# Rheinsberg

An hour and a half from Berlin: the palace where Frederick the Great was happy as a young man, its park beside Lake Grienericksee, boats across five lakes and pottery.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/rheinsberg · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Rheinsberg is a small village in northern Brandenburg, among pine forests and lakes, that owes everything to the palace reflected in Lake Grienericksee. Frederick the Great lived here from 1736 to 1740, when he was still crown prince, and he himself said they were the happiest years of his life. It was later inherited by his brother Henry, who made it a court of music and theatre. Today it is a day trip from Berlin, quieter than Potsdam, with a boat across the lakes and an old town of low eighteenth-century houses.

## What to see in a day

Rheinsberg Palace. A medieval moated castle converted into a rococo palace for the young Frederick, with two round towers above the lake. From April to October you walk through it on your own, with Frederick's rooms, Prince Henry's and his summer apartment; from November to March, with a guided tour in German. The same ticket includes the Kurt Tucholsky Museum, devoted to the writer who made the village famous with a short love novel.

The palace park. Gardens on the lakeshore, with a stone obelisk on the other side of the water and paths that follow the shore. It is free and always open.

The boat across the lakes. The Reederei Halbeck leaves from the old-town shore: the round trip of the five lakes lasts two hours and costs €24; if there are few people, it is cut to an hour. From the water you get the best photo of the palace.

The old town and the pottery. Rheinsberg has been a village of potters for more than 260 years: it has a ceramics museum in the old fire station, two manufactories and a pottery market on the second weekend of October.

## How do you get there from Berlin?

By car, about 95 km to the north, along the A111 and the A24 or on roads through the forests, in about an hour and a half. There is visitor parking next to the palace.

By train, the RB12 regional leaves Berlin-Ostkreuz, passes through Oranienburg and reaches Löwenberg (Mark), where it connects with the RB54 to Rheinsberg; the RB54 runs every two hours. Allow about two hours door to door and check the timetable first, because a missed connection means two hours' wait. From Rheinsberg station to the palace it is about a 15-minute walk.

Oranienburg is on the way: the Oranienburg Palace, one of the great baroque palaces of Brandenburg, makes a good stop on the way there or back. It can also be reached from Berlin by S-Bahn.

## How much time do I need?

A full day covers the palace, the park, the short boat trip and a lunch beside the lake. If you want the long boat route, to Flecken Zechlin or Mirow, or to hire a canoe, sleep a night: the village has hotels beside the water and goes quiet in the evening.

## Where to eat and sleep

The Ratskeller, opposite the palace, is open every day except Wednesday from 11:30. The Zum Fischerhof, in the harbour, cooks lake fish from Wednesday to Sunday. For a more refined meal, the restaurant at Der Seehof, with regional cooking, is open every day.

To sleep, Der Seehof itself has eleven rooms in a house from 1750; the Seehotel Rheinsberg, with an indoor pool and all rooms step-free, is on the lakeshore; and the Sunday Resort Hafendorf, with a marina and pool, suits families with a car.

