Brandenburg is the federal state that entirely surrounds the city-state of Berlin without containing it, stretching from the Baltic-facing Uckermark lake district in the north to the Lusatian mining lakes in the south. Its capital, Potsdam, is home to the UNESCO-listed Sanssouci Park and Palace, once the summer residence of Frederick the Great. Beyond Potsdam, Brandenburg is a patchwork of glacial lakes, pine forests, and slow rivers, including the UNESCO Spreewald Biosphere Reserve, where villages are still reached by flat-bottomed punting boats through a maze of canals.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Brandenburg through its food.
Spreewald Kahnfahrt to the Wotschofska Forest Inn
A traditional flat-bottomed Kahn (punt boat), poled by a Spreewald boatman, departs from the Großer Spreewaldhafen in Lübbenau and travels through the alder forest canals via the museum village of Lehde to the Wotschofska forest inn, an island restaurant reachable only by boat or on foot, for a regional lunch stop before the return trip.
Includes: Traditional hand-poled Kahn through Spreewald alder forest canals · Stop at the open-air museum village of Lehde en route · Lunch at the Wotschofska, an island inn with no road access · Boatman's narration on Spreewald canal life and history · Return trip through the same forest canal network
Mutschenhof Farm Tour and Tasting, Lehde
A 60-minute guided tour of the Mutschenhof, a working Spreewald farmstead reachable only by boat or on foot through Lehde village, followed by a tasting of home-made Spreewald products such as pickled gherkins, horseradish, and fruit preserves made on the property.
Includes: Access only by boat or on foot, deep inside Lehde village · Hands-on look at small-batch Spreewaldgurken pickling · Tasting of home-made horseradish and fruit preserves · Working family farm rather than a commercial attraction · Easily combined with a Lehde Kahnfahrt stop
Spreewaldkonserve Golßen Factory Tour and Tasting
A guided visit to the Spreewaldkonserve Golßen factory, a family-run producer operating for more than 70 years, including a lecture-room tasting of four gherkin products, an overview of the full product range, and a short film on the production process from field to jar.
Includes: Visit to a 70-plus year family-run PGI gherkin producer · Tasting of four distinct gherkin products · Short film covering the field-to-jar production process · Explanation of the Spreewaldgurken PGI designation · Located in Golßen, on the southern edge of the Spreewald reserve
Windmühle Straupitz Oil Mill Tour and Flaxseed Oil Tasting
A visit to Europe's last producing triple windmill, in the Spreewald village of Straupitz, to see the 200-year-old oil mill press flaxseed, rapeseed, and mustard seed by traditional methods, followed by a tasting of fresh, still-warm Leinöl (flaxseed oil) served on bread with sugar or salt.
Includes: Europe's last producing triple windmill (flour, oil, and saw mill combined) · Working 200-year-old oil press for flaxseed, rapeseed, and mustard · Tasting of fresh, still-warm flaxseed oil with bread · On-site café serving potatoes with quark and Leinöl · Self-guided access with an explanatory brochure included in admission
Potsdam Dutch Quarter Culinary Walking Tour
A 3-hour guided walk through Potsdam's Holländisches Viertel (Dutch Quarter), the largest collection of Dutch gabled brick houses outside the Netherlands, stopping at five to six small shops, cafés, and restaurants for tastings while learning the neighborhood's 18th-century history and its ties to the Dutch royal house.
Includes: Walk through roughly 150 restored 18th-century Dutch gabled houses · Five to six tastings at independent Holländisches Viertel businesses · History of the Dutch craftsmen brought to Potsdam by the Prussian king · Background on the neighborhood's connection to the Dutch royal house · Runs year-round with both public and private group bookings
Weinbau Dr. Lindicke Straußwirtschaft Wine Tasting, Werder (Havel)
A seasonal Straußwirtschaft (a licensed tasting room that operates only part of the year) at a working vineyard above the Havel river in Werder, pouring the estate's own white, red, and fruit wines on a terrace overlooking the vines, with pre-arranged wine tastings and vineyard walks available for groups of ten or more.
Includes: Working vineyard terrace overlooking the Havel river landscape · Estate-grown white and red wines by the glass · Traditional Obstwein (fruit wine) from local orchard fruit · Guided vineyard walk and tasting available for pre-booked groups · Connection to Werder's spring Baumblütenfest and Goldene Obstwein-Kruke competition
Spargel- und Erlebnishof Klaistow Asparagus Farm Tour and Tasting
A large asparagus farm near Beelitz offering free guided farm tours during the spring harvest season, a farm restaurant serving Beelitz white asparagus prepared fresh from the field, and a farm shop selling the harvest directly, with seasonal festivals adding live music and themed tours.
Includes: Free guided tours of active white asparagus fields, April to June · Farm restaurant serving same-day-harvested Beelitz asparagus · Farm shop selling fresh asparagus and seasonal produce · Seasonal festivals with live music during peak harvest · Autumn pumpkin displays after the asparagus season ends
Lieblings-Koch Spreewald Cooking Course, Burg (Spreewald)
A roughly 4-hour hands-on cooking course in the Eventscheune Burg event barn, led by chef Jörg Thiele of the nearby Kolonieschänke, preparing a 4-course Spreewald-focused menu that has included dishes such as partridge with wild herb salad, trout with horseradish, and a poppy seed dessert.
Includes: Hands-on 4-course Spreewald menu cooked by the group, not just watched · Led by a working chef from the nearby Kolonieschänke restaurant · Small groups capped at 12 participants · Menus built around regional ingredients like wild herbs, trout, and horseradish · Can be paired with a separate wild herb foraging walk
Gurken Paule Barrel Tasting, Lübben Castle Island
A self-guided stop at Gurken Paule, a Spreewald specialty shop on Lübben's castle island selling pickled gherkins straight from wooden barrels alongside other Spreewald products, open to browsing and small tastings during shop hours.
Includes: Barrel-pickled gherkins sold and tasted straight from the source · Located on Lübben's historic Schlossinsel castle island · Walk-in shop with no appointment needed · Wide range of pickling styles from mild to sharply sour · Short walk from the Lübben Kahnfahrt harbor
Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Book tours and cooking classes at least a few days in advance — small-group experiences sell out quickly.
Come hungry — most food tours include 5-8 tastings.
Bring cash for unscheduled stops the guide may recommend.