Villas in Brandenburg

Lychen and Rheinsberg suit lake swimmers, the Spreewald suits paddlers, and Bad Saarow is closest to Berlin's airport. Brandenburg wraps around Berlin, so most of our houses are an hour or two from the capital. The stock is holiday houses and flats rather than villas, and the land is flat, sandy pine forest with a great many lakes.

Where

Villas: 193
From, per week: £248
Cheapest month: October
Nearest airports: Berlin Brandenburg is the only airport you need, with direct flights from London taking just under two hours. Most houses are between 45 minutes and two hours' drive away, with Bad Saarow and the Spreewald closest and Lychen and Rheinsberg furthest.

Where to stay in Brandenburg

Lychen and Himmelpfort (Uckermark lakes, north)

Lychen has the largest group of our Brandenburg houses and sits between several lakes, with bathing spots a short walk from the centre and canoe hire in town. Himmelpfort, a few kilometres south, is a village of fishermen and boat sheds with a Christmas post office that answers children's letters to Father Christmas. Fürstenberg and the Ravensbrück memorial are around 15 minutes away. Berlin Brandenburg airport is around an hour and three quarters by car.

Best for: Families who want clear lakes and forest without many other visitors

Not for you if: You want a lively town: Lychen is small and quiet by nine in the evening.

Rheinsberg and the Ruppin lakes

Rheinsberg is a small town built around the lakeside palace where Frederick the Great spent his years as crown prince, with a park, a ceramics tradition and boat trips on the Grienericksee. The Stechlinsee, one of the clearest lakes in northern Germany, is around 15 minutes north. Fehrbellin and the wider Ruppin lakes lie to the south-west. Allow around an hour and a half from Berlin Brandenburg airport.

Best for: Couples who want a palace town and lakes in one place

Not for you if: You need a direct train every day: services to Rheinsberg are limited, so plan on driving.

The Spreewald (Burg, Lübbenau, Lübben)

The Spree splits into hundreds of narrow channels here, and the classic trip is a ride in a flat-bottomed punt or a day in a hired canoe. Lübbenau is the busiest harbour, with the open-air museum at Lehde a short paddle away. Burg is more spread out, with farmhouses along the waterways, and Lübben is a small town with a quieter harbour. The area is known for its pickled gherkins. Berlin Brandenburg airport is around an hour away.

Best for: Gentle paddling and punt trips along tree-lined canals

Not for you if: You mind mosquitoes or crowds of day-trippers on summer weekends at the Lübbenau harbour.

Bad Saarow and the lakes south-east of Berlin (Diensdorf-Radlow, Jessern)

Bad Saarow is an old spa town at the southern end of the Scharmützelsee, a long lake used for sailing and swimming, with a thermal bath and a golf resort. Diensdorf-Radlow is on the quieter eastern shore. Jessern is further south on the Schwielochsee, around 40 minutes from Bad Saarow, a smaller and more rural lake. Berlin Brandenburg airport is roughly 45 minutes from Bad Saarow.

Best for: Short stays, thermal spa days and the quickest airport transfer

Not for you if: You want somewhere remote: the Scharmützelsee is a long-established weekend spot for Berliners.

The Havelland (Brandenburg an der Havel, Beetzsee, Ferchesar)

Brandenburg an der Havel is an old town spread across islands in the river, with a cathedral and a long rowing course on the Beetzsee to the north. Ferchesar is a lakeside village in the Westhavelland nature park, a recognised dark sky area, and the wet meadows nearby fill with cranes and geese in autumn. Potsdam is around 40 minutes from the town. Berlin Brandenburg airport is around an hour by car.

Best for: Water sports, birdwatching and some of the darkest night skies near Berlin

Not for you if: You want hills or forest walks: this is flat river country with wide horizons.

The Schorfheide and Barnim (Joachimsthal, Wandlitz, Kappe)

North of Berlin the land turns to the large Schorfheide forest. Joachimsthal sits above the Werbellinsee, a long, clear lake, and Chorin Abbey and the Niederfinow boat lifts are short drives east. Kappe is a small village deep in the forest. Wandlitz has its own lakes and a regional train into Berlin, which makes it handy for city day trips. Berlin Brandenburg airport is around an hour away.

Best for: Forest walking and lakes within easy reach of Berlin by train

Not for you if: You want a town with evening life: these are forest villages with a few restaurants.

When to go to Brandenburg

June to early September is lake season, when the water is warm enough to swim and canoe hire runs everywhere. Berlin and Brandenburg school holidays fill the lakes in July and August, and weekends are busy within an hour of the city. Mosquitoes are a fact of life in the Spreewald and near reeds in summer. May and September are calmer for cycling. Winters are cold and grey, many cafés and boat services close, and the Spreewald runs only a few winter punt trips.