The Spreewald begins immediately north of Cottbus — the unique forest landscape criss-crossed by small rivers and channels is easily reached by regional train (Lübbenau or Lübben) in under 30 minutes. Bautzen (Budyšin in Upper Sorbian), the cultural capital of the Sorbian people, is about 50 kilometres south in Saxony and worth a half-day for its dramatic hilltop old town and Sorbian institutions.
