May 6th – 13th 2017
Bremen – Magdeburg
bike and barge
through Germany with MS Merlijn
From the Bremen Town Musicians
to Magdeburg’s Golden Rider Statue
Following in Theodore Fontane’s footsteps
Bicycle tours of 30 – 45 km per day
Day 1, Saturday: Bremen - Verden (Weser River)
Embarkment at 4PM (Merlijn sails 5PM) in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.
Moorage of Merlijn: at the Schlachte Weser River Boardwalk/Weser River.
We will welcome you with a complimentary drink and information on the trip
program and the boat and we will introduce you to our crewmembers.
Before and after dinner you will have the opportunity to visit the city of
Bremen. Merlijn will be moored within only a short walking distance of the
famous Schnoorviertel. The Schnoor, the oldest city quarter of Bremen,
consists of a Medieval network of passageways. Take a stroll around the
market square with its Roland statue and the famous statue of the Bremen
Town Musicians – Bremen’s most famous attraction and best-known landmark
situated in the town center. The Roland statue faces the St. Petri Cathedral,
where you can visit the Cathedral Museum and the lead cellar (Bleikeller).
Next to the Roland Statue you will find the City Hall. Both the Roland Statue
and the City Hall are UNESCO World Heritage monuments.
At 5PM Merlijn motors the Weser River upstream for about 1.5 hrs to Verden.
You will enjoy the scenery of the Weserbergland already. After dinner you
may want to stroll through the equestrian city of Verden along the Aller River,
the mecca of the Hanoverian horse, a world-famous and powerful German
warm-blood breed of horse.
Well worth seeing in Verden are the historical old city center along the Aller
River with its pedestrian area Große Straße, the Gothic Dome in Verden, a
hall church with a nave and two side aisles built in the 13th and 15 th century.
The Cathedral Quarter at the Lugenstein with its bars, the town hall, the
Domherrenhaus (Cathedral Chapter House), the vintage train and much more.
Day 2, Sunday: Verden – Hoya – Nienburg (Weser River)
Today our bicycle tour will start in Verden and we will follow the Weser
Cycling Route, one of the most popular German cycling routes. Not only
because of the impressive landscape of the Weser Hills (Weserbergland), but
even more because it is one of the best bikeways of Europe. In Hoya, the city
of earls, along the Mittelweser River you can follow the tracks of the famous
Earl of Hoya during a stroll through the historical city center. Nienburg was
documented as early as 1015 and offers many places of interest, like the
Asparagus Well (Spargelbrunnen), the Whinnying Stallion, the bronze statue of
the Magic Bayard Horse (Ros Bayard), the 14th century City Hall and the
parish church St. Martin, the main church of the city and the town’s landmark
due to its impressive 72-meter tower!
Day 3, Monday: Nienburg – Stolzenau – Minden (Weser River,
Midland Canal)
We continue our tour along the Weser Cycling Route from Nienburg to
Stolzenau, crossing a beautiful and varied landscape. Untouched nature for as
far as you can see. In the Weser Hills you can discover and experience nature
at its best. In Stolzenau you will board the Merlijn again and we will continue
our journey to Minden. Today you will experience one of the highlights of this
trip: the Wasserstraßenkreuz (Aquatic Interchange), where the Midland Canal
crosses the Weser River via a 13-meter high aqueduct. We will pass through
the impressive River Weser Lock where the Merlijn will be raised for 13
meters right up to the Midland Canal. Our overnight stay will be in Minden
along the Midland Canal.
Day 4, Tuesday: Minden – Sachsenhagen - Hannover
(Midland Canal)
We will start the day of with a beautiful boat trip over the Mittelland-CanalBridge over the Weser River up to Sachsenhagen. Here begins today’s bicycle
tour towards Hannover, passing the Natural Preserve Steinhuder Lake. From
Hannover you will continue your daily tour by boat up to Hannover, where we
will spend another night on the Midland Canal.
Day 5, Wednesday: Hannover - Braunschweig – Wolfsburg (Midland Canal)
We will cast off quite early today. During breakfast the Merlijn will take us to
the city of Braunschweig, where today’s bicycle trip will lead us to Wolfsburg.
Tonight you will enjoy your dinner in one of the many restaurants in Wolfsburg,
we will stay here overnight.
Day 6, Thursday: Wolfsburg – Haldensleben (Midland Channel)
After breakfast we offer our guests a collective Guided Tour in the Autostadt
Volkswagen, which will take about 45 minutes. After that it’s up to you to
decide whether you would like to visit more sites. You will start your bike tour
approx. 1PM to Haldensleben where we will stay overnight.
Day 7, Friday: Haldensleben – Magdeburg
Today’s route will follow the Midland Canal and the Elbe River. Close to
Magdeburg the Merlijn will pass the Sparschleuse (water-saving lock) en will
be lowered 20 meters to enter Magdeburg on the Elbe river. Magdeburg is the
capital of the German federal state of Saxony-Anhalt and was documented as
early as 805. The city is well known because of its important historical
heritage as the royal palace of the Emperor Otto the 1st, the first Emperor of
the Holy Roman Empire, who was crowned in 962. Enjoy this city in our
modern time and visit all the different attractions: Magdeburg Cathedral, the
first cathedral designed and built in the Gothic architectural style on German
ground and one of the largest churches in Germany, the Old Market and the
Golden Rider Statue, a bronze copy of the first self-supporting statue of a
rider north of the Alps, which can be found right in the heart of the city
center. It was created in the year 1240 and presumably portrays the Emperor
Otto I. Don’t forget to visit the old City Hall, the Green Citadel, the
Hundertwasserhaus and many more places of interest. Last dinner and
overnight stay on board the Merlijn in Magdeburg.
Day 8, Saturday - Magdeburg
After breakfast it’s time to say goodbye to Merlijn and its crew.
Departure and possible transfer.
Today is not forever,
We’ll meet again, no doubt.
Included in your trip 8 days Bremen - Magdeburg:
7 nights of accommodation, 7 times breakfast buffet, 6 times lunchboxes, 6 times three course
dinners
Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and ice water free of charge
Use of a 21-gear bike, including bike bag, water bottle and universal sized helmet
Services of a tour guide
Entrance fee and guide tour in the VW-Autostadt Wolfsburg
Fees for harbors, bridges and locks
Daily cabin cleaning service
Welcome drink
Route information
Ferry fares en route
Not included:
Insurances
Inbound and outbound journey and transfers
Organised city tours
Drinks other than mentioned
Entrance fees, excursions
Rate per person:
€ 1.270 in a double room
Payment:
20% of the price at the time of definite reservation, approving
the program
80% 1 month prior to starting cruise date
Cancellation
fee:
If the cruise is cancelled
until 6 months prior to starting cruise date 20%
between 6 and 4 months prior to starting cruise date 50%
between 4 and 1 month prior to starting cruise date 80%
between 1 month and 1 day prior to starting cruise date 90%
at the day of starting cruise date or later 100%