Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [133]
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Getting There & Around
Getting to Rheinsberg by public transport is time-consuming and requires multiple changes. Call 030-2541 4141 or visit www.vbb-berlin.de for trip-planning assistance. Drivers should head north via the B96 and consult a map or www.maps.google.com for precise directions.
You can hire bikes from Fahrradhaus Thäns ( 2622; Schlossstrasse 16; per day €6-8; 9am-12.30pm Mon-Sat, 2-6pm Mon-Fri).
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LOWER ODER VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
In the far northeastern corner of Brandenburg, the Lower Oder Valley National Park (Nationalpark Unteres Obertal; www.nationalpark-unteres-odertal.eu) is guaranteed to get you away from the tourist crowds. It protects one of the last relatively unspoiled flood plains in Europe and is home to a stunning diversity of flora and fauna. A patchwork of meadows, marshland and deciduous forest, the park hugs the Polish border for 60km but is just 2km to 4km wide. It’s a paradise for birds and the people who love watching them fly and feed, coo and quack, mate and roost. Around 160 feathered species make their home here, including such endangered specimens as sea eagles and black storks. In autumn the sky darkens with more than 100,000 geese, ducks and cranes stopping on their way to warmer climes further south.
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Orientation & Information
The gateway town to the park is Schwedt, about 100km northeast of Berlin. Here you’ll find most commercial activity as well as the regional tourist office ( 03332-255 90; www.unteres-odertal.de; Vierradener Strasse 34; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm May-Sep, 10am-5pm Mon-Fri Oct-Apr).
An even better place to get oriented is the Nationalparkhaus ( 03332-267 70; Park 2; admission free; 9am-6pm daily Apr-Oct, 10am-5pm Fri-Sun Nov-Mar), about 8km south in Criewen. This is the park’s main visitor centre with exhibits and knowledgeable (though not always English-speaking) folks who are happy to suggest activities and hand out maps. A highlight is the giant aquarium with some 20-odd local fish species flitting around.
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Activities
The park is best explored by bicycle. The long-distance Oder-Neisse-Radweg passes through it and smaller paths take you straight to wildflower-studded meadows or the polder banks. From mid-July to mid-November, after the end of the breeding season, the park can be explored by canoe. Enquire about guided tours at the tourist office. Bikes can be hired from Fahrrad- und Touristikcenter Butzke ( 03332-839 500; Kietz 11) in Schwedt from €5 per day.
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Sleeping
The tourist office in Schwedt can help you find private or hotel rooms in the entire region.
Campingplatz am Oderstrom ( 033332-870 044, 0170 343 7718; www.campingplatz-mescherin.de, in German; Obere Dorfstrasse 17; per person/car €3/2, per tent €3-5) If you want to truly commune with nature, set up your tent in a lovely riverside setting at the park’s northern tip in Mescherin, about 30km north of Schwedt.
Pension Moritz ( 03332-516 455; www.landpension-moritz.de, in German; Schwedter Strasse 1; s/d €45/62; ) This adorable B&B has country-style rooms in a new building attached to a working farm with a resident stork family. It’s in Meyenburg, about 2km south of Schwedt.
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Getting There & Around
Regional trains to Schwedt leave hourly from Berlin-Hauptbahnhof (€10.40, 1¼ hours). From Schwedt, bus 468 goes to Criewen in 15 minutes (€1.40). Alternatively, take the regional train to Angermünde and switch to bus 468 there for Criewen (€9.60, 1¾ hours, every two hours).
Drivers should follow the A11 to the Joachimsthal exit, then continue on the B2 towards Angermünde.
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CHORIN
033366 / pop 520
Plenty of people make the day trip from Berlin to the tiny village of Chorin. Their destination: the renowned