Lakes, gherkins and Sorbs - 6 stages on the Spreeradweg

Between Dresden and Zittau springs the Spree, the longest tributary of Germany. On her way to Berlin, she makes her way across the wild East and leads you past the Lusatian Lakes, through the Spreewald and over and over again into towns and villages, where you can experience authentic Sorbian culture.

Over 233 miles (375 kilometers) long, I have divided the full route from the source to Berlin into six intermediate stages, which are all between 35 and 43 miles (55 and 70 kilometers) long. Only the first day is truly hilly, as you are going up to the Spreequelle on the Kottmar. Day by day, the stages are flatter, but no less varied.

While the Spree in the upper reaches is a romantic brook, it branches out in the Spreewald Biosphere Reserve into a labyrinth of rivers and canals and flows proudly into the capital as a stately river. In between, you will find hundreds of lakes, ponds and pools. Many were created by human hands, the Spree is repeatedly dammed and the coal mines were flooded. This created beautiful recreational areas and perfect landscapes for a bike ride.

But also culturally, this Collection is varied and multifaceted. When you ride through the land of the Sorbs, you notice not only due to the bilingual place signs. In several museums or in a park you learn a lot about the Slavic population. In addition, interesting cities are always on your way, such as Bautzen, Cottbus and Fürstenwalde or medieval castles and villages.

The Spreeradweg is very popular, and the infrastructure is well developed. Nevertheless, off the route you will always find small lakes where you are completely alone. Many bike paths are paved or good gravel roads. Occasionally you will find the good old "Honecker parquet", ie concrete slab paths. Meals are provided by many inns and supermarkets in the cities and towns along the way. Similarly, you will find a variety of accommodation, from the campsite to the spa hotel. Good orientation offers you spreeradweg.de.

To get to the starting point in Ebersbach, you can easily travel from Dresden by train and the destination is connected to the Berlin S-Bahn. Once you reach the eastern edge of Berlin, the official Spreeradweg ends. If you ride for another 30 kilometers, you can ride along the European cycle route R1 once across Berlin to Spandau, where the Spree flows into the Havel. An exciting contrast to the lonely areas of Brandenburg and Saxony.