Punt from Lübbenau to Lehde
2 hAll agesApril – October; from November to March, 75-minute winter punt
Punt · 2 h with a stop · €17 · Along the Spreewald canals from the Großer Spreewaldhafen to the village of Lehde
From €17
Book
From BerlinTrain · 1 h · car 1 h 15
Minimum time1 day
Boat to Lehde2 h · €17
Best timeMay – September
Coming up
Coming up in Spreewald
What to do
What to do in Spreewald
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Lehde Open-Air Museum
1 h 30All agesEnd of March – 1 November; closed in winter, except the Christmas market
Museum · 1 h 30 · Free up to age 14 · Four nineteenth-century wooden farmsteads with their houses, stables and boats, in the village of Lehde
Canoe or Kayak on the Spreewald Canals, on Your Own
4 h · 19 kmFamilies with children who stay seated, teenagers and adultsSpring to autumn; there are paddling outings in winter
Kayak · 2 h to a day · Hire in Lübbenau · Paddle yourself along the canals to Lehde and beyond
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Spreewald, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Spreewald
From May to September, with all the boat routes, canoes and the Lehde museum open. In October there are still boats and autumn colours. In winter only the 75-minute winter boats run, the museum closes and the Christmas market arrives in Advent.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
Spreewald your way
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
The Spreewald without a Car
Lübbenau is the easiest gateway to the Spreewald without a car: the train from Berlin drops you a walk from the punt harbour, and the canals are covered by punt, canoe or on foot.
70–170 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepSchloss Lübbenau, next to the…
- Getting aroundTrain from Berlin, about an…
- Where to eatKaupen No. 6, in Lehde…
- ServicesLübbenau station
Where to sleep
- Schloss Lübbenau, next to the old town
- Hotelanlage Starick, in Lehde
Getting around
- Train from Berlin, about an hour, or from BER airport, about 50 minutes
- Punt from the Großer Spreewaldhafen
- Hire a canoe at Bootsverleih Richter
Where to eat
- Kaupen No. 6, in Lehde, Thursday to Sunday
- Quappenschänke, in Lehde
Services
- Lübbenau station
- Tourist office, on Ehm-Welk-Straße
Fly to Berlin and Take the Train to the Spreewald
For the Spreewald you fly to Berlin: BER airport has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities, and is south of the city, on the way. From the airport there is a train to Lübbenau in about 50 minutes, without going through Berlin; by hire car, a little over an hour on the A13 motorway.
- Getting thereBerlin Brandenburg Airport (BER): train…
- Getting aroundOn foot between the station…
- Where to sleepSchloss Lübbenau, a walk from…
- ServicesLübbenau station
Getting there
- Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER): train to Lübbenau in about 50 minutes
- From Berlin, regional trains on the Cottbus line, about an hour
Getting around
- On foot between the station, the old town and the punt harbour
- Punt, canoe or on foot to Lehde
- Hire car at the airport if you want to continue around the Spreewald
Where to sleep
- Schloss Lübbenau, a walk from the harbour
- Hotelanlage Starick, in Lehde
Services
- Lübbenau station
- Lübbenau tourist office
The Spreewald by Car
By car, Lübbenau is a little over an hour from Berlin along the A13 motorway. The car is useful for getting there and for continuing around the rest of the Spreewald; in Lübbenau and Lehde, leave it parked and get around on the water.
70–180 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepSchloss Lübbenau, in the palace…
- Getting aroundPark and continue on foot…
- Where to eatKaupen No. 6, in Lehde
- ServicesLübbenau tourist office
Where to sleep
- Schloss Lübbenau, in the palace complex
- Hotelanlage Starick, in Lehde
- Camping Am Schlosspark, between Lübbenau and Lehde, all year
Getting around
- Park and continue on foot, by punt or by canoe
- To Lehde, along the canal path
Where to eat
- Kaupen No. 6, in Lehde
- Quappenschänke, with a boat terrace
Services
- Lübbenau tourist office
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Who you're with
Spreewald for whoever you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
The Spreewald with Children
The Spreewald is among the day trips from Berlin that children like most: punts, canals, wooden houses and a museum where you wash clothes by hand and try on clogs. Everything is flat and quiet.
- What works bestThe punt to Lehde, two…
- Where to sleepCamping Am Schlosspark, with cabins…
- Where to eatKaupen No. 6, with a…
- Keep in mindThe Lehde museum closes in…
What works best
- The punt to Lehde, two hours with a stop; children aged 4 to 11 pay €9
- The Lehde open-air museum, free up to age 14
- Paddling a family canoe, once they can sit still
- The Christmas market in Advent
Where to sleep
- Camping Am Schlosspark, with cabins and a playground
- Schloss Lübbenau, with the palace park
- Hotelanlage Starick, in Lehde
Where to eat
- Kaupen No. 6, with a garden beside the water
- Quappenschänke, with tables inside boats
Keep in mind
- The Lehde museum closes in winter, except for the Christmas market
- The wooden bridges have steps: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair
- Before hiring a canoe with children, ask about life jackets
What to do as a family
The Spreewald with Small Children
With small children, the Spreewald is a day of punt and walking, with no rush. The punt goes slowly over still water and the Lehde museum has animals, houses and games from the past.
