From Kostrzyn Oder to Märkische Schweiz: A Cross-Border Ride

100km from Kostrzyn Oder into Germany's "March Switzerland" — gorges, a turquoise lake, and lunch with a view over the water.

From Kostrzyn to Märkische Schweiz: A Cross-Border Ride

Roughly 100km, starting in Kostrzyn nad Odrą — right on the Polish-German border — and ending in Märkische Schweiz, a small nature park east of Berlin.

What Is Märkische Schweiz

The name comes from the terrain, not the location. Märkische Schweiz sits in the heart of Brandenburg, just a few kilometres from Berlin, forming the centre of eastern Brandenburg. The last Ice Age left this part of the region with hills, ridges and gorges that don't match the flat farmland around it — different enough that locals started calling it "March Switzerland," and the name stuck. Lakes and forest fill in the rest.

Buckow

Buckow sits surrounded by deep valleys, gorges, and a lake so turquoise it looks out of place this far from any coast — locals call it the pearl of the park. It's been pulling in visitors from Berlin since the 19th century, helped by how easy it is to reach and how different the landscape feels from the city. It's also a historic spa town — still known locally as Bad Buckow, with Kneipp water-based therapies part of its old identity.

There's no shortage of places to eat after a hundred kilometres in the saddle. Regional Brandenburg cooking dominates the menus here — Bauernfrühstück (farmer's breakfast), Rinderroulade (beef roulade), and Märkischer Wildschweinbraten, the local wild boar roast.

Schermützelsee

The largest lake in the park — the same turquoise water that gives Buckow its reputation. Lunch options aren't limited to the town itself: there are restaurants right on the lake too, serving regional specialities with a view straight over the water — worth picking over a town-centre table if the weather holds.

Wioletta Rodzicz