Bike and Barge: Berlin to Stralsund
From the old Hanseatic city of Stralsund you will sail along the unique Bodden coast to Germany’s largest islands, Rügen and Usedom. The Bay of Szczecin will lead you to the Polish city of Szczecin with its magnificent castle. You will then continue on through the peaceful, unique Oder landscape to Schwedt and then to Eberswalde and Oranienburg on the Oder-Havel Canal through an expanse of forests until you have reached your destination, the metropolis of Berlin.
What could be more wonderful than sitting on the sun deck and enjoying the splendid views of the landscape slowly going by and finding out all sorts of interesting things about the country, people, culture and nature on lovely bike tours? Discover the northern German seaside resort architecture, baroque castles, brick gothic and varied flora and fauna of these unique fluvial landscapes.
Itinerary
Make your own way into Berlin. Embarkation is at 4:00 PM. Berlin is always worth a trip. If you arrive in time you should have some time to explore. You may like to take a stroll on the Kurfürstendamm, or take a walk through the Nicolai Quarter on Spree Island or head down to the Tiergarten and iconic Brandenburg Gate. The possibilities of Berlin are almost endless.
The well-marked bike route meanders northward through the Ruppin sea area to Oranienburg. For a sghtseeing trip in the area, the Baroque castle with its park, museum and orangery, is well worth a visit. This is your embarkation point, after which you will sail to Eberswalde. In the heart of the city, located in the Finow Canal, is the oldest working lock in Germany, which has been a technical monument since 1978.
You will begin the day by cycling through the splendid landscape on the Treidel bike route along the Finow Canal. As you ride, you will pass forests, glades and small hills in the direction of Niederfinow (boat lift – a tour is always an option) to Hohensaaten. There you will get back on board and sail to Schwedt or, if you still want to cycle, you can go by bike (add. 32 km).
Today you will ride through part of a unique, cross-border nature reserve, the “Lower Oder Valley National Park”, which is a special protection area for birds. You will then continue on to Gartz and Mescherin, where you will get back on the boat. Then you will sail to Szczecin, the green city on the mouth of the Oder and one of the largest ports on the Baltic Sea. The reconstructed castle of the dukes of Pomerania, situated in the city’s historic centre, is worth seeing
Today you will spend all day on board.
After one last narrow passage, the boat will arrive in the expansive waters of the Bay of Szczecin (Oder Lagoon). After the crossing, you will reach Wolgast, the “Gateway to Usedom Island”. The Medieval, historic centre of town, with its town hall and featuring the Church of St. Petri are interesting sights in any case.
In the morning you will take a short ride through Zecherin and Karlshagen Harbour to Peenemünde, where you will find a historical/technical museum housed in the former power plant. When the weather is fine you may feel like cycling the “beach-route” via Trassenheide and Zinnowitz as an alternative. In Peenemünde you will get back on board and at about 6 pm you sail to Lauterbach, in the southeast of Rügen Island (arrival around 9 pm).
Today you should not miss a visit to the nearby city of Putbus (about 2 km) which is well known for its circus. Classical buildings line this circular “square”, where all the streets converge.
Your bike tour for the day will take you through Putbus, Garz, Groß Schoritz (the birthplace of Ernst Moritz Arndt), Poseritz and Gustow (with its well-known village church) over the Rügen Dam to Stralsund, where the boat will meet you. This city has an important and historically significant past, a stroll through the historic centre, which is situated on an island, will take you past numerous exceptional sights.
After breakfast, disembarkation until 09:00 am.
Route overview
You will mostly be biking on car-free paths, rural country roads with little traffic and asphalted bike lanes but also on dusty field paths and dirt roads, with a few short sections on federal highways. “Pleasure-biking” – The routes are mostly flat with some hilly parts, although there will be a few steep inclines and downgrades.
If you don’t feel like a bike ride on a particular day, you can spend the day on the ship.
Route Map (For guidance only):
Routes maybe subject to change or alteration. All route notes, maps and day-by-day information will be given to you upon arrival at the first hotel or at the welcome meeting. GPS/GPX Files are available for most our the cycling holidays we offer. Please ask us for details.
Total distance cycled: 195 km
Tour Details (Subject to change)
MS PRINCESS:
Thanks to its dimensions, the comfortable MS PRINCESS is the ideal boat for cruises on the Oder River. It has a brightly decorated restaurant and a cosy salon. The MS PRINCESS has a total of 49 outer cabins. The boat has 42 two-bed cabins on the main deck, of which four can handle three-person occupancy thanks to their fold-out Pullman beds (bearing capacity of the third bed is max. 70 kg) and seven two-bed cabins on the upper deck. All cabins are about 10.5 m2 in size, have a shower and toilet, hair dryer, phone, Sat.-TV, safe (for a fee) and central A/C (the windows on both decks cannot be opened). The two separate beds can be turned into a sofa and seating area during the day. All decks, including the sun deck, can also be reached by a stair lift in addition to the stairs. The stairs are very steep (chairlift on the passenger and sun deck, max. 100 kg).
Technical data: Year constructed: 1981, number of passengers: max. 102; length: 80 m; width: 9.5 m; draught: 1.30 m; height: 4.00 m; speed: 20 km/h; flag: Holland. Currency used on board: Euro. Mastercard and Visa Credit cards are accepted.
What’s included
- Seven nights’ accommodation in an outside cabin of the MS PRINCESS with shower/toilet in the booked cabin category
- Standard Bike Hire
- Programme according to the itinerary from Berlin to Stralsund
- Welcome drink
- Daily cabin cleaning
- Bedding and towel changes as requested
- Full board: 7 x breakfast, 6 x lunch snack on board (non-cyclists) or packed lunch for cyclists, 6 x coffee and tea in the afternoon, 7 x three-course dinner
- All port and lock dues
- Daily bike tour meeting
- On-board tour guidance
- GPS tracks
- 1 x book with route maps for individual tours per cabin
Not included
- Arrival and departure transportation
- Transfers
- E -Bike rentals (optional extra)
- Rental bike insurance
- Entrance and sightseeing fees
- City maps
- Travel insurance
- Gratuities and personal expenses
Check Availability
We have put a calendar of events together that will provide you with some inspiration of what you can expect on your holiday, and when the best time to jet off is. Now’s your chance to travel further than you can by foot and be part of a memorable and exciting two-wheel journey with us.
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