Berlin & Lakes Boat and Bike Tour

Day 1: Berlin
Your journey begins in the heart of Berlin, a short distance from the government district. You will check in on board from 4 p.m., and once you have settled into your cabin you will meet the captain, the crew and your tour guide at a welcome gathering. The first group dinner is served on board, and afterwards a short walk around the neighbourhood will give you your first impressions of the capital.

Day 2: Berlin – Oranienburg (35 km or 48 km)
Over breakfast the ship casts off and follows the Spree out of the capital. You will watch the urban riverbanks give way to the quieter landscapes that surround the city. Once the ship has docked and your bike has been adjusted, you will set off along the water and through wide parks towards Oranienburg. The afternoon belongs to German history: you will visit the Sachsenhausen Memorial, a former concentration camp and later a Soviet internment camp, and one of the most sobering places of remembrance in the country.

Day 3: Oranienburg – Potsdam (35 km or 45 km)
While you have breakfast the Clair de Soleil sets course south. Today's ride takes you into the Brandenburg that gives this trip its name, a country of lakes, canals and forests that Germans call das blaue Paradies, the blue paradise. Along the way you will stop briefly at Villa Marlier, once the setting of the Wannsee Conference and now a memorial to the Holocaust. In the afternoon you will arrive in Potsdam.

Day 4: Potsdam (30 km)
Today belongs to Potsdam, a city of parks, gardens and palaces where Prussian kings and later German emperors spent their summers. The ride takes you past the finest of the city's sights and through its centre, where the splendour of those centuries is still visible at every turn. You will visit Sanssouci Palace, the summer residence of Frederick the Great, famous for its terraced gardens. The evening is free and dinner is on your own — a good moment to try one of Potsdam's Kartoffelhäuser, the traditional potato restaurants the region is known for.

Day 5: Potsdam – Brandenburg an der Havel (40 km or 55 km)
You will ride out this morning through the woodland around Potsdam, with a short stop at the summer house of one of Brandenburg's most famous residents, Albert Einstein. After a morning along the lakes and a short ferry crossing, you will reach the island town of Werder around midday: once a fishing village, later known for its fruit and its wine, and a fine place to pause by the Havel. In the afternoon the ship will be waiting downstream at Ketzin for a leisurely cruise to Brandenburg an der Havel, where a guided walking tour will introduce you to the city's eventful history.

Day 6: Brandenburg an der Havel – Berlin-Spandau (38 km or 50 km)
Today's ride is shaped by Brandenburg's water-rich landscape, with its countless lakes, canals and riverside paths. After a picnic lunch you will find the ship waiting at Ketzin, and as the Clair de Soleil sails towards Berlin you will have one last chance to watch the scenery pass from the water. In the afternoon you will arrive in Berlin-Spandau, often called Little Venice for its waterways and bridges, where a stroll through the winding cobbled streets and half-timbered houses makes a gentle end to the day.

Day 7: Berlin (25 km)
The last full day is given to the German capital, where history and modern city life run side by side. You are free to explore Berlin at your own pace, since the S-Bahn reaches most of the city, or you can join your tour guide for a final group ride past the landmarks. You will pass the remains of the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie, the old border between East and West, the government district with the Federal Chancellery, and the Brandenburg Gate, where Ronald Reagan called on Gorbachev to tear down this wall. In the evening the trip closes with a captain's dinner on board.

Day 8: Berlin
End of your tour: you will start your journey home at 9.30 a.m.