## When to go

From May to September: all the boats run, the palace is open Tuesday to Sunday until 17:30 and Prince Henry's summer apartment is included in the visit. On the second weekend of October the Töpfermarkt, the pottery market, takes place. In winter the palace opens from 10:00 to 16:00 with a guided tour and the village is almost empty. The palace is closed on Mondays all year.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Neuruppin (a 20.2 km), Chorin and Niederfinow (a 72.9 km), Berlin (a 73.1 km), Potsdam (a 78.7 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Rheinsberg Palace** (1 h 30 · All ages; best from age 8 · Desde 10 € per person in winter; €14 from April to October; families from €20): What it is
Rheinsberg was a medieval moated castle. In 1734 the Soldier King bought it for his son, the future Frederick the Great, who transformed it and lived here from 1736 to 1740: according to the foundation that looks after it, the happiest time of his life, and the place where he tried out ideas he later took to Sanssouci. His brother Prince Henry inherited it afterwards, filled it with music and theatre and gave it the air of early Classicism. Restoration has recovered the rooms of around 1740 and those of around 1786, with paintings and furniture of their owners.
Opening times and tickets
From April to October it is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:30 and is visited on your own; the €14 ticket (€10 concession) includes Prince Henry's summer apartment and the Kurt Tucholsky museum. From November to March it is open from 10:00 to 16:00 and entry is with a guided tour in German, with information in other languages: €10 (€7 concession). The family card, for two adults and up to four under-18s, costs €28 in summer and €20 in winter. Last entry half an hour before closing. Closed on Mondays. There is visitor parking nearby and a bus stop, Rheinsberg Schloss.
- **Rheinsberg Palace Park** (1 h 30 · 4 km · All ages; flat paths suitable for pushchairs): What it is
The palace was completed with a park along the lake, which Prince Henry extended with avenues, little temples and views of the water. From its paths come the best photos of the two towers reflected in the Grienericksee, and across the water stands a stone obelisk.
How it works
Enter through the palace and follow the shore southwards; an easy loop is about 4 km and an hour and a half. Entry is free and the park is always open. It is flat and works well with a pushchair and with small children.
- **Boat trip on the Rheinsberg lakes** (2 h · All ages · Desde 17 € per person; family (2 adults and 2 children) from €51): What it is
Rheinsberg lies on a chain of lakes joined by canals. The Reederei Halbeck, with an office on the market square, sails all year as long as there is no ice. The five-lakes round trip leaves from the Grienericksee, passes the palace and Remus island, crosses the Schlaborn canal to the Tietzowsee and Zechlinerhütte and returns via the Großer Prebelowsee: two hours, with coffee, cake and wine on board. The nature route reaches the Schwarzer See at Flecken Zechlin, and the full-day one goes down through locks to Mirow, already in Mecklenburg.
Prices and booking
2026 prices per person: €17 for one hour, €22 for an hour and a half, €24 for two hours or two and a half hours, €30 for four hours and €40 for the full day. Family ticket (two adults and up to two children up to 14): €51 for two hours, €71 for four hours. Bike or dog, €5.50. Payment is on board. Book by phone or online up to an hour beforehand; if there are fewer than 20 passengers, the two-hour trip is shortened to one.
- **Kurt Tucholsky Museum** (45 min · Adults and teenagers interested in literature · Desde 10 € per person, with the palace ticket): What it is
Kurt Tucholsky, a Berlin journalist and writer, published in 1912 Rheinsberg: A Picture Book for Lovers, the story of a couple who spend a weekend in the village. The book made Rheinsberg a getaway for couples from Berlin, and since 1991 the palace has housed a museum about his life and work, with tours and readings.
How to visit
It is inside the palace and the palace ticket includes it, in winter and in summer. There is also a joint three-museum ticket for the region with the Museum Neuruppin and the Brandenburg-Prussia museum in Wustrau.
- **Canoe or boat hire in Rheinsberg** (4 h · Adults and families who can swim; licence-free motorboats, with an adult in charge): What it is
Rheinsberg's marina is on the shore promenade, inside the old town. The same Reederei Halbeck hires out canoes, rowing boats and pedalos for half a day or a whole day, and small motorboats that can be driven without a licence, such as the Agder 630, for five people. With them you explore the Grienericksee and the Rheinsberger See on your own, with islands and forested shores.
How it works
Ask for prices and availability at the office at Markt 11 or by phone; it does not publish rates on its website. For the licence-free boats you are given an explanation before setting off. Bring water and sun cream: there is little shade on the lakes.
- **Rheinsberg old town and its ceramics** (1 h · All ages): What it is
Rheinsberg is one of the 31 towns in Brandenburg with a protected historic centre: whole streets of low one- and two-family houses from the mid-18th century. On the church square stands St Lawrence's, begun in stone in the second half of the 13th century, and beside it the former fire station, now the ceramics museum, which tells more than 260 years of local pottery. Two manufactories still work here, and the Keramik Haus, a few minutes' walk away, is a large ceramics shop.
When to go
Any day, before or after the palace. On the second weekend of October comes the Töpfermarkt, with potters from all over Germany and abroad selling pieces in the street.
- **Oranienburg Palace, on the way to Rheinsberg** (1 h 30 · Adults and families · Desde 8 € per person; families €16): What it is
Oranienburg, on the same railway line that leads to Rheinsberg, owes its name to Louise Henriette of Orange-Nassau, first wife of the Great Elector, for whom a country house was built here from 1651. Her son, King Frederick I, extended it around 1700 and at the time it was the most beautiful residence in Prussia. Today it is a museum: the porcelain room, an amber lamp of which only three remain in the world, ivory furniture, tapestries from the Berlin manufactory of Pierre Mercier, a painting by Van Dyck and the royal silver.
Opening times and tickets
From April to October it is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:30 and is visited on your own; in November and December, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00, and from January to March only on Saturdays and Sundays, with a guided tour in German from November to March. Entry €8 (€6 concession); families, €16. It is at Schlossplatz 1, about a 15-minute walk from Oranienburg station.

