In just one week, we cycled from the German capital to the Baltic Sea, calling the beautiful MS Princess our home along the way. Idyllic river landscapes, historically fascinating Hanseatic cities, and finally the two Baltic Sea islands of Usedom and Rügen—the journey from Berlin to Stralsund truly has something new to offer every day!
Day 1: Arrival in Berlin and Boarding
Since boarding didn’t begin until 4 p.m. and we’d already arrived in Berlin at 8 a.m. via the Nightjet, we took a quick tour of the German capital on a hop-on, hop-off bus. We boarded just outside the city in the Berlin-Tegel district, where we were warmly welcomed by the crew and, after a hearty dinner, spent our first night aboard the MS Princess.
Day 2: Berlin – Oranienburg – Eberswalde
Our first bike tour started at the Berlin-Tegel harbor and took us through Berlin’s outskirts and many beautiful wooded areas to Oranienburg. Along the way, the Princess passed us while we were taking our lunch break on the Oder-Havel Canal. Back on board in Oranienburg (after a quick detour to the magnificent Baroque castle), we then headed to Eberswalde.
Day 3: Eberswalde – Hohensaaten – Schwedt
Day 3 was probably the most eventful day of the week: First, we cycled along a small canal where we could also see Germany’s oldest lock. Meanwhile, the Princess continued along the large Oder-Havel Canal toward the Niederfinow ship lift. We happened to arrive just in time to take part in a tour. As we looked down over the canal from the very top, the Princess came into view, so we were able to watch the entire lifting process up close. In Hohensaaten, we could either board the ship again or, like we did, cycle the last part of the route. That turned out not to be such a great idea, though, since it started to rain and we had to battle our way 20 km straight ahead against the wind along the Dammradweg.
Day 4: Schwedt – Mescherin – Szczecin
We continued along the Dammradweg bike path straight through the Lower Oder Valley National Park. The wind and rain had died down, though, and the many flocks of sheep along the roadside put us in an even better mood with their bleating. Toward the end of the tour, though, time got tight when we had to detour around a construction zone—an 8-km detour that was also a very steep uphill climb. Nevertheless, we made it back to the ship in time before the Princess set sail for Szczecin. In the afternoon, we had the option of exploring the old Hanseatic city on a guided walking tour or setting out on our own.
Day 5: Rest Day Aboard / Szczecin – Zinnowitz
Today began with a cruise across the Oderhaff toward the Baltic Sea island of Usedom. We passed the time on board enjoyably with a Bavarian breakfast (free beer all morning), a towel-twirling show by the crew, and a barbecue party on the sun deck. Once we arrived in Zinnowitz (Usedom), we cycled the short distance to the beach promenade and explored the famous Baltic Sea resort. We didn’t want to go swimming, though—the water temperatures were a bit too chilly after all! Today’s highlight was the solar eclipse, which we were able to watch from the harbor shortly before sunset.
Day 6: Usedom
Today we had the whole day to cross the island of Usedom and visit its famous seaside resorts. We opted for the longer of the available routes, which took us past beautiful island villages and the old Hanseatic city of Wolgast. From the church tower, we had a magnificent view of Usedom and the gigantic blue bascule bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Back on board in the evening, we headed out across the open sea toward Rügen as the sun set.
Day 7: Rügen
It was time for our last day of cycling—and with it, one of the longest tours of the week. We had excellent weather and made the most of the day to explore Rügen. Our cruise leader suggested we take a short detour to the village of “Schabernack” to take a funny souvenir photo with the town sign. However, the sign in question had been stolen a few days earlier! Finally, we arrived at our final destination via the old Rügendamm (with a view of the new Rügen Bridge): Stralsund!
Day 8: Stralsund
After a night in Stralsund’s old harbor, it was already time to leave the ship. We explored the beautiful Hanseatic city—with its impressive Ozeaneum and the many quaint harbor pubs and fish-sandwich stands—on our own and didn’t head home until the next morning.
In summary, the trip can be described as very diverse, as we got to experience something new every day. The bike tours were impressive both in terms of scenery and history, as we kept coming across relics from the GDR era. The crew of the MS Princess was always helpful and friendly, the food was delicious, and the evening entertainment was very enjoyable! Has this trip piqued your interest? Then book your →dream trip between Berlin and Stralsund by bike and ship now!
