Bike & boat cycling from Berlin to Stralsund

Welcome to Berlin and the start of a wonderful cycling week where the hotel follows you all the way to the Baltic Sea. You arrive on your own and are welcome aboard MS Princess from 4:00 PM. Feel free to arrive earlier and take the opportunity to get a first taste of this pleasant city. Take a walk along Kurfürstendamm, explore Nikolaiviertel by the Spree, or visit Brandenburg Gate. As is well known, the possibilities are nearly endless in the German capital. In the evening, a welcome gathering, a three-course dinner, and the first night on board await.

After breakfast in the mess, it's finally time to put on your cycling shorts and roll out of the big city. The first cycling route follows well-developed cycle paths northward through the vast forests and lake landscapes of Ruppiner Land. The contrast with Berlin comes quickly: the pulse of the metropolis is replaced by waterways, greenery, and calmer surroundings. The destination is Oranienburg, where the city's baroque palace is one of the day's attractions and the palace park is a fine spot for a break. Here you board again and continue by boat toward Eberswalde. In the middle of the city lies Germany's oldest still-functioning lock.

From Eberswalde, you follow the old towpath along the Finow Canal through a pleasant landscape of forest, clearings, and small hills. The day's major technical attraction is Niederfinow's impressive boat lift, where you can stop for a visit. Afterward, you board and continue toward Schwedt. If you'd rather rack up more kilometers on your legs, there's an option to keep cycling from Hohensaaten to Schwedt through the wetland landscape and the cranes' resting areas in the national park. The extra stretch is about 32 kilometers and makes the day considerably longer.

Today you cycle right into one of the trip's finest natural areas. The Oder-Neisse Trail takes you through the cross-border Lower Oder Valley National Park, a vast river and wetland landscape with rich wildlife and birdlife to spot. At the old Criewen estate lies the national park's visitor center, a great place to understand the landscape you're traveling through. In Mescherin, MS Princess awaits and the afternoon continues on the water toward Poland. The destination is Szczecin, the green metropolis at the mouth of the Oder and one of the Baltic Sea's major port cities, with the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes as a historic landmark.

After three days of cycling, both you and your bike get to rest while MS Princess does the work. After one final narrow passage, the vast waters of the Szczecin Lagoon open up and you can settle in on board and watch the landscape slowly glide by. Lovely! Today's destination is Zinnowitz on the island of Usedom, one of the classic seaside resorts of the German Baltic coast. Once the ship has docked, there's time for an evening stroll. Zinnowitz is beautifully situated between the Baltic Sea and the Achterwasser, combining long beaches with the distinctive seaside resort architecture that characterizes this part of northern Germany.

Today you choose between two shorter cycling routes on Usedom. One goes via Mölschow and Zecherin and passes Usedom's distillery before you reach Peenemünde, where the historical-technical museum is worth a visit. The other option heads out toward the Baltic Sea and the seaside resorts of Trassenheide and Karlshagen. In fine weather, it's hard to resist a dip from the long sandy beach. In the evening, MS Princess leaves Peenemünde and crosses the water toward Lauterbach on Rügen, Germany's largest island, where the ship docks later in the evening.

The last day of cycling also offers several great choices. You can take a round trip from Lauterbach to the famous seaside resort of Binz and back, about 35 km, or choose a loop toward Sellin and Baabe covering roughly 40 km. In the afternoon, the boat continues on toward Stralsund. If you want to give the trip a final push, you can instead cycle the whole way there, about 50 km. Along the way, you'll pass Putbus with its circular square, Circus, and continue via Garz, Groß Schoritz, Poseritz, and Gustow over the Rügendamm. The evening ends in Stralsund's historic Hanseatic quarter with a farewell dinner on board.

After breakfast, it's time to say goodbye to MS Princess and the long waterway from Berlin to the Baltic Sea. Check-out and disembarkation take place by 09:00 AM at the latest. If you haven't already had the chance to properly explore Stralsund, the old Hanseatic city is well worth a few extra hours or an extra night. The historic city center is beautifully situated by the water and makes a fine finale after a week's mix of cycling, rivers, islands, and boat life. After that, you continue your journey home on your own.