From the "Märkisches Meer" to the "Rauenschen Berge" and back - tour for late riser

Are mountains and sea your favorite? Then we have the perfect late riser tip for you! Because on this half-day round tour you can experience both, get active in nature and let the day at the lake end with culinary delights. By the way, you will discover what real greatness means in the Seenland Oder-Spree!

Your mountain and lake experience:
Idyllic: through the nature reserve with moor meadows and lots of forest up the Rauener Berge and back to Bad Saarow and the clear Scharmützelsee Aiming high: enjoy the fantastic mountain panorama from a height of almost 200m Wide: look out over the Märkisches Meer and, if the visibility is good, as far as Berlin Place of power: marvel at the largest boulders in northern Germany Hidden: track down lost places in the forest As a reward: a swim in the lake, thirst quenching or culinary delights in the foodie hotspot Bad Saarow
Start & finish: Bad Saarow train station
Length: 13 km / approx. 3.5-4 hours
How to get there by public transport: RE1 to Fürstenwalde, then RB35 to Bad Saarow
Departure public transport: RB35 from Bad Saarow

From the historic train station Bad Saarow you keep left, past the bakery Dreißig and then turn into Seestraße. You will pass some small, regional coffee shops, such as the coffee roastery or the bakery at the spa park, where you can fortify yourself once again before the tour. You follow the Seestraße until you reach the Kurpark, where you turn left and walk directly through the park towards the Scharmützelsee. The adventure can start.


Quickly to Bad Saarow and into nature
In less than an hour, the RE1 and RB35 will bring you to Bad Saarow, where your tour starts. Immediately you go into nature and through the moor and Wierich meadows. Even today, natural moor is mined here, which is used as a remedy for the spa operation in the Saarow thermal brine and mud spa. The moor is then returned to nature for regeneration. Left and right there is a wonderful wide view of the meadows that supply the grass and hay for the organic farmers from nearby Marienhöhe. With luck, you can spot orchids here in May and June. Fun fact: You will also pass the villa of the 1st German boxing world champion, Max Schmeling, who lived here in the 1930s.





What a vision!
It now goes steadily uphill through wonderful mixed forest with larches, pines, firs, robinia and oaks. With T2 on the mountain and alpine hiking scale you have reached the status of mountain hiking;) Do you already notice it in your legs? The effort is worth it, because when you arrive at the top, the best foresight in the entire lake district is waiting for you. You should definitely climb the 40 meter high observation tower. The 209 steps are tough again. But up here, at almost 200 meters, you can feel something like grandeur when you look at the low mountain range landscape and the large Scharmützelsee, the Märkisches Meer. Direction signs explain what can be seen on the horizon: if the visibility is good, you can see as far as Berlin.




How did these stone colossi get here?
Only a few meters you can rediscover real size. The margrave stones are an impressive natural monument and have been awarded a national geotope. Geologists estimate the age of the two granite stones to be around 1.45 billion years. But it was only the glacier masses of the last ice ages that pushed them onto the Rauener Berge. Do you feel this huge size and power that emanates from the stones? You will not find any larger boulders anywhere in North Germany. And this despite the fact that the Great Markgrafenstein was once almost 30 meters in circumference and parts of it were used as valuable material in the Lustgarten in Berlin. Nevertheless, the circumference is still 17m today and weighs an incredible 280 tons.





Lost place in mountainous terrain for athletes
Do you find abandoned places exciting? Then make a short detour to the remains of the Rauen ski jump in the middle of the dense forest. Hard to imagine, but in 1988 the last ski jumpers sailed down into the valley here. In the safe winters of the 1960s, ski jumping runs were carried out in front of numerous spectators - the hill record is 33m! Today runners train in steep terrain to prepare for mountain runs and SV Rauen organizes the strenuous Fontane run.





Tour finale: sophisticated architecture and foodie hotspots in Bad Saarow
The path now leads directly downhill to the glittering Scharmützelsee. Back in Bad Saarow, you can end your tour in a relaxed manner. Historic villas line the lakeshore. It's relaxed and you let yourself go. How about a few extraordinary snacks and refreshing drinks at the end?

Whether a classic beer garden, the park café with a view of the “sea”, regional, Italian, a ramen soup or a cross between Peru & Japan - the choice is yours! How about a relaxed après-ski hike in Nobelscharf? Avocado fries, currywurst and champagne are not mutually exclusive in the casual beach bar. If you have a little more time, you can continue walking for 20 minutes and treat yourself to a sundowner in Freilich am See. A really great day is coming to an end!





Extra tip:
(Pedal) boat rental at the pier passenger ships Bathing places: Strandbad Mitte on the promenade or Kleistpark Travel cheap and climate-friendly: with the Brandenburg-Berlin-Ticket for up to five people, traveling in a group is particularly inexpensive (daily rate € 33)
Refreshment tips Bad Saarow:
Restaurants in the Esplanade, Nobelscharf beach bar, beer garden at Scharmützelsee, Park-Café restaurant, Freilich am See, magic hut with ice cream in the spa park (seasonal), coffee roastery, amiceria