Berlin-Oder-Umfahrt

Anyone who wants to experience something new away from the well-known and busy inland waterways of Germany and ideally already has some boat tour experience will get their money's worth on the Berlin-Oder circumnavigation. The circular tour character and the mixture of the big city of Berlin with a largely quiet and natural river landscape, the Polish neighbor on the eastern side of the Oder, impressive monuments of industrial history such as the Niederfinow boat lift and the Finow Canal, Germany's oldest navigable canal, and numerous neighboring towns that invite you to go ashore, make the Berlin-Oder circumnavigation a unique cruise experience.

And let's not forget the Oder itself, which requires more attention than regulated rivers due to fluctuating water levels and a brisk current, but boaters are rewarded with a vast and quiet landscape that is not found anywhere else in Germany. The current on the Oder is also the reason why the bypass should generally be navigated anti-clockwise, i.e. downstream.

And there is something else that makes the detour special, namely the numerous opportunities to make detours into neighbouring water systems (Dahme waters, Spree with Schwielochsee, Polish Oder upstream to Wroclaw, the Greater Poland loop over the Warta near Küstrin, the Lower Oder Valley National Park region to Stettin, the Upper Havel Waterway, the Ruppin waters).

Length: 368 km / 1 - 2 weeks

water route: Spree, Dahme, Oder-Spree Canal, Oder (also called Stromoder), Oder-Havel Canal/Finow Canal, Havel

For many, Berlin is an ideal starting point and also one of the highlights of the tour. The Spree runs through the middle of Berlin's city center, past the new government district and through the historic center of the city. The Oder-Spree Canal then takes you from the Berlin city limits on a route of 84 km through seemingly endless forests towards the Oder. The town of Fürstenwalde, which lies along the route, and the award-winning resort of Müllrose are attractive destinations for a stopover.

At km 95 it is worth taking a detour on the Spree to Beeskow and then on to Schwielochsee. In Eisenhüttenstadt you reach the Oder after passing the impressive twin-shaft lock from 1929. Before continuing downstream on the Oder, it is worth visiting this city, which was planned on the drawing board in the 1950s as a model city for the GDR. On the way down the Oder you can expect a wide and quiet landscape with only a few tranquil villages on both banks of the Oder and the attractive shore destinations of Frankfurt (Oder) with its Polish sister city Slubice and the Polish town of Küstrin.

After a total of 113 km of sailing along the Oder, the tour turns westwards onto the Oder-Havel waterway at Hohensaaten. First, you have to pass the Hohensaaten East Lock. After about 13 km of sailing through the flat Oderbruch, you reach the Barnim, a ridge shaped by the Ice Age. The 36-metre difference in altitude can be overcome either via the Oder-Havel Canal with Germany's largest ship lift, the Niederfinow ship lift, or alternatively via the Finow Canal with 12 locks. If you have enough time, you shouldn't miss the 34 km long trip on Germany's oldest canal still in operation with numerous shore excursion attractions in the neighboring towns, especially in the town of Eberswalde, combined with longer natural sections.

At km 50, the Finow Canal meets the Oder-Havel Canal again. From there it is about 25 km to the beautiful Oranienburg. It is now not far to Berlin. After another 25 km on the Oder-Havel Canal, after passing the Spandau lock, you reach the Spree again and after about 16 km you reach Berlin city center.

What should be considered?

• Due to an average flow speed of 3 to 4 km/h on the Oder, it is recommended to travel the tour anti-clockwise, i.e. downstream. Traveling upstream on the Oder is also possible for boats with sufficient motorization, but it takes more time (approx. one day) and results in significantly higher fuel consumption.
• The nautical conditions on the Oder can vary greatly due to high water in spring and low water levels during long dry periods in summer. The water level fluctuations and current conditions make the Oder a challenging body of water, and boating experience is recommended for navigating it. Pay attention to the channel markings on the banks. The yellow crosses with green diamonds and red squares continuously mark the channel changes and are regularly checked and corrected if necessary. It is also important to stay as far away as possible from the groynes that extend into the river every 50 to 100 meters and to be sure to find out about the current conditions on the Oder before and during the tour. The channel depths for each day are provided by the Electronic Waterway Information System of the Waterways and Shipping AdministrationThe development of water levels with 2-day forecast is provided by Brandenburg State Environmental Agency. The website of the Water Authority of Breslau provides comprehensive, daily updated data and fairway depths for the Oder upstream in Polish.
• Boats with a draft of less than 1 meter can usually travel the Oder between Eisenhüttenstadt and Hohensaaten during the summer months, even when the water level is lower. For boats with a deeper draft, April and May as well as September and October are the most suitable times to travel in terms of water levels.
• Since Poland joined the Schengen Agreement in 2007, no border formalities are required. However, a national flag must be carried. An inland sports boat license is mandatory for navigation.
• Due to the extensive construction work taking place while shipping operations are ongoing, the inner-city Spree in Berlin between Mühlendammschleuse and Lessingbrücke may only be used by pleasure boats with VHF inland navigation radio between 10.30:19.00 a.m. and XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. until further notice. Pleasure boats without radio must use the Lower Havel and Teltow Canal during this period.

Sub-water bodies and distances:

• Spree-Oder waterway from the Havel junction to Eisenhüttenstadt, a total of 130 km, five locks
• Or from Eisenhüttenstadt (km 553) to Hohensaaten (km 667) a total of 114 km, no lock
• Havel-Oder waterway from Hohensaaten to the Lower Havel waterway/Spree junction 92 km, two locks and a boat lift
• Finow Canal 32 km (alternative to the Oder-Havel Canal section km 50 to 79)

shore leave:
Berlin, Fürstenwalde/Spree, Müllrose, Eisenhüttenstadt, Frankfurt (Oder)/Slubice, Lebus, Küstrin, Oderberg, Eberswalde, Finowfurt, Oranienburg

Note:
In this presentation of the Berlin-Oder bypass, the focus is on tourist information. This cannot replace careful preparation with nautical maps, e.g. inland recreational boating maps, Nautische Verlagsgesellschaft Volume 1 Berlin and Märkische Waters, Volume 2 Berlin and Mecklenburg Waters, Volume 3 northern Oder, each at 34,90 euros.