Boat trips across the Havel are our recommendation for a relaxing boat trip with swimming and barbecue. Here you can anchor and go for a swim. The water is much cleaner than in the inner area of the Spree. You can expect beautiful bays, beaches and islands.
A boat trip across the Havel and Wannsee starts either at Pichelssee or Stößensee. Both harbors are located just behind the Berlin Olympic Stadium and are very easy to reach by public transportation (BVG). The bus M49 runs 24 hours a day and stops directly at the respective pier of the boats. Renting a boat in Spandau is very uncomplicated and recommendable.
As soon as you leave the harbor, your boat trip on the Havel begins. The trip to Wannsee takes between one hour and ninety minutes, depending on the boat and speed. For a tour around the Peacock Island you should plan another 45 minutes. It takes about 60 minutes by boat from Wannsee to Potsdam.
Within 20 minutes you will see the Grunewald Tower on the port side (left). This is the first good opportunity to drop anchor. The bay in front of the Grunewald Tower is wide and the beach is rarely crowded. The water depth near the beach is about two to three meters. If you go a little further on your Spandau boat tour, you will reach Lieper Bucht after another 20 minutes.
The Lieper Bucht is also located on starboard and directly in front of Lindwerder Island. The bay is one of the most popular anchorages in this part of the Havel. The island offers shelter on windy days and the restaurant located there, can also be approached with small boats. On the terrace of the restaurant you have a spectacular view of the Havel and the sunset in the evening. The bay is also often visited by snack boats. These boats will provide you with cold drinks, ice cream and fresh barbecue.
You will find a water ski track directly behind the island Lindwerder. As long as you are on a suitable boat (e.g. the Malibu), nothing stands in the way of your adventure. From the water ski track it is only 20 minutes to the Wannsee.
The Wannsee lido is the largest inland lakeside resort in all of Europe and is located south of the Schwanenwerder peninsula. The sandy beach is more than one kilometer long and up to 50 meters wide. Here you have one of the most beautiful and unobstructed views of the Berlin sunset in the evening.