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Biggesee Cruise with Personenschiffahrt Biggesee

Florian Buechting Other Transportation No Comments

Personenschifffahrt Biggesee

15 Euro (full round trip)
Personenschifffahrt Biggesee
4.5

Rating

 4.5/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very nice cruise ship
  • Good staff
  • Nice scenery

Flyctory.com Cons

  • (Almost) same round forth and back

The Sauerland in the Western part of the German state of North Rhine Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) is very popular as a getaway destination. Not only the hills and mountains there attract active people for hiking, mountain biking and swimming in summer as well as skiing in winter, the lakes are a key attraction of the region as well. One of these lakes is the Biggesee to which I headed for a cruise. The provider for cruises on this lake is Personenschifffahrt Biggesee (“Biggesee Passenger Cruise”). Here is a review of my experience.

 

Personenschifffahrt Biggesee – Locations & Tariff

The Biggesee is located North of Olpe in Germany. Like most of the Sauerland lakes, it is an artificial lake. The driving distance from Cologne is roughly one hour / 80 kilometers. Personenschifffahrt Biggesee. They operate three stops, which are typically taken in round cruises. I started at Talbrücke, which you can reach by car, parking is subject to a fee. The main stop, though, is Sondern Ort (“Sondern Village”), which is also right next to Sondern rail stop, which connects to Olpe and Finnentrop. At the time of writing, there is a replacement bus. The Northernmost stop of the cruise is Biggedamm (“Bigge Dam”), right at the dam of the lake.

The cruises operate between late March and late October. In peak season, there are daily cruises, will in low season, they majorly operate on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, there is a reduced schedule. You can enter at any stop. A full cruise fourth and back takes 90 minutes. It stops at Talbrücke in both directions, Northbound and Southbound. You may interrupt the cruise and continue on a later cruise as well. The full round trip for adults is 15 Euro (2024 price). The cruise is also currently included in the Ruhr.TopCard.

 

Personenschifffahrt Biggesee – The Fleet

The cruise company drives two vessels. I rode their flagship, the EMS Westfalen. The 1978-built vessel has been renovated multiple times, the last renovation was in 2011. It has a length of roughly 55 meters and a capacity of 750 passengers. With a recent modernization, it is Europe’s largest fully electric-driven ship. Both vessels have a ramp at the bow and thus remind of a ferry. This is especially handy for passengers with cycles, which are free. The ship is going ashore on banks at the shore of the lake. Apart from the free decks, which are obviously more popular on a sunny day, the EMS Westfalen also has two decks, which are feature fully covered areas.They are equipped with tables and chairs as well.

As the capacity was not fully needed, some nicer areas of the upper closed deck were closed. These areas are majorly used for special events. The view from the sundecks is absolutely lovely. Even though the cruise is very popular, the ship did not feel packed at all.

Here are some views of the the EMS Bigge, a 1982-built and 1993-renovated ship with a capacity of 630 people max. It was not used during my visit and laid on port in Sondern.

 

Personenschifffahrt Biggesee – Service on Board

The service provided on board by Personenschifffahrt Biggesee is absolutely nice. The EMS Westfalen features a large bistro-alike area. You can buy drinks, snacks, cake and ice cream there. Additionally, the company offers some merchandise and souvenirs, including some toys if your younger family members tend to get bored during the 90 minute experience. There are toilets on board, which were well-maintained during my visit. The staff on board was very friendly and helpful during my experience.

At the Biggedamm stop, the ship connects to the Biggolino rail-alike car tram, which taks you to the Atta-Höhle (“Atta Cave”), a popular tourist dripstone cave in the region. transfer time there is roughly 30 to 35 minutes (round trip 8 Euro, cave admission 13 EUR).

 

Personenschifffahrt Biggesee – The Cruise

I caught the vessel on its Northbound trip at Talbrücke. Especially on a sunny day, the lake is very popular for maritime recreation like swimming and sailing. You also pass a statue on shore, before you halt at the Northern stop of the cruise. The area around the dam is very popular.

A downside of the cruise on the long, but rather narrow lake is that you almost take the same route forth and back.  On the other hand, that also means that it does not matter too much whether you sit on the left or right side of the ship – you see the other side of the lake in the opposite direction. After passing Talbrücke again, we headed on towards the Southernmost stop of the cruise, Sondern Ort. In contrast to the other two stops, you see the increased infrastructure and village from the ship already.

 

Personenschifffahrt Biggesee – My View

I really enjoyed cruising with Personenschifffahrt Biggesee. The EMS Westfalen is a lovely ship, which feels very spacious. Staff and organization works very well. A downside is that you cruise the same route in both directions. However, as stated above, this also takes a bit of stress of sitting in the front of the ship or at least on its “correct” side. Thus, I had an enjoyable and really nice time with them.

 

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