The prelude to this cycling tour is full of contrasts. Feel the excitement of a metropolis in Berlin’s Palace Square. Then follow the traces of German history: Berlin Wall Park and Schönhausen Palace. The next experience offers the exact opposite: meadows and ponds alongside the Panke River and the medieval town of Bernau, once famous for its full-flavoured beer all over the country.

Immerse yourself in the diverse nature of the Mark Brandenburg – this is the motto of the second leg of your journey. Observe cranes calling in the Biesenthal Basin or grey herons flying over Lake Werbellinsee, a deep and long lake, whose brother, Lake Grimnitzsee looks very different. On the shores of that lake, you find Joachimsthal, situated in the very heart of the Schorfheide Heathland.

The villages Parlow and Glambeck are two quiet corners in the Schorfheide Heathland. Glambeck offers special attractions to linger: a cyclists’ information centre and a cyclists’ church. The German Society for Nature Conservation runs a very unusual information centre near the Blumberg ponds, just off the town gates of Angermünde. Its historic town centre is well worth a visit.

Hills and hill chains, small villages, countless lakes, avenues and hedges under a sky stretching on forever – these are the key features of the northernmost part of Brandenburg: the Uckermark. Cycle past the two lakes formed by the Ucker River. On the final miles, the twin towers of St Mary’s Church lead the way to Prenzlau, the regional centre of the Uckermark.

Now the river of the Uckermark is your constant travelling companion: the Ucker or Uecker as it is known in West Pomerania. Small villages with beautiful churches line the road. Countless wind turbines turn round and round. The destination of this leg of the journey is Pasewalk. The town is situated on the banks of the Uecker River and it offers visitors attractive churches, remnants of the old town wall and a beautiful market square.

The fragrance of the sea is in the air. Nonetheless, first a trip into history starts by the wayside: visit the reconstructed Slavic village „Ukranenland“. Next, you pass Torgelow. Then the cycle path leads through the National Park of the Szczecin Lagoon. Following the Uecker River flowing next to you for the last time during your cycling tour, you reach Ueckermünde. The town’s attraction is its harbour.

The water stretches far but on the horizon, you can see land: Usedom. Thus, you have not reached the Baltic Sea yet, but the Sczcecin Lagoon. Nice beaches tempt to linger a little longer. When riding on, enjoy the wide scenic swampland from the dyke. Many water birds as well as the sea eagle are native to this region. At the end of the tour, you reach Anklam, a former Hanseatic town and the birthplace of Otto Lilienthal, the first “flying man”.

You are just a few villages away from Usedom. Follow the lagoon and cycle through tranquil villages to reach the grand finale: first, the vast Baltic Sea with bright sandy beaches, then the excitement and elegance of the seaside resorts stretched out alongside the coast for miles and miles. An excursion to the backwater is always worthwhile. At the end of the island, you reach Peenemünde. The village was the site of rocket tests during World War II. Today it houses a science museum.

Why not go on cycling to Szczecin? Why not seize the opportunity and experience another country as the border crossing in Swinoujscie is reserved for cyclists and pedestrians. After a ferry tour to Międzyzdroje, the time has come to bid farewell to the sea and to follow the wide curve around the Szczecin Lagoon to Szczecin, cycling past stork’s nests and big wind turbines.