Gentle ridges and hills surround the source of the Dahme River, which rises in the district of Teltow-Fläming in southern Brandenburg. For 95 kilometres (59 mi), it meanders eastwards into the Dahme Valley before flowing through the Baruther Urstromtal near Golßen and then northwards into the Dahme-Heideseen Nature Park. A small, largely natural river, it passes the western edge of the Lower Spree Forest lowlands, meanders through swampy alder forests and widens into a chain of lakes from Prieros and flows through several glacial gullies to its mouth in Berlin-Köpenick. These elongated gullies were dug into the subsoil by melting glacial water and are now dry and muddy or filled with rivers and lakes. On its way to Berlin, the Dahme meanders from a small stream to a navigable river that finally flows into the Spree.

You follow the course of the Dahme for 138 kilometres (85 mi) in the opposite direction from Köpenick to the source of the Dahme in the forest near Kolpien. In this Collection, I’ve divided the Dahme Cycle Route into two stages for you and planned an additional Tour that takes you to the train station near Uckro.

The Dahme Cycle Route begins at Köpenick Castle in Köpenick old town. From there, it leads you along the river to Grünau, where you cross the Dahme once by ferry before continuing along Langer See towards Königs Wusterhausen. On your way to the Dahme-Heideseen Nature Park, you cycle through the countryside on flat, paved paths, asphalted roads and cycle paths.

The Dahme-Heideseen region, also known as Dahmeland, was shaped by the ice age. There are over 100 lakes, large and small rivers, springs, moors, valleys, hills, villages and small towns. Along the route, you’ll find several places to stay, restaurants and bicycle service stations, as well as connections to national cycling routes.

Further south, you cycle through the Golßener Land. Here, on the edge of the UNESCO Spreewald Biosphere Reserve, you can immerse yourself for a while in the distinctive cultural landscape of Lower Lusatia. Extensive forests, fields and heathland stretch across the sandy soils of the plateaus. Small springs feed streams and moors with lush meadows, pastures and deciduous and mixed forests. You pass lots of small mills before you finally reach the source of the Dahme in the forest near Kolpien.