# Werder (Havel) Half an hour by train from Berlin: the old town on an island in the Havel, a Venetian gondola, a thermal spa on the Zernsee, vineyards on the Wachtelberg and a Michelin star. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/brandenburg/werder-havel · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Werder is a small town on the banks of the Havel, just past Potsdam, whose old town occupies an island in the middle of the river. For centuries it lived off fishing, fruit and wine, and even today it calls itself the city of flowers because of the orchards around it. For a traveller flying into Berlin it is a short, easy day trip: half an hour on the RE1 regional, a walk around the island, water everywhere and good food. ## What to see in a day The island walk. The Inselstadt, the island town, is the oldest part: lanes of low fishermen's houses, the brick Church of the Holy Spirit beside the water, the bridge with its view of the river and, at the top, the wooden windmill rebuilt in 1987. Information posts with QR codes tell the history along the way. The gondola on the Havel. A genuine Venetian gondola, with a gondolier, for two to four people, which leaves at the foot of the windmill and circles the island. An hour costs €129 for the whole boat. The Zernsee thermal spa. The Havel-Therme is a saltwater spa with Andalusian inspiration on the shore of the Großer Zernsee, with indoor and outdoor pools, thirteen saunas and a separate family pool. The Wachtelberg. Werder has had vineyards for centuries. On the Wachtelberg, the Lindicke winery opens its seasonal tavern with a view over the Havel, from Easter to mid-October. Petzow and the Glindow Alps. To the south, on Lake Schwielowsee, the village of Petzow has a palace and a Lenné park, and from there the Glindower Alpen route sets off, 7 km of wooded hills above the old clay pits. ## How do you get there from Berlin? By train, the RE1 regional goes from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Werder (Havel) in about 30 minutes, via Potsdam. From the station to the island it is about a 20-minute walk. By car, about 45 km along the A115 and the A10, around 45 minutes. For Petzow, the Wachtelberg or the Zum Rittmeister hotel, in Kemnitz, a car or bike helps. ## How much time do I need? Half a day is enough for the island and the gondola; a full day if you add the spa or Petzow. Werder combines well with Potsdam: they are on the same train, ten minutes apart. ## Where to eat and sleep The Alte Überfahrt, opposite the landing stage, has a Michelin star for cooking based on vegetables from the Petzow palace garden; it opens at weekends at midday and Tuesday to Sunday in the evening. In Kemnitz, beside Lake Plessow, Zum Rittmeister cooks German food and brews its own beer, open every day. To sleep, the Hotel zur Insel, on the island square, or the Rittmeister hotel, with its own beach on the lake. ## When to go From April to October: orchards in blossom in spring, fruit in summer, grape harvest in September, when the Wachtelberg winery serves fermented must and onion tart. The spa is open every day, until midnight, so Werder is also a winter plan. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Potsdam (a 8.7 km), Brandenburg an der Havel (a 26.0 km), Berlin (a 35.1 km), Neuruppin (a 61.2 km) ## Qué hacer - **Walk round Werder island** (1 h 30 · 2.5 km · All ages; flat, pushchair-friendly): What it is The island is the oldest part of Werder, surrounded by the Havel. A marked circuit runs through its lanes of low houses and leads to the brick Church of the Holy Spirit, at the water's edge, to the island bridge, with its view of the river, and to the wooden windmill on the hill, the Bockwindmühle. Stelae with old photos and QR codes explain how the old town was restored, and the free Lauschtour app adds audio with texts by Fontane. How it works On foot, from the market square; in an hour and a half you see everything at a relaxed pace. If you want a guide, the town's guides' guild, often in period costume, runs tours of the old town and a night-watchman's one; they are booked through the town. - **Venetian gondola on the Havel** (1 h · Couples, families and groups of up to four · Desde 129 € per gondola, 2 to 4 people): What it is Gondelfox brings to Werder a gondola handmade in Venice. It is rowed by Alexander Fuchs, who learned the voga alla veneta, the standing rowing of the gondoliers. The boat is yours alone, for two to four people, and glides along the calm arms of the Havel around the island. How it works You book on their website either one hour (€129) or the one-and-a-half-hour Tour Marco (€179), per boat. You leave from the quay at Am Mühlenberg 1, at the foot of the mill. You can add a picnic (from €39), drinks (from €29), flowers or live music. If it rains, the date is changed at no cost. - **Havel-Therme, the Zernsee thermal baths** (3 h · Adults; the family pool, for children with adults · Desde 27.5 € per person, 2 h Monday to Friday; family pool from €9 per child): What it is A spa of Moorish and Andalusian architecture on the shore of the Großer Zernsee, in Werder. In the thermal area there is a mineral-water pool at body temperature, indoor and outdoor saline pools with jets and bubble benches, and saunas worn with swimwear. The sauna area, clothes-free, has thirteen saunas and steam baths, one of them on the lakeshore with aroma sessions. Separately there is a sports and family pool. Opening times and tickets Open every day from 9:00 to 24:00, and Fridays and Saturdays until 1:00; the family pool, from 9:00 to 21:00. Thermal baths, 2 hours: €27.50 on weekdays and €30 on weekends and public holidays; 4 hours, €32.50 