On the water
Berlin from the water: Neu-Venedig, Stralau and the BVG ferries
Berlin has more water than most visitors realize, and the best of it costs next to nothing. With a normal public transport ticket you can cross the Wannsee, in Rahnsdorf a ferryman rows you across the Spree in season, and on the edge of the city lies a settlement of canals and bridges best explored by boat yourself. Plus two waterside walks in the east, both from Ostkreuz.
Ticket All BVG ferries with a Berlin AB ticket or the Deutschlandticket
All year F10 Wannsee to Kladow, F11 Baumschulenweg, F12 Grünau
Season only F21 and F23 from Easter to the end of October, rowing ferry F24 weekends only (until 4 October in 2026)
On foot by the water Stralau peninsula, Rummelsburger Bucht, both from Ostkreuz
The classic
River cruise through Mitte
Reichstag, Museum Island and cathedral from the water, with a loudspeaker commentary and a full deck.
Kieznah tip
The F10 to Kladow
20 minutes across the Wannsee for the price of an AB ticket, past Schwanenwerder, with a village and promenade on the far side.
01 Neu-Venedig · Rahnsdorf
about 27 minutes on foot from Wilhelmshagen S-Bahn station (S3)
Directions in Google Maps · More on visitBerlin
Far out in the southeast, between Müggelsee and Dämeritzsee on the Müggelspree river, lies a residential settlement threaded with water: five artificial canals, about five kilometers long in total, crossed by 13 bridges. The canals were dug from 1926, and two years later the land was divided into waterside plots. Locals first called the area "New Cameroon"; the comparison with Venice came later. There are no gondolas, and they are not even allowed here. Neu-Venedig is explored by canoe or small boat, and there are rental places nearby. From the bridges you see a lot; from the water you see everything: boathouses, jetties and gardens running down to the bank.
I explored Neu-Venedig in a rowing boat from a rental place. A really lovely spot, a world of its own with little lanes on the water and wonderful houses and gardens that you see from the boat. Along the way you can row up to a restaurant and take a break from the jetty. Rowing is a real workout for your arms, proper training. And in the heat nothing protects you out on the water, so think about sun protection. Best to plan the day around the weather so that neither heat nor rain spoils the fun.
Daniel
02 Stralau peninsula and its tip · Friedrichshain
about 28 minutes on foot from Ostkreuz station to the tip, 27 minutes to the village church
Directions in Google Maps · More on visitBerlin
Between the Spree and the Rummelsburger See a narrow peninsula juts into the river, one of the oldest settled areas in Berlin: first a fishing village, then a day-trip destination, then an industrial site, and today a residential area. The village church was consecrated in 1464, and its tower leans about five degrees to one side. From 1574 Berliners celebrated the Stralau Fish Haul here every 24 August, a festival that eventually drew around 70,000 visitors until it was banned in 1873 for getting too wild. A shoreline path of just under three kilometers runs around the peninsula, past the old bottle tower. From the tip you look across the Spree to Treptower Park, the Insel der Jugend and the Ferris wheel in the Spreepark.
03 Rummelsburger Bucht · Lichtenberg
about 8 minutes on foot from Rummelsburg S-Bahn to the Paul-und-Paula-Ufer, about 9 minutes from Ostkreuz
On the other side of the Rummelsburger See a path runs around the bay, with boats, reeds and new apartment buildings. The Paul-und-Paula-Ufer is named after the 1973 DEFA film. To combine both: from Ostkreuz to the bay, along the water and over onto the Stralau peninsula. More on the bay and the Rummelsburg memorial site in Ringbahn part 2 and in the Kiez atlas.
The BVG ferries: across the water on a normal ticket
Six ferry lines are part of Berlin's public transport. An AB ticket or the Deutschlandticket is valid; on the F10 and F21 the short-trip fare is not enough. Times change with the season, so check the BVG journey planner before you go.
F10 Wannsee to Alt-Kladow
Directions in Google Maps · Line on bvg.de
The longest and most popular line: 4.4 kilometers in about 20 minutes across the Großer Wannsee and the Havel, past the island of Schwanenwerder. It leaves from the big steamer pier near Wannsee S-Bahn station, hourly all year round, until 7 pm in winter. In Alt-Kladow a promenade with restaurants awaits. Round trips are not allowed, so you get off and take the next ferry back. More in Skip X, try Y.
F11 Baumschulenstraße to Wilhelmstrand
about 8 minutes on foot from Baumschulenweg S-Bahn to the pier
Directions in Google Maps · Line on bvg.de
Two minutes across the Spree to Oberschöneweide, all year every 10 to 20 minutes. The crossing dates back to the trade exhibition of 1896. When a bridge was built nearby the ferry was due to be scrapped, and protests from passengers saved it.
F12 Grünau to Wendenschloss
From Wassersportallee in Grünau to Müggelbergallee in Wendenschloss, two minutes across the Dahme, all year round. Handy for a walk along both banks of the river.
F21 Schmöckwitz to Krampenburg
Seven minutes from the Zum Seeblick stop across to the Krampenburg peninsula, every half hour, Tuesday to Sunday during the season. That starts on Good Friday or the first Saturday in April, whichever is earlier, and ends on the last Sunday in October or with the end of Berlin's autumn school holidays, whichever is later.
F23 Müggelwerderweg to Kruggasse
Kruggasse pier about 38 minutes on foot from Rahnsdorf S-Bahn
The little cruise among the ferries: about 25 minutes along the Müggelspree with stops at Müggelhort and Neu-Helgoland, hourly in the same season as the F21, Tuesday to Sunday. The last stop is the old fishing village of Rahnsdorf, not far from Neu-Venedig.
F24 The rowing ferry in Rahnsdorf
Our favorite: a ferryman rows you across the Müggelspree between the Spreewiesen and Kruggasse in about five minutes, in the boat "Paule III", which seats eight. It is considered the only rowing ferry in Germany on a transport company's scheduled service (more on the history of Berlin's ferries on Wikipedia). Rahnsdorf has had a ferryman since 1911, and after a break a petition brought the ferry back in 2015. It runs only at weekends and on public holidays during the season, in 2026 on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 7 pm until 4 October. So it is over for this year and starts again in spring.
Good to know
There is no shade on the water, so in summer bring sun protection and something to drink. If you are out in a canoe or rowing boat, keep an eye on the excursion boats and ferries on the Müggelspree. A quiet day combines well: S3 to Wilhelmshagen, Neu-Venedig, on foot to the fishing village of Rahnsdorf and, in season, back towards the Müggelsee on the F23.