Hamburg to Berlin by Boat and E-Bike: Lüneburg Heath, Elbe and Havel Lakes – 15 Days Guided

Distances below are the short variants of each stage.

Day 1 – Welcome aboard in Hamburg (0 km)
Cabins open at 4:00 p.m. You meet the captain, the crew and your tour leader at the welcome meeting, then sit down to your first dinner on board.

Day 2 – Hamburg (0 km)
A guided city tour after breakfast: the Speicherstadt, the largest historic warehouse district in the world and a UNESCO site, and the Elbphilharmonie above the river. The afternoon is free — the Alster, the neighbourhoods, or Miniatur Wunderland in the Speicherstadt.

Day 3 – Hamburg to Geesthacht (40 km, long variant 52 km)
Out of the city along the Elbe and into the Vier- und Marschlande, the market gardens that feed Hamburg. Wide fields, small villages and the Rieck Haus open-air museum, which shows how the farmhouses here were lived in. Depending on the mooring, the route may take you through the Old Elbe Tunnel.

Day 4 – Lüneburg loop (43 km)
Heath and forest paths around Lüneburg, with a lookout tower for the wide view over the region. There is time in the old salt-trading town itself, among the brick façades and narrow lanes; entrance to the German Salt Museum is included. On the way back, the ship climbs the Scharnebeck ship lift — 38 metres in one go.

Day 5 – Lüneburg to Bad Bevensen (26 km)
The shortest stage, following the Ilmenau through woods and meadows. The sculpture trail at Bienenbüttel runs about 8.5 km along the river, and Medingen convent is worth the short stop before you reach Bad Bevensen.

Day 6 – Bad Bevensen to Alt Isenhagen (46 km)
Deeper into the Lüneburg Heath, via Uelzen and its Hundertwasser railway station, with a possible detour to the castle grounds at Bodenteich. Alt Isenhagen is tiny but holds one of the best-preserved convent complexes in the region, more than 750 years old.

Day 7 – Alt Isenhagen to Wolfsburg (46 km)
South through meadows, woods and small heath villages, with the Weißes Moor nature reserve as the highlight: protected moorland, quiet roads and wide views.

Day 8 – Wolfsburg and the Autostadt (0 km)
The bikes stay on board. Morning visit to the Autostadt, including the Volkswagen factory tour — entrance is included. The afternoon is free: Wolfsburg Castle, the art museum or the Allerpark. Dinner is on your own.

Day 9 – Wolfsburg to Magdeburg (59 km)
The longest stage, along one of Germany's main inland waterways. Quiet landscapes, small villages and good canal sections, with several natural viewpoints to stop at. In Magdeburg a guided walk takes in the cathedral — Germany's first Gothic one — and Hundertwasser's Green Citadel.

Day 10 – Magdeburg to Genthin (55 km)
A long, flat day across the Jerichower Land, mostly on canal towpaths. The medieval churches of Burg and the Paltrock windmill at Parey break up the ride. Genthin is a quiet canal town built around inland shipping.

Day 11 – Genthin to Brandenburg an der Havel (38 km)
Through the lock complex at Wusterwitz and past the Plauer See, then Kirchmöser with its water tower and industrial architecture. In the afternoon you reach Brandenburg an der Havel, the oldest town in the state, and walk the historic centre with a guide. Dinner is on your own tonight.

Day 12 – Brandenburg an der Havel to Potsdam (40 km)
A landscape of lakes, river arms and open waterfront. Werder, a small island town in the Havel with fishermen's houses and cafés, is the natural place to stop. Potsdam, the old royal residence, is the end of the day; entrance to Sanssouci Palace is included.

Day 13 – Potsdam to Spandau (23 km)
Back through the water between Potsdam and Berlin. You cross the Glienicke Bridge — the Bridge of Spies — then Peacock Island, part of a UNESCO site, the House of the Wannsee Conference, and the ferry across the Großer Wannsee to Kladow and Spandau.

Day 14 – Berlin at your own pace (optional loop, about 35 km, not counted in the total)
A full day in the capital. If you want to ride, there is a loop along the Havel and around Lake Tegel, with the Spandau Citadel on the way. If you would rather walk, the Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island and the government quarter are all within reach. Farewell dinner on board in the evening.

Day 15 – Farewell in Berlin
Breakfast, then disembarkation in the morning.