Genthin Germany Saxony-Anhalt
2
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Frequently Asked Questions
On the Elbe-Havel Canal, in the middle of this small Saxony-Anhalt town. River ships call here between Magdeburg and Brandenburg an der Havel, on a 56-kilometre waterway linking the two rivers. The 48-metre octagonal water tower is your landmark from the ship's deck.
Yes, entirely. The centre, the Sankt Trinitatis church and the Kreismuseum Jerichower Land are a few minutes' walk away. No transport is needed for the town itself.
The towpath is the best use of your time. An hour on foot or by bike between the tree lines, meadows and locks, then the regional museum and a turn through the centre. Genthin is a countryside call, not a monument stop.
Yes, if an excursion is offered. About ten kilometres north, the abbey church begun in the 12th century is considered the oldest brick building in northern Germany. The Romanesque cloister and medicinal herb gardens justify the trip.
No, and it makes no claim to be. No crowds, no staging: this is a canal town that still works for a living. The call suits travellers curious about rural eastern Germany rather than those looking for monuments.
The euro. In a small Saxony-Anhalt town like this one, cash still rules: bakeries, cafés and the market often have no card terminal. Bring notes, because ATMs are not on every corner.
Not much. This is worth knowing before you step ashore: in shops and at the market, German is the working language. A guide or a translation app makes the call considerably smoother.
Yes, and it is the best-suited activity here. The towpath is laid out for bikes and runs straight toward Berlin one way and Magdeburg the other. The terrain is perfectly flat, with no climbing whatsoever.
The Fiener Bruch, south of town, a wide stretch of wet meadows holding one of Germany's last great bustard populations. Grey herons patrol the canal banks and storks nest in season on the chimneys of nearby villages.
May to September, when the storks are present, the country lanes are dry and the wide plains skies give their best light. Off season the landscape turns frankly grey and the stop loses much of its point.