## Dónde comer
- **Der Seehof restaurant** (Restaurant, Rheinsberg, €€€). Qué pedir: the bouillabaisse of lake fish (salmon trout, pike-perch and catfish) or the wild boar escalope
- **Ratskeller Rheinsberg** (Restaurant, Rheinsberg, €€). Qué pedir: a table on the square terrace, looking at the palace
- **Zum Fischerhof** (Restaurant, Rheinsberg, €€). Qué pedir: lake fish, such as pike-perch, on the terrace over the harbour

## By car: Rheinsberg by car
It is the most comfortable way: about 95 km from Berlin, an hour and a half, and you can stop at Oranienburg on the way there. In the village you leave the car and go on foot.
Presupuesto orientativo: 80–160 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Der Seehof Rheinsberg** (Small hotel, desde 120 € / night): The house
Der Seehof is a farmhouse of 1750 converted into a hotel in 1997 and run by the Pfeiffer family since 2003. It is on Seestraße, right in the old town and with a view of the Grienericksee; the palace is a five-minute walk away and the landing stage is next door.
The rooms
Eleven in all, of four types. The singles and doubles are in the main house, some doubles with a lake view. In the garden house there are spacious apartments with a balcony over the lake, and above the threshing floor, a bright suite with a balcony and the best view. All have a bathroom with shower or bath, television, telephone and wifi. Breakfast, included, is prepared to order for the guests, with the day's bread and eggs and dairy from the area.
Prices
Double from €120 from October to April, €130 in May, June and September and €140 in summer; apartment and suite, €135 to €155. Pets, €10 per night. Book through its booking engine or by form.
- **Seehotel Rheinsberg** (Spa hotel, desde 90 € / night): On the lake shore
The Seehotel is on Donnersmarckweg, at the edge of the Grienericksee and a few minutes' walk from the palace. It presents itself as the largest barrier-free hotel in Germany: automatic doors, level-access showers, wheelchair-accessible balconies and adjustable beds in some rooms. It works just as well for any traveller.
The rooms
One hundred and one singles and doubles and three family rooms, all with a balcony, overlooking the garden or, in part, the lake, plus apartments for 2 to 8 people. Single from €90, double from €135 (rooftop view) or €165 (superior), family room of 42 m² from €205.
What it offers
An indoor pool with a hoist for entering the water, saunas, steam bath, massages and gym, included in the hotel's offers; a regional restaurant with a terrace over the lake, a bowling alley and 24-hour reception. If you arrive by train, pick-up at Gransee or Neuruppin stations with 14 days' notice: free for over-75s or people with a disability of 50% or more, €30 per person per journey for everyone else. You can also get off at Rheinsberg station.
- **Sunday Resort Hafendorf Rheinsberg** (Hotel): A harbour village
The Hafendorf, the harbour village, is on the shore of the Rheinsberger See, about 2 km north of the palace. It is a complex of nautical-style houses around a marina with a lighthouse, with a main hotel, restaurants and bars overlooking the water.
The rooms
Classic rooms of 28 m² with a balcony, some with a side view of the lake, superior rooms with a direct view and suites, in nautical style. Dogs are welcome in all categories, for €15 a night.
For families
It has a 2,000 m² spa with a pool, sauna and treatments, an indoor play area and the harbour, where boats can be hired. With children and a car it is Rheinsberg's most comfortable base; without a car it is a good half-hour's walk from the centre.
### Servicios
- **Palace visitors' car park**: Visitors' car park near Rheinsberg Palace, a few minutes' walk from the old town and the landing stage.

