Like the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve bike trail, the 7-Seen-Tour (7 Lakes Tour) is well suited for short days in autumn. At just 34 km starting from Brandenburg an der Havel, you can comfortably complete the ride in 3-4 hours. And psst, if you go off track a little bit, you could even combine it with a cute ferry ride across the Niederhavel.
J and I went on this bike tour in mid-October, taking our bikes on the regional train from Berlin to Brandenburg an der Havel. The train ride took approximately an hour and cost us 6 EUR per bike + 14.60 EUR per person for the day (check out the Brandenburg-Berlin ticket or Quer-durchs-Land ticket if you travel in a group/from outside the region). It was a Saturday and we didn’t have any issues finding a spot in the train for our bikes, although on warmer days this might be a challenge.
From the train station, we cycled through a tiny bit of the city and then got a little lost thanks to my superb navigation skills, as you could tell from the “knots” at the bottom of the heart-shaped route shown on my tracker. If you don’t wish to venture off-trail like us, make sure to check out the official GPX route on the Brandenburg tourism site.
The most exciting part of getting lost was finding this cute ferry, which took us on a 3-minute ride across the Niederhavel, a tributary of the river Havel.
Apparently this crossing has existed since 1900! The ferry departs every 15 minutes from Neuendorf and each ride costs 50 cents per person. Bikes can be brought onboard for free.
Before you know it, you’re already on the other side.
On the other side of the river, you could ring a bell to call the ferry outside the usual schedule, particularly when there are 6 or more people ready to board.
It was time for us to have lunch when we timely stumbled upon the beautifully renovated Buhnenhaus shortly after getting off the ferry. There’s a large stage outside the restaurant, so I imagine there are performances held there in summer. We could still dine in back in October so of course I ordered the trout (like I always do when travelling in Brandenburg) while J had deer goulash. Both are delicious!
The 7-Seen-Tour is marked green and blue with a white reed symbol (second from left). There are several other bike trails passing this region, such as the Berlin-Koblenz Telegraphenradweg and Fontane-RAD path.
Unlike in the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve, the 7-Lake bike path is by and large paved and smooth, so ride your fixie or single-speed two-wheeler if you have a need for speed!
For safety reasons on darker days like these, I recommend wearing neon/bright colours so you’re easily seen by other cyclists and road users.
The seven lakes actually form one large “ocean”: Breitlingsee, Möserscher See, Heiliger See, Wendsee, Plauer See and Quenzsee (is Großer Wusterwitzer See the 7th one?). Pretty sure you can swim in at least some of them in summer.
Fallen leaves against afternoon sunlight <3
Some historic building in Kirchmöser. As mentioned in one of my previous posts, this bike route not only takes you around seven different lakes in the region, but also back in time to the DDR (communist, East German era) and beyond.
An obelisk in Kirchmöser-West, erected on the former cremation site of Soviet soldiers in 1949.
On the bridge between Kirchmöser and Plaue.
Plauer See in the distance.
Cute accommodation in Plaue!
The mulled wine season kicked off in October here.
A quiet quay, the Plauer Bornufer.
Old steel bridge connecting Plaue with Margarethenhof, constructed in 1904 in the style of art nouveau.
The old city hall of Brandenburg an der Havel, a prime example of Brick Gothic architecture from the late Middle Ages.
Plus a bit of humour on its fountain!
Watch the highlights of our ride here.
Key stats and stops
Distance traveled: 37 km
Total ascent: 112 m
Total descent: 110 m
Max altitude: 42 m
Terrain: 90% paved and smooth (tarmac/asphalt), cobblestone in the old town. Negligible elevation gain, typical of Brandenburg.
Bike guide: Brandenburg tourism site
Ferry terminal to cross the Niederhavel: Seilfähre Neuendorf
Lunch: Buhnenhaus on Buhnenhaus 1, 14776 Brandenburg an der Havel
