Brandenburg lake district

Experience nature and idyllic small towns

Brandenburg is next to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern one of the most popular destinations for a houseboat vacation and offers besides the Uckermark Lakes with Havel and Ruppiner Seenland also in the south with the Dahme Seenland, the Rüdersdorfer Gewässern or also a tour through Berlin and Potsdam a lot of variety for houseboat vacationers.

Go swimming, sail through nature parks, cast your fishing rod, take your bike with you, anchor in front of castles: With KUHNLE-TOURS houseboats for 2 to 12 persons you will experience the clearest lakes, pristine nature, castles and technical structures like the ship lifts Niederfinow up close.

Examples for your boating vacation

NATURE EXPERIENCE WEEKEND

from Fürstenberg through the Uckermark Lakes Nature Park via the idyllic Woblitz to Lychen and back: swimming, taking a SUP, visiting the Christmas post office, strolling through Lychen - there's nothing better than anchoring, barbecuing and swimming on one of these gorgeous lakes!

CLOSER TOUR

On crystal-clear small lakes, through forests, moors and heathland it goes to Rheinsberg Castle. The region is famous for its castles and manor houses - from the water you get the impression you're anchoring in a movie set "with grand selfie setting/grandiose photo opportunities. The Neustrelitz palace garden with temples, avenues and orangery or the palace in Mirow can also be planned as a stop. The castles can be reached in 1 to 2 days from Fürstenberg, Priepert or Hafendorf Müritz.

SKIPPER ADVENTURE

You have someone with a boat license on board, then you must have done it: A trip through the ship lift in Niederfinow is an unforgettable experience. The trip from Fürstenberg past the UNESCO biosphere reserve Schorfheide-Chorin and through the Barnim Nature Park with the clear water lake Werbellinsee offers plenty of mooring or anchoring opportunities in a beautiful landscape.

The best boats and info for your vacation experience

"Dreamlike the small lakes from Rheinsberg to Templin, Brickworks Museum Mildenberg, Langer Trödel and Werbellinsee for all with boat license: a great experience, the trip through the ship lift."

 

Harald Kuhnle

  • Rheinsberg Castle

    Anchor in front of the castles and manor houses of the region

  • Garden restaurants on the water

    Cooking on board or dining out - the choice is yours.

  • Uckermark Lakes Nature Park

    More nature does not go - and with the boat in the middle of it!

license free

Lake Werbellin Biosphere Reserve (3 to 7 days)

Zehdenick | Langer Trödel | Lake Werbellin

Lake Werbellin, which is up to 55 meters deep and dates back to the last ice age, can be reached via the densely overgrown Werbellinkanal.

The Werbellin Canal, in turn, is connected to the historically interesting Finow Canal and its westernmost section, the Langer Trödel, so that here, too, you can travel by houseboat without a license within the framework of the charter license regulations.


Due to the surrounding biosphere reserve, the water of the Werbellinsee is of such good quality that the fishing taverns can serve whitefish. Mooring and eating fish or buying and preparing it on board is worthwhile - or just try your fishing luck yourself? Also for divers the Werbellinsee is popular with diveable wrecks and clear water.


3-7 days | 100 km | 10 locks

On the Upper Havel Waterway to Rheinsberg (7-10 days)

Without a driver's license you can go by houseboat from Zehdenick to Müritz (oneway trips Zehdenick - Müritz). For a week trip, a trip to Rheinsberg and back is also a varied vacation. Here you can expect a diverse landscape and many branches off into other waters, most of which are highly recommended. 


Along the route:

  • Wentow waters
  • Templin waters
  • Lychen waters
  • Fürstenberg


We will be happy to advise you in advance on suitable cruise suggestions and sights along the route.

ZehdenickTemplin -  Lychen -  Fürstenberg and back

7-10 days | 130 km | 16 locks

 

Hausboot mieten in Brandenburg >>

On the Finow Canal to Niederfinow (3-7 days)

The Finow Canal is now over 400 years old and the oldest navigable waterway in Germany. In the 90s, the canal was lovingly restored and awakened from its slumber.

