will not visit Berlin during the tour, we strongly recommend traveling a few days earlier to see and visit Berlin.

Day 2: Bike tour: 35-40 km

Enjoy your first breakfast onboard and afterwards your guide will inform you thoroughly about the local traffic rules, how to cycle in a group and will introduce you to your ‘Merlijn-Bicycle’. Meantime the crew will unload the bikes and a bike fitting will be held, only when everyone is ready, the bike tour gets underway! Cycling to Eberswalde through forested areas and along the Old Finow Canal, one of the oldest artificial waterways in Europe. It was initially constructed in 1605 to connect the Havel and Oder rivers, but there is now the Havel-Oder Canal to serve that purpose. At some point we will meet the Merlijn and then cruise onward until we dock for the night. Dinner will be served onboard, time to relax and get to know your new friends even better.

Day 3: Schwedt. Bike tour: 45-50 km, or shorten to 30-35 km

In the morning, before breakfast, we will experience one of the highlights of this tour: we will pass the oldest German ship lift at Niederfinow, which was built in 1932. The Merlijn and its guests will descend some 38 metres in this lift, which is a wonderful experience. Once we’ve descended, we will continue our journey to the next dock, where your cycling tour will start, and take you to the city of Schwedt, passing magnificent areas of natural beauty. A visit to an old castle tower is included in your tour.

This castle has a well-preserved medieval castle tower. Enjoy the majestic view from the roof of this tower, which extends from the National Lower Oder River Valley across to Poland. Or of the picturesque, wooded slopes up to beautiful chains of hills in the spacious hinterland. We offer you a guided tour. After your visit, you will cycle through more magnificent scenery, and on to the city of Schwedt, where we will meet the Merlijn. Schwedt is a historical town where you will be able to discover and experience some of the remnants of the lifestyle and atmosphere of the former German Democratic Republic.

Day 4: Schwedt – Szczecin. Bike tour: 40-45 km

As far as the landscape is concerned, today’s trip will once again offer you ‘nature at its purest’. Again we start with a morning cruise, still in Germany in the state of Brandenburg. After breakfast the bike tour will take off, taking you through the nature of the Lower Oder Valley. You will notice that the bike paths gradually become a little more demanding as you get closer to the Polish border. Together we cycle across the border and then into the former German city of Stettin, which is now part of Poland, and named Szczecin.

At Merlijn, we have a long-standing tradition of experiencing the local cuisine by dining ashore on one evening. We choose this city to discover the regional Polish cuisine in one of the many restaurants it offers.

Day 5: Szczecin – island of Usedom. Bike tour: 30-35 km

Your captain will start sailing early, as Merlijn continues its trip by following the Oder from Szczecin to the confluence of the Oder into the Stettin Lagoon/Stettiner Haff. Once we pass the estuary of the Oder River, we will sail the magnificent Stettiner Lagoon to the sunny island of Usedom. This is a German-Polish region located on the Baltic Sea, and definitely worth exploring and discovering. Today’s cycling tour is scheduled to start just before noon and you will cycle over the island to its northern coast on the Baltic Sea. Here, you will have a couple of hours to relax, swim, hire a special beach chair, or stroll through charming cities. Whatever you decide will allow you to fully enjoy this isle, which is considered another highlight of the tour. We will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay in a little fishing town’s port.

Day 6: island of Usedom. Bike tour: 35-40 km, or extend to 55-60 km.

In the morning, we will cycle across the beautiful Island of Usedom even more and enjoy its beautiful scenery. En route, we will visit a small GDR Museum. At the southern part of the island, board the Merlijn, and sail down the river Peene. You can also extend your bike tour and board later, either way; together we will cruise the afternoon to today’s destination: a little village along the Peene river within a natural reserve, with hardly any people aside from local residents.

Day 7: Malchin. Bike tour: 30-35 km, or extend to 45-50 km

After another sailing breakfast, your last biking tour starts from another charming village on the Peene river. Your cycling routes will take you through the former GDR region again, where the road surfaces switch from tarmac to concrete bike paths to cobblestones, a popular surface in this region. Afternoon we will cruise the River Peene together towards our destination Malchin. The Peene is a moor river, surrounded by sheer, unadulterated nature. The banks are wide, with no traffic, houses or people as far as the eye can see. Revel in the beauty of this ‘Amazon of the North’ river after the week’s great cycling tour.

While cruising along, we will also cross the Kummerower See, a 20 km wide lake, floating into the Peene once more. This cruise is also to be considered one of the highlights of the week. Before our farewell dinner, we will arrive at Malchin, our final destination.

Day 8: Malchin

After breakfast it is time to say goodbye and continue your European trip.

*Note on endurance & agility level:

This trip differs from others in that it passes through more countryside than usual. There are fewer large cities along the entire route and fewer villages to visit on the daily bike rides, which means there are also fewer shops and cafes to stop at along the way.

The bike paths are mostly separate from the road, though not always, and while the path quality is generally good, it can be challenging at times. For example, we also pass cobblestone paths and gravel/dirt roads. For this reason, we’ve rated the tour’s agility level as ‘challenging’. The daily ride distances are similar to what we’re used to with Merlijn, avoiding mountains and hills, so the endurance level is considered ‘easy’ - ideal for someone who regularly cycles and is comfortable with the daily distances listed in the itinerary.