and €35; with saunas, €32.50 to €45. Family pool, 2 hours: €9 for children aged 3 to 17 and €10.50 for adults on weekdays. Under-15s must always be with an adult. At weekends entry is closed when it fills up; online tickets have priority. - **Wachtelberg vineyard and its seasonal tavern** (1 h 30 · Adults): What it is Wine is, along with fishing, one of Werder's oldest trades. The Lindicke family farms the Wachtelberg and the Galgenberg, with varieties such as Müller-Thurgau, Sauvignon Blanc and Dornfelder, and at the top of the Wachtelberg opens the Weintiene, its seasonal tavern, to drink their wines with a view over the Havel. At harvest time, from late August to early October, it serves fermenting must and onion tart every day. Getting there and when It is at Wachtelwinkel 30. By train, take the RE1 to Werder and bus 630 to the Wachtelwinkel stop, five minutes' walk; or walk about 2 km from the station. It opens from Easter to mid-October: the 2026 season has already closed and returns at Easter 2027. On the last three Sundays of Advent there is mulled wine beside the vineyard hut. - **Glindower Alpen circular walk** (2 h · 7.2 km · Families and walkers; small climbs): What it is The Glindow Alps are not mountains: they are hills and ravines left by centuries of clay extraction for Berlin's and Potsdam's bricks, now covered in forest and protected as a nature reserve. The town suggests a circular walk of about 7.2 km that leaves from Petzow, climbs by narrow paths to small hilltops with views and comes back without difficulty. How it works Set off from Petzow, on the shore of the Schwielowsee, and follow the town's route on Komoot. Allow two hours with stops. Bring a picnic: there are good places to stop at the top. Wear closed shoes, as some stretches are loose earth. - **Petzow, its palace and the Lenné park** (1 h · All ages): What it is Petzow, today a district of Werder, is a small village on the shore of the Schwielowsee made up of a palace, a church, the village, a landscape park laid out by Lenné and a kitchen garden, recovered over the last twenty years, that supplies vegetables to the Alte Überfahrt. Walking through the park to the lakeshore is the quiet break of the day. How it works It is about 5 km south of the island; by car or bike, following the shore. At the park entrance, the Drei Kähne café serves coffee and cake. Combine it with the Glindower Alpen route, which starts from the same village. ## Dónde comer - **Alte Überfahrt** (Restaurant, Werder (Havel), €€€€). Qué pedir: the menu of the day, which changes with what is harvested that week in the Petzow garden - **Zum Rittmeister, restaurant and brewery** (Restaurant, Werder (Havel), €€). Qué pedir: a dish from the seasonal menu with their house beer, the pils or the dark ## Car-free: Werder (Havel) without a car It is one of the easiest trips without a car: the RE1 arrives from Berlin Hauptbahnhof in about 30 minutes. The island, the gondola and the Alte Überfahrt are on foot; for the thermal baths or the Wachtelberg there is a bus, a bike or a long walk. Presupuesto orientativo: 60–150 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **Hotel zur Insel** (Hotel, desde 130 € / night): On the island square The Hotel zur Insel is a family house on the market square of the island, the oldest part of Werder, with a view of the old town and the island's orchards. The passenger boats dock five minutes away. In 2011 it added the cyclists' house and parking spaces in the courtyard. The rooms In the main house, country-house-style rooms, named after fruits and flowers, and a family room. In the cyclists' house, with a lift, six doubles, a romantic room with a waterbed and two apartments with a balcony, plus a room for small repairs, a drying room and a locked garage for bikes. One double has an adapted bathroom. Prices with breakfast: single from €105, double from €130, family room from €140 and apartment from €160. The restaurant Traditional German cooking, with homemade veal roulade, Beelitz asparagus in season, fish and game from the region, and a summer garden. - **Hotel Zum Rittmeister** (Hotel, desde 148 € / night): By the lake A superior three-star hotel in Kemnitz, about 5 km from Werder island, 20 minutes from Potsdam and 45 from central Berlin, close to the A10. The lakeside hotel, the guesthouse and the restaurant are separate buildings on the same estate. The rooms In the Hotel am See, 25 bright bungalow-style rooms, with a double bed or two beds: from each you step out through the terrace into the garden and from there to the private beach on the Großer Plessower See. They have no air conditioning. In some, one pet is accepted, with notice. Double from €148 in low season and €158 to €168 in high season, with breakfast. Getting around Free parking in front of the hotel, two locked sheds for bikes with e-bike charging and four loan bikes. The Havel-Therme is about 5 km away. ### Servicios - **Werder (Havel) station**: Stop on the RE1 regional line from Berlin and Potsdam; about a 20-minute walk to the island. ## By car: Werder (Havel) by car About 45 km from central Berlin, around 45 minutes via the A115 and the A10. A car lets you combine the island, Petzow, the Glindower Alpen and Lake Plessow in one day. Presupuesto orientativo: 70–160 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel zur Insel** (Hotel, desde 130 € / night): On the island square The Hotel zur Insel is a family house on the market square of the island, the oldest part of Werder, with a view of the old town and the island's orchards. The passenger boats dock five minutes away. In 2011 it added the cyclists' house and parking spaces in the courtyard. The rooms