Premium Germany & Poland tour: ‘Amazon of the North’

Check in: 3:30 PM - 5PM. Merlijn will sail to Oranienburg, where we will stay overnight. We’ll present you with a welcome drink and introduce the crew. We’ll also inform you about the tour and the ship, and give you a safety briefing. After departure, your holiday will get underway, as you enjoy the scenery and dinner on board while gazing upon the inland lakes around Berlin.

Oranienburg, which received its royal name from the Dutch princess Louise Henriette of Nassau-Oranien (1627-1667), is situated at the northern city limits of Germany’s capital city Berlin. Our docking location is too far away from the centre of Oranienburg, but we will be happy to offer you a nice evening stroll after dinner.

The day starts with a sailing breakfast along the Havel River, while we cruise to Zerpenschleuse, a small town just perfect for getting to know your bike. You will cycle to Eberswalde along the Old Finow Canal, one of the oldest artificial waterways in Europe. It was initially constructed in 1605 to connect the Havel and Oder rivers, but there is now the Havel-Oder Canal to serve that purpose. We will meet the Merlijn in Eberswalde and then cruise onward - or you can extend your bike tour to Niederfinow. Our mooring spot for the night will be close to the Niederfinow Ship Lift: a highlight we will explore on day 3.

In the morning, before breakfast, we will experience one of the highlights of this tour: we will pass the oldest German ship lift at Niederfinow, which was built in 1932. The Merlijn and its guests will descend some 38 metres in this lift, which is a wonderful experience. Once we’ve descended, we will continue our journey to Oderberg, where your cycling tour will start, and take you to the city of Schwedt, passing magnificent areas of natural beauty. A visit to the Castle of Stolpe is included in your tour.

The castle of Stolpe has one of the best-preserved medieval castle towers in Germany. Enjoy the majestic view from the roof of this tower, which extends from the National Lower Oder River Valley across to Poland or of the picturesque wooded slopes up to beautiful chains of hills in the spacious hinterland. We offer you a guided tour through Stolpe castle. After your visit, you will cycle through more magnificent scenery, and on to the city of Schwedt, where we will meet the Merlijn. Schwedt is a historical town where you will be able to discover and experience some of the remnants of the lifestyle and atmosphere of the former German Democratic Republic.

As far as the landscape is concerned, today’s trip will once again offer you ‘nature at its purest’. The bike tour leads you to Mescherin, still in Germany in the state of Brandenburg. Here you will board the Merlijn, and together we will cruise through the afternoon and into Poland. We will stay in the former German city of Stettin, which is now part of Poland, and named Szczecin. For the more experienced cyclists, there is an option to extend the bike tour further to Szczecin. At night, you will have the opportunity to discover the regional Polish cuisine in one of the many restaurants this city offers. We will stay here overnight.

Your captain will start sailing early, as Merlijn continues its trip by following the Oder from Szczecin to the confluence of the Oder into the Stettin Lagoon/Stettiner Haff. Once we pass the estuary of the Oder River, we will sail the magnificent Stettiner Lagoon to the sunny island of Usedom. This is a German-Polish region located on the Baltic Sea, and definitely worth exploring and discovering. Today’s cycling tour will start at approx. 11:30 AM, and you will cycle over the island to its northern coast on the Baltic Sea. Here, you will have a couple of hours to relax, swim, hire a special beach chair, or stroll through charming cities such as Ahlbeck and Heringsdorf. Whatever you decide will allow you to fully enjoy this isle, which is considered another highlight of the tour. We will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay in the little town of Kamminke.

In the morning, we will cycle across the beautiful Island of Usedom again and enjoy its beautiful scenery. En route, we will visit a small GDR Museum. In Karnin, which is in the southern part, you will board the Merlijn, and together we’ll sail down the river Peene. You can also extend your bike tour to Anklam. Today’s destination is Stolpe: a little village within a natural reserve, with hardly any people aside from local residents.

After a sailing breakfast, your last biking tour starts in Jarmen, which is another charming village on the Peene river. Your cycling routes will take you through the former GDR region again, where the road surfaces switch from tarmac to concrete bike paths to cobblestones, a popular surface in this region. From Verchen, we will cruise the River Peene together in the late afternoon towards our destination of Malchin. The Peene is a moor river, surrounded by sheer, unadulterated nature. The banks are wide, with no traffic, houses or people as far as the eye can see. Revel in the beauty of this ‘Amazon of the North’ river after the week’s great cycling tour.

While cruising along, we will also cross the Kummerower See, a 20 km wide lake, floating into the Peene once more. This cruise is also to be considered one of the highlights of the week. Before our farewell dinner, we will arrive at Malchin, our final destination.

After breakfast it is time to say goodbye and continue your European trip.