Exploring the Spreewald Forest from the water is a very special experience. Depending on your time available, you can select from different boat tours departing from the Große Spreewaldhafen. Be enchanted by the fascinating lagoon landscape while slowly moving through the mystical water maze of canals and streams. This is an incredible nature experience and, if you are lucky, you will come across some black or white storks, kingfishers, ospreys or cranes.

After a few kilometres you will reach the legendary Spreewald village Lehde. At only few places can you experience the pure and original charm of the Spreewald Forest. The village consists of several small islands containing houses entirely made of wood covered with reeded roofs. One of those typical Spreewald houses contains the “Freilandmuseum”. Immerse yourself in the traditional peasant life which has remained a tradition for centuries.

The “Gurkenmuseum” is worth a visit if you like to learn about the famous Spreewald gherkin which has become known far beyond the Spreewald's borders. On the culinary front, however, the Spreewald offers much more: A typical speciality of the Spreewald to be tasted is jacket potato with flaxseed oil and quark, a kind of farmer’s cheese at the restaurant “Wotschofska”.

Heading to Burg in the Spreewald via Leipe. The spa town exudes an irresistible charm with its typical plank houses, meadow orchards and vegetable gardens in between. The alluring locality is Germany’s largest dispersed settlement and home to the minority of Sorbs and Wends who have traditionally settled here. Revel in the exceptional Spreewald landscape from the 27-metre Bismarck tower which is part of the UNESCO heritage.

Get a bit pampered in one of the most attractive and modern spas of the state, the SpreewaldTherme. Therapeutic iodine-containing saltwater is pumped from 1,350 metres below and can be enjoyed at a water temperature of 31 degrees Celsius. Relax a little while in one of the many saunas and enjoy the views of the Spreewald Forest from the spa's panoramic windows. A special attraction is to treat yourself to a special aromatic bath inside a punt or typically in a gherkin barrel. After that, savour some sumptuous culinary delights prepared by Brandenburg star chef Marco Giedow at “Speisenkammer” restaurant which are made from thoughtfully selected local produce.

Start your day with a special highlight: a visit of Park Branitz, Prince Pückler’s masterpiece of garden landscaping. This green oasis is considered one of Europe’s most stunning garden landscapes. Take your time to explore the architectural ingenuity of this site, its beautiful vistas, dreamy lakes and old trees. Even two pyramids have been created inside this garden paradise. One of the pyramids contains the tomb of the prince. The eccentric prince and world traveller wished to be buried here like an Egyptian Pharaoh.

If you like to learn more about the life of Prince Pückler in Branitz, pay a visit to the park's baroque palace of the Prince where he had lived until the end of his life. The original interior of the rooms, first and foremost the noble music hall, take you back into Pückler's years, impressively attesting to his world of thinking and idiosyncratic sense of style.

Recommendation: Green oasis along the Spree River. For those who like to experience the green landscape a little longer or rather skip one of the following programme items, we recommend strolling from Park Branitz through the Spreeauenpark toward the old town. Another attraction worth exploring is the Tierpark Cottbus, one of Brandenburg's most appealing zoos.

A walk through the Goethepark brings you to the dkw Museum for Modern Art – an extraordinary place of culture in Cottbus located inside the former diesel power plant from the 1920’s. The monument continues to fascinate visitors due to its strongly vertical expressionist exterior. The collection comprises more than 30,000 works of art, among them also poster art. Being one of Brandenburg's most remarkable museums, a visit of the museum's exhibitions is highly recommended.

Walk a few more steps from the dkw Museum to reach the old town or “Altstadt”. Stroll around the lovingly reconstructed Altmarkt and marvel at the prestigious backdrops of bourgeois and baroque-style gabled houses beneath the tower of Oberkirche St. Nikolai. Spremberger Turm is the old town's landmark. Featuring a height of 31m, it provides a fantastic panoramic view across the town centre of this green town by the Spree River.

If you find GDR history appealing, you should pay the “Menschenrechtszentrum Cottbus” a visit, a memorial site of the former workhouse Cottbus on Bautzener Straße. During GDR times, the site was the largest prison for political prisoners documented by a permanent exhibition.

Treat yourself to a very special cinema visit. Being the oldest cinema in Brandenburg and second oldest in Germany, the “Weltspiegel” theatre is considered an architectural gem with its prestigious art nouveau exterior. Would you rather go to a concert, theatre, opera or ballet? In this case, we recommend spending the evening at the Staatstheater Cottbus, a theatre venue entertaining multiple genres in a stately art nouveau building.