11 Best Standup Paddleboarding in Germany

by | Sep 18, 2022 | Destinations, Europe, Travel Bucket Lists

The most beautiful and challenging places for SUP in Germany

Are you ready to explore Germany on the waters? You only need a fun group of people and balance. Did you get both? Perfect, let’s go! Let’s explore the 11 coolest spots for standup paddleboarding in Germany.

SUP in the city

SUP in cities? Yes, in cities. Major cities usually develop along a body of water. Where there’s water, there’s standup paddleboarding. Some of the best places for standup paddleboarding in Germany are in the heart of its cities.

SUP in the city – Cosmopolitan adventures

Best standup paddle boarding spots Berlin spree
SUP in the city – Cosmopolitan adventures

Berlin, Potsdam, and Brandenburg are the sites of Europe’s largest contiguous inland water area. Berlin’s Badeschiff is the most accessible place for SUP. The beach bar is connected to a barge that holds a submerged shipping container that is used as a swimming pool. From this platform, paddlers travel under the Oberbaumbrücke, by the Molecule Man to the Insel der Jugend, where they can take a break at a beer garden. Until coronavirus restrictions are removed, SUP is off-limits here.

A little farther west but still in the city, people can try SUP on the Schachten Lake (Schlachtensee) in Zehlendorf, a district in southwestern Berlin. The Schlachten, the cleanest swimming lake in the city, cuts through the middle of the Grunewald Forest, so travelers are moving through lush greenery. When you finish it, you can attack up the hunger you’ve built up on the board at the historic Fischerhütte, which is a few meters from Steh-Paddler.

While Munich’s central Isar River is off-limits for SUP, the smooth waters of the Olympic Lake (Olympiasee) at the Olympic Park await people of all skill levels.

In Frankfurt, Main-SUP leads groups past skyscrapers, through wooded areas, and under The Iron Bridge (Eiserner Steg), which connects downtown Frankfurt to the Sachsenhausen neighborhood.

Northern Cologne’s Blackfoot Beach is chill but a hive for water sports. The beach sits at Fühlinger Lake, a great place for standup paddleboarding in Germany. 

Best standup paddleboarding in germany cologne blackfoot beach
Northern Cologne’s Blackfoot Beach

SUP in the city – Maritime city adventures

best standup paddle boarding spots in germany Hamburg
SUP in the city – Maritime city adventures

Hamburg is a city defined and built by water (Its wealth came from shipping.), so there are lots of beautiful and interesting places for SUP. Three different SUP clubs are perched on the Alster Lakes, man-made bodies that sit in the heart of downtown Hamburg and are fed by the Alster River. SUP Club keeps you in the middle of the city. SUP Legion starts you off in Winterhude, SUPco an der Alster in Eppendorf. You and your SUP travel mate can escape to a peaceful island in the middle of Germany’s second-biggest city and paddle with SUP Willi Villa in Wilhelmsburg Inselpark.

The Surf-Center Lübeck leads people through the heart of Lübeck’s Old Town on the Wakenitz and Trave rivers. As you and your travel mate glide through the Old Town, not only are you getting some fresh air, you’re also getting a chance to see history from a cool angle. This part of town is a World Heritage site.

The team at Ins Blaue leads Yoga classes on Werder Lake (Werdersee) starting in the middle of the city-state. There are also SUP tours at night when the moon is full. The ride is a mystical mixture of excitement and calm.

Best standup paddle boarding spots in germany woman doing a head stand on a paddle board on the Werder lake in Bremen
Werder Lake (Werdersee)

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SUP in the wild

German landscape is carved up by rivers and dotted with lakes. For those looking for some peace and beauty as you pull yourself along, here’s a list of the best places for standup paddleboarding in Germany’s countryside. 

SUP on lakes

germany lake
SUP on Lakes

Beaches on the North and Baltic seas are often overrun with visitors in the summer. Clever water babies head inland. Schleswig-Holstein’s green center has more than 40 lakes. The town of Malente sits in the “Holsteiner Schweiz” and boasts great places for SUP. Places such as Diek Lake (Dieksee) and Keller Lake (Kellersee). SUP Adventures Malente has no dock; it drops paddlers at the most interesting locations.

Group of people in the water paddling on a bard in Holsteiner Schweiz
Holsteiner Schweiz

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is filled with lagoons, the perfect place to standup paddleboard because there aren’t any divers, boats, or surfers clogging up these shallow waters. At Stralsund, the Deviner Lake (Deviner See) is a beautiful place to paddle.

Crosslake offers SUP on crystal-clear Alpine lakes. From the Eib Lake (Eibsee), paddlers have an amazing view of the Alps as they maneuver across a lake with thick woods on both sides. Getting to the fun is even fun. The Seilbahn Zugspitze, an aerial tram that runs from the lake to the top of Zugspitze, holds three world records for height and distance.

SUP on rivers

Best standup paddle boarding spots in germany lake hills
SUP on rivers

Mittelrhein Rafting takes SUP through the Rhine Gorge, a World Heritage site filled with vineyards, castles, and historic towns, on its journey over the Rhine River. Beginners will really enjoy the area near the town of Lorch am Rhein. The entire river is flanked by green hills.

people paddle boarding in the Rhine gorge
Mittelrhein rafting

Starting in the town of Bietigheim, Die Zuvögel directs paddlers along the Neckar River past beautiful vineyards and through the peaceful Enz Estuary and wooded areas on the voyage to an old mill.

If you and your SUP travel mate have never touched a paddleboard or are SUP champions, you’ll find a place to play in Germany. This article listed what we think are the best places for standup paddleboarding in Germany. There are many more. Every German state has great spots for SUP. Go find yours!


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