# Day trip from Berlin to Chorin and Niederfinow: a brick monastery and a boat through the lift

An hour from Berlin: the Cistercian monastery of Chorin, lunch beside the canal and the afternoon at the Niederfinow boat lifts, with a boat trip included.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/chorin-and-niederfinow/itineraries/monastery-and-boat-lift-from-berlin · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 09:00 · Salida: 1 h by car (take the A11 towards Szczecin, exit Chorin; monastery car park, €3 a day at most)
- 10:00 · Chorin Monastery, brick Gothic by a lake (€7 · family €15 · guided tour at weekends from May to October at 11:00)
  - 12 min by car, 9 km
- 12:30 · Gasthof Zum Barnimer Holzmich'l (Cauldron goulash or pork knuckle · beside the lift) · Gasthof Zum Barnimer Holzmich'l, €
  - 5 min on foot
- 13:45 · Guided tour of the new Niederfinow boat lift (Call at the ticket office of the information centre · combined ticket €13) · Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow (SHW Tourismus), From €13 per person (2027 fare)
  - 5 min on foot
- 15:00 · By boat through the Niederfinow lift (15:00 departure · 45 to 90 min · until early November) · Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow (SHW Tourismus), From €18 per person (2027 fare)
- 16:45 · Vuelta (In Berlin around 18:00)

A day trip from Berlin, an hour along the Baltic motorway, that brings together two visits eight kilometres apart: the Cistercian monastery of Chorin, brick Gothic in a forest beside a lake, and the Niederfinow boat lifts, where the canal drops 36 metres at a stroke and boats go up and down inside a trough of water.

## The day, hour by hour

9:00 · Leave Berlin. On the A11 towards Szczecin, exit Chorin: about an hour. Park 200 metres from the monastery.

10:00 · Chorin Monastery. An hour and a half through the roofless church, the cloister and the outbuildings. €7. If it is a Saturday or Sunday between May and October, sign up for the 11:00 guided tour.

12:30 · Lunch at Niederfinow. Ten minutes by car to the Holzmich'l, a wooden inn beside the lift: cauldron goulash, pork knuckle or herring.

13:45 · The new lift. Call at the ticket office of the information centre: they give you the time of the guided tour of the 2022 lift and entry to the old one, from 1934, for €13 on the combined ticket.

15:00 · By boat through the lift. The last boat of the day enters the trough and goes up or down the 36 metres with you inside. Between 45 and 90 minutes.

16:45 · Journey back. In Berlin around six.

## And on Sunday?

It works just the same: the monastery, the lifts and the inn are open on Sunday. In winter, the monastery's Klosterkommode is open only from Friday to Sunday.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
It is the practical way: about 60 km on the A11 and ten minutes between the two visits.

### Without a car
The RE3 from Berlin Hauptbahnhof stops at Chorin, 25 minutes' walk from the monastery. Niederfinow has a station about 2 km from the lift. Combining the two in a day without a car means checking the timetables carefully: otherwise, choose one.

## Consejos

### Check the boat before you set out
It does not sail every day the site is open.

### Bring a coat
The wind blows on the canal bridge.

## Un consejo más

### If it rains
The new lift is visited largely under cover, and at the monastery there are exhibitions in the rooms.

## Cuándo no ir

January and February: the lifts cannot be visited.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the day cost?
Monastery €7, lifts €13, boat €18 and lunch: between €60 and €90 per person with the car.

### Can it be done with children?
Yes, it is one of the best days from Berlin for them: they love the boat through the lift.

### Do I need to book anything?
No: neither the monastery, nor the lift tour, nor the boat, except for groups.