This post compares various boat tours and boat cruises that ply the waters of the capital of Germany.
I use the routes of Stern und Kreis, one of the main operations in the city, as an example below.
Click the map to expand.
There are several companies that mostly offer the same cruise options as one another, often with certain small tweaks.
It's important to note that currently there are no options for hop-on, hop-off boat tours. All cruises are single-ride tickets.
Some cruises have a live tour guide (often bilingual German/English or German only) with audio guides in several languages.
There are also some dinner cruises, but not as many as there once were.
However, on most cruises (including evening cruises), you can purchase snacks like coffee, beer, wine, soft drinks, cheese, and cake, and some even have pizza, currywurst, and burgers.
If you are a tourist visiting Berlin, then here are the cruises that are likely to be relevant for you.
Several options are included at either a 25% discount or for free with the Berlin Welcome Card. I explain the options in the blog post.
1-Hour Historical City Tour
Most companies offer a short, 1-hour non-stop loop route in central Berlin.
Generally speaking, the routes stretch from approximately Schloss Bellevue in the west to just south of Museum Island.
Click the map to expand.
On most cruises, you will pass by some of Berlin's main attractions and famous sights, including:
- The Reichstag Building
- Bellevue Castle (Schloss Bellevue)
- The Victory Column (Siegessäule)
- Spreebogen
- Haus of World Cultures (Haus der Kulturen der Welt)
- The Government District
- Museum Island (Museumsinsel)
- Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)
- Berlin TV Tower (Fernsehturm)
- The Nikolai District (Nikolaiviertel)
- The Central Train Station (Hauptbahnhof)
- The Berlin Palace (Berliner Schloss)
For the most part, each company has its own boarding and unboarding stop, but they all usually complete the full loop.
Stern und Kreis Prices
- €22 - Adult
- €10 - Child (6-13)
- Free - Under 6
- Learn more.
2-Hour 15-Min Sightseeing City Tour
Most operators also offer a more extensive sightseeing cruise that takes a bit longer than 2 hours.
Like the previously mentioned tour, this is a non-stop loop tour.
Click the map to expand.
This tour covers everything that the 1-hour cruises cover plus the following.
- Charlottenburg Palace
- Northwest Tiergarten
- Westhafen Canal
- the Berlin-Spandau Ship Canal
- the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs
- EuropaCity
- Invalidenfriedhof
- Hamburger Bahnhof
For the most part, each company has its own boarding and unboarding stop, but they all usually complete the full loop.
Stern und Kreis Prices
- €29 - Adult
- €15 - Child (6-13)
- Free - Under 6
- Learn more.
And you'll likely find that for the evening/dinner cruises on offer, this is the route most often used.
3.5-Hour Bridges and Canal Loop
Another popular boat trip, this cruise visits all of the sights of the 1-hour cruise of the city centre, but continues on to parts south.
And assuming good weather, this might just be the most popular sightseeing cruise option.
Click the map to expand.
This tour covers everything that the 1-hour cruises cover plus the following.
- Charlottenburg Palace
- Northwest Tiergarten
- East Side Gallery
- Oberbaumbrücke
- Landwehrkanal
- Kreuzberg
- Admiral Bridge
- German Museum of Technology
- Berlin Zoo
For the most part, each company has its own boarding and unboarding stop, but they all usually complete the full loop.
Stern und Kreis Prices
- €33 - Adult
- €17 - Child (6-13)
- Free - Under 6
- Learn more.
3.5 or 5-Hour Spree and Müggelsee + Little Venice Cruises
Visit Berlin's biggest lake, once a popular local holiday location inside of East Berlin, Müggelsee.
Both cruises depart from and return to Treptow Harbor, which can be reached by several S-Bahn lines.
The shorter tour (yellow) follows the River Spree through wooded riverbanks to the historic old town of Köpenick, where you pass Köpenick Palace on the water.
The route continues to Berlin’s largest lake, Müggelsee, offering views of broad open water and the Müggelturm rising above the surrounding forest.
Click the map to expand.
The 5-hour version (reddish-purple) follows the previously mentioned route and continues from the Müggelsee along the Müggelspree to the “New Venice” district, a network of canals and small bridges laid out in the 1920s.
It then crosses the Dämeritzsee and travels through the Gosen Canal toward the Seddinsee and the historic Grünau regatta course, Berlin’s oldest major watersports venue.
The route then follows the Spree back to Treptow Harbor.
Stern und Kreis Prices
3.5-Hour Tour
- €22 - Adult
- €11 - Child (6-13)
- Free - Under 6
- Learn more.
5-Hour Tour
- €29 - Adult
- €15 - Child (6-13)
- Free - Under 6
- Learn more.
2- and 3-Hour Wannsee and Havel River Cruises
In the Wannsee and Havel region, visitors can choose between two popular cruise experiences: a scenic round-trip tour and a longer palace-focused journey to Potsdam.
Both routes sail through Berlin’s picturesque lake district, passing beaches, forested shores, and historic villas, while offering views of landmarks such as Pfaueninsel, Nikolskoe, the Church of St. Peter and Paul, and the Glienicke Bridge.
The extended cruise continues toward Potsdam’s UNESCO-listed palaces and gardens—including Cecilienhof Palace and Babelsberg Palace—before returning to Wannsee, combining natural beauty with Prussian royal history.
Click the map to expand.
Stern und Kreis Prices
2-Hour Tour
- €22 - Adult
- €11 - Child (6-13)
- Free - Under 6
- Learn more.
3-Hour Tour (Including Potsdam)
- €29 - Adult
- €15 - Child (6-13)
- Free - Under 6
- Learn more.