## Car-free: Rheinsberg without a car
You get there by train with one change: RB12 from Berlin-Ostkreuz to Löwenberg (Mark) and RB54 to Rheinsberg, about two hours. The RB54 runs every two hours, so plan your return. In the village everything is on foot.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–150 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Der Seehof Rheinsberg** (Small hotel, desde 120 € / night): The house
Der Seehof is a farmhouse of 1750 converted into a hotel in 1997 and run by the Pfeiffer family since 2003. It is on Seestraße, right in the old town and with a view of the Grienericksee; the palace is a five-minute walk away and the landing stage is next door.
The rooms
Eleven in all, of four types. The singles and doubles are in the main house, some doubles with a lake view. In the garden house there are spacious apartments with a balcony over the lake, and above the threshing floor, a bright suite with a balcony and the best view. All have a bathroom with shower or bath, television, telephone and wifi. Breakfast, included, is prepared to order for the guests, with the day's bread and eggs and dairy from the area.
Prices
Double from €120 from October to April, €130 in May, June and September and €140 in summer; apartment and suite, €135 to €155. Pets, €10 per night. Book through its booking engine or by form.
- **Seehotel Rheinsberg** (Spa hotel, desde 90 € / night): On the lake shore
The Seehotel is on Donnersmarckweg, at the edge of the Grienericksee and a few minutes' walk from the palace. It presents itself as the largest barrier-free hotel in Germany: automatic doors, level-access showers, wheelchair-accessible balconies and adjustable beds in some rooms. It works just as well for any traveller.
The rooms
One hundred and one singles and doubles and three family rooms, all with a balcony, overlooking the garden or, in part, the lake, plus apartments for 2 to 8 people. Single from €90, double from €135 (rooftop view) or €165 (superior), family room of 42 m² from €205.
What it offers
An indoor pool with a hoist for entering the water, saunas, steam bath, massages and gym, included in the hotel's offers; a regional restaurant with a terrace over the lake, a bowling alley and 24-hour reception. If you arrive by train, pick-up at Gransee or Neuruppin stations with 14 days' notice: free for over-75s or people with a disability of 50% or more, €30 per person per journey for everyone else. You can also get off at Rheinsberg station.
### Servicios
- **Rheinsberg (Mark) station**: Terminus of the RB54 regional line, which connects at Löwenberg with the RB12 from Berlin-Ostkreuz; 15 minutes' walk from the palace.

