Around the Potsdam Havel Lakes

Potsdam – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – offers impressive sights not only for garden enthusiasts. The city, crisscrossed by the Havel lakes, is also characterized by the surrounding forests and lakes. This 35 km hike showcases this natural and cultural diversity. Hiking around the Templiner and Schwielowsee lakes offers not only breathtaking natural scenery but also cultural experiences. Along the way, you'll find, among other things, the two palaces in Caputh and Petzow. Several restaurants and accommodations on the lakeshores invite you to experience the hospitality of the Havelland region.

Length: 34 km (2-day tour)

Start finish: Neustadt Bay in Potsdam

Trail markings:

• from the starting point in Potsdam Neustädter Bucht to the intersection “an der Pirschheide” blue bar
• from the railway embankment Templiner See to the endpoint Potsdam red bar (Fontaneweg 6)

Individual stages:
Potsdam – Ferch: 16 km
Ferch – Potsdam: 18 km

Directions:
Potsdam West – Templiner See railway embankment – ​​West side of Templiner See – Geltow – Petzow – Ferch – Caputh – Templiner See east shore – Potsdam (shortcut via Geltow – Groß Wentorf – Caputh (ferry) – East side of Templiner See – Potsdam)

Things to see along the route:

• Potsdam: Waterworks/Mosque, Charlottenhof Palace, Sanssouci Palace and Park, Einstein Tower, Friendship Island, Film Museum, St. Nicholas Church
• Caputh: Caputh Palace and Park, Caputh Ferry House, Village Church in the style of an Italian basilica, Einstein House
• Ferch: thatched half-timbered houses, half-timbered church, watchtower (observation tower) on the Wietkikenberg
• Petzow: Schinkel's castle and church, Lenné's landscape garden
• Geltow: Local history museum, “Active Museum Weaving”

Arrival/Departure:

• Public transport: via Potsdam Central Station; another station on the line: Caputh-Geltow station
• to Potsdam city center, parking opposite the waterworks/“mosque” in the Marktcenter parking garage

Card recommendation:
"Havelseen Werder-Potsdam" cycling, hiking and waterway map, 1:35.000, Verlag Grünes Herz, ISBN 3-929993-93-7