In the main house, country-house-style rooms, named after fruits and flowers, and a family room. In the cyclists' house, with a lift, six doubles, a romantic room with a waterbed and two apartments with a balcony, plus a room for small repairs, a drying room and a locked garage for bikes. One double has an adapted bathroom. Prices with breakfast: single from €105, double from €130, family room from €140 and apartment from €160. The restaurant Traditional German cooking, with homemade veal roulade, Beelitz asparagus in season, fish and game from the region, and a summer garden. - **Hotel Zum Rittmeister** (Hotel, desde 148 € / night): By the lake A superior three-star hotel in Kemnitz, about 5 km from Werder island, 20 minutes from Potsdam and 45 from central Berlin, close to the A10. The lakeside hotel, the guesthouse and the restaurant are separate buildings on the same estate. The rooms In the Hotel am See, 25 bright bungalow-style rooms, with a double bed or two beds: from each you step out through the terrace into the garden and from there to the private beach on the Großer Plessower See. They have no air conditioning. In some, one pet is accepted, with notice. Double from €148 in low season and €158 to €168 in high season, with breakfast. Getting around Free parking in front of the hotel, two locked sheds for bikes with e-bike charging and four loan bikes. The Havel-Therme is about 5 km away. ## By plane: Fly to Berlin and take the train to Werder (Havel) You fly to Berlin: BER airport has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. From central Berlin, the RE1 reaches Werder in about 30 minutes; from the airport, take a train to Potsdam or to Berlin Hauptbahnhof and the RE1 from there. By hire car, about 60 km on the A10, around 50 minutes. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Hotel zur Insel** (Hotel, desde 130 € / night): On the island square The Hotel zur Insel is a family house on the market square of the island, the oldest part of Werder, with a view of the old town and the island's orchards. The passenger boats dock five minutes away. In 2011 it added the cyclists' house and parking spaces in the courtyard. The rooms In the main house, country-house-style rooms, named after fruits and flowers, and a family room. In the cyclists' house, with a lift, six doubles, a romantic room with a waterbed and two apartments with a balcony, plus a room for small repairs, a drying room and a locked garage for bikes. One double has an adapted bathroom. Prices with breakfast: single from €105, double from €130, family room from €140 and apartment from €160. The restaurant Traditional German cooking, with homemade veal roulade, Beelitz asparagus in season, fish and game from the region, and a summer garden. - **Hotel Zum Rittmeister** (Hotel, desde 148 € / night): By the lake A superior three-star hotel in Kemnitz, about 5 km from Werder island, 20 minutes from Potsdam and 45 from central Berlin, close to the A10. The lakeside hotel, the guesthouse and the restaurant are separate buildings on the same estate. The rooms In the Hotel am See, 25 bright bungalow-style rooms, with a double bed or two beds: from each you step out through the terrace into the garden and from there to the private beach on the Großer Plessower See. They have no air conditioning. In some, one pet is accepted, with notice. Double from €148 in low season and €158 to €168 in high season, with breakfast. Getting around Free parking in front of the hotel, two locked sheds for bikes with e-bike charging and four loan bikes. The Havel-Therme is about 5 km away. ### Servicios - **Werder (Havel) station**: Stop on the RE1 regional line from Berlin and Potsdam; about a 20-minute walk to the island. ## As a family: Werder (Havel) with children Werder works with children thanks to the water: a small, flat island, a gondola, thermal baths with a family pool and a short forest walk with hills to scramble on. ### What works best The walk round the island and the windmill, with a pushchair The family pool at the Havel-Therme, from €9 per child The Glindower Alpen walk, 7.2 km with a picnic at the top The gondola, cheaper for four ### Where to stay Hotel zur Insel, with a family room Hotel Zum Rittmeister, with a garden and a beach on the lake ### Where to eat Zum Rittmeister, with a play area next to the terrace ### Worth knowing At the Havel-Therme, under-15s only with an adult The Alte Überfahrt is a long-menu restaurant, better without small children ### Qué hacer as a family - Walk round Werder island - Venetian gondola on the Havel - Havel-Therme, the Zernsee thermal baths - Glindower Alpen circular walk - Petzow, its palace and the Lenné park ## Consejos ### Eat at the Alte Überfahrt at midday Only on Saturdays and Sundays; on weekdays it opens in the evening. ### Book the gondola It is private and runs by the hour; ask for the sunset departure. ### Go to the spa on a weekday At weekends it fills up and entry is closed when capacity is reached. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do I get from Berlin to Werder (Havel)? On the RE1 regional from Berlin Hauptbahnhof, about 30 minutes, the same train that stops at Potsdam. ### What is there to see in Werder? The island with its church and windmill, the gondola on the Havel, the Zernsee spa and the Wachtelberg vineyard. ### How much does the gondola cost? €129 for an hour and €179 for an hour and a half, per boat, for up to four people. ### Can you combine it with Potsdam? Yes: they are on the same railway line, about ten minutes apart. ### Is it worth going in winter? Yes, for the spa, open daily, and the food; the orchards and the winery are from spring to autumn.