## By plane: Fly to Berlin and take the train or a car to Rheinsberg
You fly to Berlin: BER airport has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. From there, Rheinsberg is about 130 km by motorway, around an hour and a half by hire car; by train, you first go to central Berlin and continue via Oranienburg and Löwenberg, about two and a half to three hours from the airport.
### Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Der Seehof Rheinsberg** (Small hotel, desde 120 € / night): The house
Der Seehof is a farmhouse of 1750 converted into a hotel in 1997 and run by the Pfeiffer family since 2003. It is on Seestraße, right in the old town and with a view of the Grienericksee; the palace is a five-minute walk away and the landing stage is next door.
The rooms
Eleven in all, of four types. The singles and doubles are in the main house, some doubles with a lake view. In the garden house there are spacious apartments with a balcony over the lake, and above the threshing floor, a bright suite with a balcony and the best view. All have a bathroom with shower or bath, television, telephone and wifi. Breakfast, included, is prepared to order for the guests, with the day's bread and eggs and dairy from the area.
Prices
Double from €120 from October to April, €130 in May, June and September and €140 in summer; apartment and suite, €135 to €155. Pets, €10 per night. Book through its booking engine or by form.
- **Seehotel Rheinsberg** (Spa hotel, desde 90 € / night): On the lake shore
The Seehotel is on Donnersmarckweg, at the edge of the Grienericksee and a few minutes' walk from the palace. It presents itself as the largest barrier-free hotel in Germany: automatic doors, level-access showers, wheelchair-accessible balconies and adjustable beds in some rooms. It works just as well for any traveller.
The rooms
One hundred and one singles and doubles and three family rooms, all with a balcony, overlooking the garden or, in part, the lake, plus apartments for 2 to 8 people. Single from €90, double from €135 (rooftop view) or €165 (superior), family room of 42 m² from €205.
What it offers
An indoor pool with a hoist for entering the water, saunas, steam bath, massages and gym, included in the hotel's offers; a regional restaurant with a terrace over the lake, a bowling alley and 24-hour reception. If you arrive by train, pick-up at Gransee or Neuruppin stations with 14 days' notice: free for over-75s or people with a disability of 50% or more, €30 per person per journey for everyone else. You can also get off at Rheinsberg station.
- **Sunday Resort Hafendorf Rheinsberg** (Hotel): A harbour village
The Hafendorf, the harbour village, is on the shore of the Rheinsberger See, about 2 km north of the palace. It is a complex of nautical-style houses around a marina with a lighthouse, with a main hotel, restaurants and bars overlooking the water.
The rooms
Classic rooms of 28 m² with a balcony, some with a side view of the lake, superior rooms with a direct view and suites, in nautical style. Dogs are welcome in all categories, for €15 a night.
For families
It has a 2,000 m² spa with a pool, sauna and treatments, an indoor play area and the harbour, where boats can be hired. With children and a car it is Rheinsberg's most comfortable base; without a car it is a good half-hour's walk from the centre.
### Servicios
- **Rheinsberg (Mark) station**: Terminus of the RB54 regional line, which connects at Löwenberg with the RB12 from Berlin-Ostkreuz; 15 minutes' walk from the palace.

## As a family: Rheinsberg with children

Rheinsberg makes a relaxed day with children: a palace with a lake, a flat park and boats. What they like most is the water, by boat or canoe.

### What works best
The boat on the lakes: the one- or two-hour round trip, with a family ticket from €51

The palace park, flat and pushchair-friendly

The hire canoe or pedalo with children who can swim

Oranienburg Palace on the way, with a €16 family card

### Where to stay
Sunday Resort Hafendorf, with a pool and indoor play area

Seehotel Rheinsberg, with family rooms and a pool

### Where to eat
Der Seehof, with a children's menu

Zum Fischerhof, terrace in the harbour

### Worth knowing
The palace and the Tucholsky museum are closed on Mondays

Under-18s get in with the palace family card

### Qué hacer as a family
- Rheinsberg Palace
- Rheinsberg Palace Park
- Boat trip on the Rheinsberg lakes
- Canoe or boat hire in Rheinsberg
- Oranienburg Palace, on the way to Rheinsberg

## Consejos

### Check the RB54 timetable
It runs every two hours from Löwenberg; plan your return before you leave.

### Book the boat
The boat company accepts bookings up to an hour before departure; in summer it is advisable.

### Do not go on a Monday
The palace and the Tucholsky museum are closed.

### Stop at Oranienburg
It is on the same railway line and on the road.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How do I get from Berlin to Rheinsberg?
By car, about 95 km and an hour and a half. By train, RB12 from Berlin-Ostkreuz to Löwenberg (Mark) and then the RB54, about two hours in total.

### How much does it cost to enter Rheinsberg Palace?
From April to October, €14 with the summer apartment and the Tucholsky Museum; from November to March, €10 with a guided tour. Families, €28 and €20.

### Which day is the palace closed?
Mondays, all year.

### Are there boats in winter?
The boat company sails as long as the lake does not freeze, with fewer departures; check the month's timetable on its website.

### Is it worth sleeping in Rheinsberg?
Yes, if you want the long boat route or to paddle: the hotels are beside the lake and the village empties at dusk.

### Can you go with children?
Yes: the park is flat, they enjoy the boat and the Hafendorf has a pool and an indoor play area.