- What works bestThe punt to Lehde, slowly…
- Where to sleepCamping Am Schlosspark, with cabins…
- Where to eatKaupen No. 6, with a…
- Keep in mindThe wooden bridges have steps
What works best
- The punt to Lehde, slowly and on calm water
- The Lehde open-air museum, with games and workshops of the past
- The walk along the canals, watching the punts go by
Where to sleep
- Camping Am Schlosspark, with cabins and a playground
Where to eat
- Kaupen No. 6, with a garden
Keep in mind
- The wooden bridges have steps
- There is no toilet on the punt: use the stop in Lehde
What to do with young children
Where to stay
Where to stay without a carif you're flyingif you're driving
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Schloss Lübbenau
Why we like it: A hotel in the palace complex of the Counts of Lynar, in Lübbenau, with rooms and suites in the baroque stables, a park, a spa in winter and the LINARI restaurant.
Hotelanlage Starick
Why we like it: A four-star hotel complex in the village of Lehde, spread across several houses beside the canals, with two gasthäuser, a gherkin museum, boats and bikes.
Spreewald-Natur-Camping Am Schlosspark
Why we like it: A campsite open all year on a peninsula between Lübbenau's old town and Lehde, with pitches, cabins, small houses and direct access by punt or canoe.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Spreewald
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
Kaupen No. 6
What to order: a dish made with its Spreewald mustard
Quappenschänke
What to order: a Spreewald fish or game dish
Map
Everything on the map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Nearby
Near Spreewald
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
51.94° N · 13.90° E
Lübben (Spreewald)
Car-freeBy carBy plane
52.52° N · 13.41° E
Berlin
By planeCar-freeBy bike
51.16° N · 13.47° E
Meissen
Car-freeBy planeBy car
52.40° N · 13.07° E
Potsdam
Car-freeBy planeBy car
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Leave Berlin early
The boats leave as soon as they fill, and in summer there are queues at midday.
- 2Stop in Lehde
The stop on the short route gives you time for the museum or a meal.
- 3Wrap up warm on the water
Even when it is sunny, it is cool on the boat.
- 4Check the day before in winter
The museum closes and some gasthäuser open only a few days.
The Spreewald is a riverside forest south-east of Berlin where the River Spree breaks up into hundreds of canals. For centuries its villages lived off the water: people went to school, to the doctor and to market by boat. Today it is a biosphere reserve and the most distinctive day trip from Berlin: an hour by train to Lübbenau and you step into a flat-bottomed boat that a boatman pushes with a pole, in silence, between meadows, alders and wooden houses. It is also Sorbian land, with street names in two languages, and the home of the famous pickled gherkin.
What to do in the Spreewald in a day
The punt to Lehde. From Lübbenau's Großer Spreewaldhafen, the short route goes to Lehde in two hours with a stop, for €17 (€9 for ages 4 to 11). You do not need to book: you arrive, wait for the boat to fill and set off. If you have the whole day, the locks route lasts five and a half hours.
The open-air museum in Lehde. Use the stop in Lehde to see the four nineteenth-century wooden farmhouses, furnished as they were then, with an oven, a boat workshop and Sorbian costumes. Children up to 14 do not pay. It is open from the end of March to early November.
Eating in Lehde. Kaupen No. 6 is an old farmhouse beside the water, with a garden and its own mustard; it is open Thursday to Sunday. The Quappenschänke serves Spreewald game and fish, with tables inside boats on a covered terrace.
In the afternoon, on your own. Walk back along the canal path or hire a canoe for a couple of hours at Bootsverleih Richter.
How do you get there from Berlin?
By train, the usual way: regional trains on the Cottbus line take about an hour from Berlin to Lübbenau station, and from there it is a 15 or 20-minute walk through the centre to the harbour. From BER airport there is a train in about 50 minutes.
By car, about 100 kilometres along the A13 motorway, a little over an hour and a quarter. In Lübbenau leave the car and continue on foot or by boat.
When to go
From May to September all the routes run, the museum is open and the canals are green. In October there are still boats and the forest changes colour. From November to March the winter boats run, 75 minutes long and with a hot drink, and on Advent weekends there is a Christmas market in the harbour and at the Lehde museum.
Where to sleep
If you stay a night, you see the canals empty at sunset. Schloss Lübbenau has rooms in the palace stables and a spa in winter; the Hotelanlage Starick spreads its rooms across houses in Lehde; and the Camping Am Schlosspark, between the two, is open all year and has cabins.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Berlin to the Spreewald?
By train to Lübbenau, about an hour, and then on foot to the boat harbour. By car, along the A13, a little over an hour and a quarter.
How much does the boat from Lübbenau to Lehde cost?
€17 for adults and €9 for children aged 4 to 11, on the short two-hour route with a stop.
Do you need to book the boat?
Not for the regular routes; booking is recommended for the winter boat and the locks route.
Can you go in winter?
Yes: 75-minute winter boats run, and in Advent there is a Christmas market. The Lehde museum is closed.
Can you go canoeing on your own?
Yes, by hiring one in Lübbenau by the hour or the day; the water is calm.