With the houseboat you drive from Zehdenick over the upper Havel waterway and Langer Trödel into the Finow canal. Hand-operated locks, lift bridges and industrial culture (steel-riveted bridges, old bulwarks and brick warehouses) are the attractions along the canal, but also towns like Eberswalde, Finow and Marienwerder along the Finow Canal invite you to a shore excursion. 

Tip: Visit the Info Center Ship's Hoist


At the end of the Finow Canal, in Niederfinow, stands the oldest ship lift still in operation in Germany, which is a very vivid example of the art of engineering.

A new ship lift, the Niederfinow North Ship Lift, is currently under construction and should be completed by 2025 at the latest. Thus, three generations can be marveled at during a visit to the ship lift's information center: the old lock staircase, the Niederfinow ship lift, and the new Niederfinow Nord ship lift. 


Zehdenick - Marienwerder - Finow - Eberswalde - Niederfinow and back


3-7 days | 120 km | 28 locks

Hausboot  buchen >>

Werbellinsee (3-7 days)

Thanks to the opening of the Werbellinkanal as a connection between Finowkanal and Werbellin waters, the Werbellinsee is now also accessible without a license.


From the charter base Zehdenick you sail via Vosskanal, Langer Trödel and Finowkanal, shortly before Marienwerder you turn into Werbellinkanal and head towards Werbellinsee.
The long drawn-out lake is located in the middle of a biosphere reserve, is up to 55 meters deep and offers many landing places, fishing pubs and anchorages that invite you to fish and swim.

3-7 days | 100 km | 10 locks

license required

Priepert - Zeuthen with a detour through the ship lift Niederfinow

Priepert | Liebenwalde | Langer Trödel | Niederfinow Ship's Hoist | Oderberg | Spandau | Schmöckwitz | Zeuthen

Both run parallel to the east, but while the Oder-Havel Canal is a modern commercial shipping route without locks, time seems to have stood still on the idyllic 250-year-old Finow Canal. The Finow Canal can be navigated without a license, but the locks are expected to be renovated starting in 2023. The new and the old ship's hoist in Niederfinow are therefore unfortunately only accessible with a driver's license via the Havel-Oder waterway. A trip through the ship's hoist is a highlight in the skipper's life, but the information center about the new construction is also worth a visit: schiffshebewerk-niederfinow.com

248 km | 13 locks

Round trip: Niederfinow ship lift (3 to 7 days)

Cruise along Germany's oldest canal and through the oldest still-operating ship lift in Germany.  


On your round trip you will sail along the 400-year-old Finow Canal, past industrial culture with steel-riveted bridges and old bulwarks, through hand-operated locks and towns like Eberswalde. Behind Niederfinow (here it's worth going ashore to the Ship's Hoist Info Center), you'll join the Havel-Oder waterway and turn toward the Niederfinow Ship's Hoist. The oldest still working ship lift in Germany overcomes a height difference of 36 meters! Next door, the ship lift Niederfinow North is currently being built for larger ships. But don't worry: The old ship lift will remain in operation for pleasure boats. We will then return to our home base via the Oder-Havel Canal.

For those who still have some time left, we recommend a detour to the Werbellinkanal. Lake Werbelin, which is up to 55 meters deep, is surrounded by a biosphere reserve and is a dream for anglers and nature lovers.


Zehdenick - Marienwerder - Eberswalde - Niederfinow - Niederfinow boat lift - Zehdenick

3-7 days | 110 km | 18 locks| 1 boat lift

 

Hausbooturlaub buchen >>
 

 

Oranienburg and the Ruppin waters (7 days)

After a longer canal trip via the Vosskanal and Oder-Havel-Kanal, the houseboat will take you across the elongated Lehnitzsee to Oranienburg. Here, the oldest baroque palace in Brandenburg including the palace park with orangery as well as Sachsenhausen with the National Memorial await you during a shore excursion.
Via the Ruppiner Canal you will reach the Ruppiner waters, where several long lakes are lined up. Among others, Neuruppin, Alt Ruppin and Lindow are suitable for a shore excursion. Especially the nature of the forest lakes is worth seeing and relaxing. Sea eagles, beavers and otters can be observed from the houseboat.

Zehdenick - Oranienburg - Sachsenhausen - Neuruppin - Lindow and back

7 days | 210 km | 15 locks

Hausboot mieten >>