No licence needed for most hire boatsMecklenburg and Brandenburg
Mecklenburg Lakes: Compare 8 Houseboat Holidays from 2 Firms
Self-drive houseboat holidays on the lakes and rivers between the Müritz and Berlin, side by side: which firm, which area, and where the boats start.
- Holidays
- 8
- on Mooch, checked weekly
- Firms
- 2
- hire firms
- Licence
- Not needed
- for most hire boats; see below
- Price from
- £1,409
- per boat, where published
Firm by firm, area by area
Self-drive hire has no fixed length: you choose how many nights. Where a firm publishes a 'from' price it's per boat, and fuel, extras and the deposit vary by firm, so check each firm's page.
| Firm | Holiday | Days | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Boat | Mecklenburg, Brandenburg and Berlin | — | £1,409 |
| Kuhnle-Tours | Berlin and Potsdam | — | — |
| Kuhnle-Tours | Dahme, Oder and Spree | — | — |
| Kuhnle-Tours | Havel, Elbe and Elde | — | — |
| Kuhnle-Tours | Mecklenburg Lake District | — | — |
| Kuhnle-Tours | Müritz Plus | — | — |
| Kuhnle-Tours | North Brandenburg | — | — |
| Kuhnle-Tours | Peene and Usedom | — | — |
Worth knowing
- In Germany a hire firm may let a recreational boat under 15 metres to someone without a boating licence: the firm gives a briefing and issues a charter certificate. This applies only on the waterways the ordinance lists and only to boats with fixed berths. ELWIS (German federal waterways), BinSch-SportbootVermV § 9
- Kuhnle-Tours says its boats of up to 15 hp need no charter certificate at all; bigger boats come with a free briefing and the certificate on the day you pick them up. Kuhnle-Tours
- Le Boat starts from Jabel and Marina Wolfsbruch. Kuhnle-Tours' German stations are Hafendorf Müritz (Rechlin), Priepert, Zehdenick–Mildenberg, Zeuthen and Malchin. Le Boat
- Locks are automatic, some manned and some self-service. Le Boat gives their hours as 08:00–19:45 from May to October and 09:00–15:45 in April. Le Boat
- Le Boat's sample trips: a 3-night return from Marina Wolfsbruch of 75 km with 6 locks, or 7 nights from Jabel to Marina Wolfsbruch via Rheinsberg and Mirow, 85 km and 4 locks, about 20 hours at the wheel. Le Boat
- Kuhnle-Tours calls the Mecklenburg Lake District the land of 1,000 lakes, linked by short canals to the waters of Brandenburg. Kuhnle-Tours
Questions people ask
- Do you need a boat licence in Mecklenburg?
- Usually not. German rules let a hire firm issue a charter certificate after a briefing, for boats under 15 metres on designated waterways. Le Boat says its Mecklenburg boats need no licence or experience, and Kuhnle-Tours gives you the certificate free on the day you arrive. ELWIS (German federal waterways), BinSch-SportbootVermV § 9 Le Boat Kuhnle-Tours
- Where do the boats start?
- Le Boat hires from Jabel and Marina Wolfsbruch. Kuhnle-Tours' German stations are Hafendorf Müritz (Rechlin), Priepert, Zehdenick–Mildenberg, Zeuthen and Malchin. Le Boat
- How far can you go in a week?
- Le Boat's 7-night trip from Jabel to Marina Wolfsbruch via Rheinsberg and Mirow is 85 km with 4 locks, about 20 hours of cruising. Le Boat
- When are the locks open?
- Le Boat gives the lock hours as 08:00 to 19:45 from May to October and 09:00 to 15:45 in April. Le Boat
More guides
How this was put together
Every self-drive houseboat holiday on Mooch in this area, matched on the area names in the listing. Mooch's availability checker revisits each firm's page about once a week. Facts are from the sources linked beside them, read 8 November 2026.