Masuria: bike & boat, guided tour

Please plan your arrival so that you are at Frederic Chopin Airport in the arrival hall Terminal 1 by 3 PM or by 4 PM at the Warsaw Central Station in the main hall. You will be met by the tour guide and taken to the transfer bus to Masuria. For those who arrive by car, paid parking spaces are available in Masuria (reservation required, payable on site).

After breakfast the tour discussion and bike handover takes place. In the morning you go on a tour of discovery through Nikolaiken, a beautiful small town and popular holiday resort. From the market square you have a great view of Nikolaiken's heraldic animal, the legendary “Stinthengst”, who lies chained under a bridge in the water. In the afternoon we go to Lake Lucknainer, which is located in the Masurian Biosphere Reserve. The small lake is a breeding area for many rare water birds and especially known for the large flocks of mute swans. You can enjoy the view of this bird paradise in an untouched natural landscape from a vantage point.

In the morning you take a short bike ride to the ferry station in Wierzba and continue on the other side by bike. You will visit a biological station in the nearby Popiellnen, which was set up for the back-breeding of the primeval Tarpan horse. The animals are released into the wild on the surrounding peninsula, so that with a bit of luck you will discover a small herd in the light forests. The journey to Kamien leads via Wejsuny [Weissuhnen], an old, East Prussian village with a pretty church in the style of the order and beautiful, old wooden houses. Past the Guzianka lock, you continue your bike tour around Lake Beldahn to Kamien, where the MS CLASSIC LADY is already waiting for you. A boat trip to Nikolaiken rounds off the day.

he day begins with a boat trip to the Ryn. Then you cycle to the former sheep farm and on to Wolfsschanze, where the remains of the former Führer headquarters are. During a tour you may see a. the memorial stone that commemorates Count von Stauffenberg and the resistance fighters of July 20, 1944. An individual detour (plus 17 km) to Rastenburg [Ketrzyn] is possible. The Ordensburg and the fortified church of St. Georg, in which a picture from Lukas Cranach's school is housed, are worth seeing. You go through meadows, fields and lonely villages to Wilkasy, where the MS CLASSIC LADY awaits you again.

The bike tour starts in the morning and leads via Lötzen [Gizycko] to Lake Goldapgar. First you take a tour of Lötzen, the water sports center of Masuria and you will see a hand-operated swing bridge. This is still in operation and is a rare technical monument. We continue to the church, built according to plans by court architect Schinkel, in which German-language services are now taking place again. In Lötzen you can visit the Boyen Fortress from the middle of the 19th century, which was built on an area of ​​100 hectares between the Löwentinsee and the Mauersee. The journey continues to Lake Goldapgar, then around the lake and via Possessern to Wilkasy back to the ship.

Today begins with an atmospheric boat trip on the beautiful "Five Lakes Route" to Szymonka. The first stop on the bike tour is Ryn with its 14th century Ordensburg, which is now a hotel. The castle was redesigned in the baroque style and served as a prison for a while. In the inner courtyard you can see a glass-covered knight's grave with gifts. Then the tour continues to Zondern. In a 200-year-old farmhouse, the Dickti family has set up a local museum with lots of old household appliances, typical Masurian furniture and a barn with old agricultural equipment and machines. After visiting the museum, the path leads along the Talter waters to Nikolaiken and the landing stage for the MS CLASSIC LADY.

After a short boat trip, the bike stage begins in Kamien and leads via Eckertsdorf to Kruttinnen. In Eckertsdorf [Wojnowo], in the midst of a beautiful natural landscape, lies the Russian Orthodox monastery of the Philippons. The so-called Old Believers settled here in 1825. Their houses and the wooden church with its golden onion dome point to the Russian heritage of the religious refugees. The extensive wooded area of ​​the Johannisburger Heide is crossed by a crystal clear river that is rich in fish and crabs. The punt trip on the Kruttinna is the highlight of every trip to Masuria. Let your mind wander while your boat glides almost silently through the crystal clear water rich in fish. The starting point is the village of Kruttinnen, where you can find Masurian handicrafts, souvenirs and handicrafts can also be bought. A stop in a restaurant with a terrace directly on the river, where freshly caught fish is served, is particularly attractive. Via Galkowo with the Gut Ferenstein riding stables and the forester's house, which now houses a nostalgic restaurant, the bike tour leads back to the Kamien pier. Enjoy the trip over the Beldhansee to Nikolaiken from your box seat on the sun deck.

Transfer to Warsaw (arrival Warszawa Centralna approx. 11.45 AM, arrival airport approx. 12.20 PM).

The captain reserves the right to change the course of the route and the mooring points due to weather conditions and depending on the water level in the canals.