Albert Einstein spent his summers in Caputh, on the shore of the Templiner See between Werder and Potsdam, in a wooden house he had built in 1929. He loved sailing on the lakes and called the house his paradise. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, he left Germany and never returned. The house, a modern timber building on a hill above the village, can be visited, and it is a fascinating glimpse into the private life of a genius.
The landscape between Werder and Potsdam is a chain of lakes and forests, with the Havel widening into the Schwielowsee and the Templiner See. The villages along the shores, Caputh, Ferch and Petzow, are pretty and quiet, with old houses, churches and boat moorings. At Petzow, a castle designed in the style of Schinkel stands in a park laid out by Peter Joseph Lenné, the great Prussian landscape gardener, and Ferch has a small museum of the Havelland painters who worked here.
On the bike, things are a pleasure. The roads wind along the lakes and through the forests, with gentle curves and views over the water. A small ferry crosses the narrows at Caputh, a charming shortcut. Traffic can be heavy on summer weekends, and the roads in the villages can be narrow and cobbled. Watch for cyclists, who are numerous on the lakeside paths and roads.
There are cafés and restaurants in the villages, often with lakeside terraces, and fuel is available in Werder and Potsdam. A fish lunch by the Schwielowsee, followed by a visit to the Einstein house, makes a memorable break. The road to Lehnin Abbey continues south-west through the forests of the Zauche.