The defining experience of the Spreewald. Traditional flat-bottomed Kahn boats are poled through narrow channels by a gondolier with a long wooden stick — a form of transport unchanged for centuries. Departures run from the Kahnhafen (boat harbour) in Lübbenau, just off the market square, and from Lübben's harbour on the edge of town.
Routes range from one-hour loops to half-day journeys deep into the Oberspreewald. The longer trips push through the Hochwald (high forest), where the canopy closes overhead and the only sounds are water and birds. Book ahead in summer — it gets busy, and the good guides go fast.