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.
Duration1 night
Best timeMay – September
Budget€120–260 pp
Getting thereTrain from Berlin, about 1 h
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to leave Berlin on Saturday morning and return on Sunday afternoon, from May to September. Saturday is for the punt and Lehde; Sunday, for paddling yourself. Sleeping here gives you what the day trip lacks: the canals in silence at dusk and first thing in the morning.
Saturday
- 110:45Punt to Lehde
From the Großer Spreewaldhafen in Lübbenau, the short route with a stop in Lehde, two hours. There is no booking: you climb aboard and it leaves when it fills up.
- 213:30Lunch at Kaupen No. 6
Walk back to Lehde and eat at this old farm by the water, with a garden and its own mustard. Open Thursday to Sunday.
- 315:00Lehde open-air museum
The four 19th-century wooden farmsteads, with an oven, a boat workshop and games of the old days.
- 419:00Dinner by the water
If you sleep in Lehde, the Hotelanlage Starick has its two gasthäuser; if you sleep in Lübbenau, the LINARI restaurant in the palace. Afterwards, a stroll along the canals when no more boats pass.
Sunday
- 19:30Canoe on the canals
Hire a canoe at Bootsverleih Richter, on Dammstraße, from two hours, and paddle towards Lehde and beyond with the map they give you.
- 213:00Lunch and journey back
Eat in Lehde or Lübbenau and take the train to Berlin in the afternoon.
The Spreewald is an hour by train from Berlin and almost everyone does it in a day: a boat to Lehde and back. With a night it changes: in the late afternoon the excursion boats leave and the canals fall silent. And in the morning you can paddle yourself before anyone arrives.
How do you get there?
By regional train from Berlin to Lübbenau, about an hour; from BER airport, about 50 minutes. From the station to the boat harbour it is a 15 or 20 minute walk. By car, about 100 km on the A13, around an hour and twenty minutes; in Lübbenau the car stays parked.
What do you pay for and what is free?
| What | Price | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Punt to Lehde, short route | €17, children aged 4 to 11 €9 | 2 h with a stop |
| Lehde open-air museum | Free up to age 14 | 1 h 30 |
| Canoe hire | From 2 h, depending on the boat | 2–4 h |
| Walk to Lehde | Free | 1 h 30 |
Where to sleep
Three ways to stay: at Lübbenau Palace, with rooms in the stables and the park; in Lehde, at the Hotelanlage Starick, spread over village houses; or at the Am Schlosspark campsite, between the two, with cabins and a canoe launch from the bank.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
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
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
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
Nights1
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
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
Kaupen No. 6
What to order: a dish made with its Spreewald mustard
Quappenschänke
What to order: a Spreewald fish or game dish
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Bring something warm for the punt and the canoe: it gets cool on the water, even in summer.
We'd skip it
From November to March, this getaway: the Lehde museum closes and only 75-minute winter punts run. At Advent, though, there is a Christmas market in Lübbenau and Lehde.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Berlin to the Spreewald?
About an hour by train to Lübbenau; by car, an hour and twenty minutes on the A13.
Where is it better to sleep, in Lübbenau or in Lehde?
In Lehde you are in the village of the canals; in Lübbenau, closer to the station and the harbour.
Do I need experience for the canoe?
Not for a short trip: the water is calm.
Can I go with children?
Yes: they love the punt, the museum and the campsite cabins.