Climate-friendly to Brandenburg by train
The last time was exhausting, recovery is needed? Fortunately, you can travel again in Germany, and Brandenburg is a great destination. Here are seven suggestions for recharging your batteries in the northeastern German state.
Do you want to really reward yourself on vacation with a particularly beautiful and unusual accommodation that offers good comfort and maybe one or two extra things? No problem, Brandenburg has plenty of them, cozy hideaways beyond the mainstream. The floating igloos of Templin, for example: They lie on pontoons directly on the Templin city lake and look like cozy little hobbit houses in their round wooden construction. They offer everything you could wish for, including a swimming ladder and a hanging swing.
How to get to Templin by train and bus: Plan arrival.
The lofts in the old Bad Saarow waterworks are just as unique and beautiful. Where electricity was once generated, you now sleep in a dignified industrial look in apartments of various sizes, some of which have a terrace and/or fireplace. The highlight here is the water tower, which is over 100 years old; you live on four levels with a mini spa and a great view. This is also offered by the cozy Mödlich vicarage from 1865 - the names of the vacation apartments "Teich," "Elbe" and "Garten" indicate where the view goes here.
How to get to Bad Saarow by train: Plan arrival.
Many more tips on the subject can be found here.
Films made in Brandenburg have a long tradition; famous flicks were and are shot here - Bridge of Spies by Steven Spielberg, for example, the Netflix series Dark, Homeland or the Spreewald crime thriller flicks. The Babelsberg Film Studios in Potsdam are the largest film studio in Europe, but filming takes place in Potsdam not only on the studio lot: Almost every day, a film set is being built somewhere in the city, too - so with a bit of luck, you might meet a world star getting a coffee at the bakery during a break in filming.
Also exciting: on a cross-country drive through Brandenburg, visit a few of the more than 20 film locations of Unterleuten, the successful TV series based on the novel by Juli Zeh, which was shown on ZDF as recently as March of this year. In the Barnimer Land, filming took place in the pretty communities of Biesenthal, Hohenfinow and Seefeld, and in Havelland, for example, in Brieselang and Neugarten. The only important thing is to watch Unterleuten in the media library beforehand so that you can recognize the filming locations. You can find more information here.
This is how you get to Babelsberg by train: Plan arrival.
The offer is top: There are about 7000 kilometers of developed bike paths in Brandenburg, which lead along many of the 3000 enchanting lakes of the state. Would you like to see some examples? The Havel Cycle Path, for example, runs 371 kilometers from Ankershagen to Gnevsdorf, passing many idyllic small towns and inland waters. Or the Fontane Cycle Route, which runs in eight daily stages through the Ruppiner Seenland, eastern Prignitz and Havelland from Orianienburg to Potsdam leads.
For athletes there's also a real challenge: How about the "Tour Brandenburg"? This is no less than the longest long-distance cycle route in Germany, measuring exactly 1111 kilometers. Of course, there are plenty of opportunities to take a leisurely break along the way: 31 towns with historic city centers lie along the route, eleven nature parks, three biosphere reserves - and of course Elbe, Spree, Havel and Oder rivers.
You can find more information here.
Hiking is good for body and soul, and in Brandenburg there are plenty of opportunities to do so. Around 2000 kilometers of signposted hiking trails can be found here. For connoisseurs, we recommend starting with the Stechlinsee circular trail, which is only 14 kilometers long - the water is clean and clear, the shore is bordered by picturesque beech trees and the historical reference is clear: Theodor Fontane wrote his novel "Der Stechlin" at the end of the 19th century, with the beautiful backdrop of the lake always in mind.
Also worthwhile: the Silver Grass and Heathland Route, which runs 20 kilometers through the Lower Lusatian Heathland Nature Park If you're lucky, you'll meet a shepherd and his sheep along the way. For the more athletic, Brandenburg has a special treat, 400 kilometers long and more varied than a John Irving novel: the 66-lake hiking trail through deciduous and coniferous forests, castle and park landscapes, dreamy villages and magical lakeshores. By the way: If the hiking partner cancels at short notice, a donkey or an alpaca would also be quickly organized in Brandenburg - one hears that they are perfect companions ...
You can find more info here.
Vacation is family time, and Brandenburg is a great place to spend it. At Schorfheide Game Park for example. It is located just under an hour's drive from Berlin in Germany's largest contiguous forest area, complete with meadows, moors and lakes, as well as many hiking trails with rest and picnic areas. Top: In generously designed enclosures you can see big game animals and very rare original domestic animal breeds that are threatened in their existence - exciting and educational for young and old.
This is how you get to the Schorfheide Game Park by train and bus: Plan arrival.
And Brandenburg offers so much more family fun. Huckleberry's raft trips including camping on the water, for example. Admire animals from five continents at the Eberswalde Zoo. Or take to the rails on a trolley - a muscle-powered bicycle or hand lever trolley takes you through the state on old, disused railroad lines. Our tip: the Zossen-Mellensee adventure train south of Berlin, because it passes by a particularly large number of nostalgic route points.
More tips here.
Brandenburg has a long camping tradition, there are places of all kinds - whether for couples, for single travelers or for the whole family. Many of them are located directly on the water and are ideal starting points for canoe or bike tours. Waking up in the morning by a lake, how can the day start more beautifully?
One such site is the Senftenberger See camping park in the Lusatian Lakeland. Right on the water, there are tent meadows, caravan and camper sites, and rental accommodations here. The lake itself has fantastic beaches and sunbathing lawns, and there are harbors, water sports facilities and, of course, restaurants. You are also in good hands in the "Hanging tents" in the forest paradise Borkheide - from the hanging tents you can enjoy a great view of treetops, sky and stars, and the fresh forest air makes for soft dreams. You can find all info here.
How to get to Senftenberg Lake by train and bus: Plan arrival.
How about a little adventure on vacation, so different from a southern beach hotel? The time out on a houseboat is unquestionably something special. You can comfortably explore the Brandenburg waters, set the course and decide when and where to drop anchor. During the breaks it is wonderful to swim or go on excursions ashore, Brandenburg's cultural offerings are truly great.
A great region for this is, for example, the Dahme-Seenland a little southeast of Berlin. Here you can rent good houseboats, and off you go. Satisfied, the holiday captains sail through enchanting landscapes, for example over the Zeuthener See, Krossinsee, Möllenzugsee, Nottekanal, Krimnicksee, Dolgensee to the Langer See. Along the way, there are endless opportunities for mooring and sightseeing. And after a daring jump into the cool water, your floating home will later rock you peacefully to sleep. You can find all info here.
How to get to the Dahme-Seenland by train: Plan arrival.
Cover photo: Looking for relaxation and new strength? That's what you get when you vacation on the water in Brandenburg © TMB-Fotoarchiv / Yorck Maecke / rent a floss
