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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Cottbus
Chóśebuz
Give Cottbus one full day plus a night: old town, Branitz Park and the Sorbian/Wendish museums in a day, then Spreewald or the new lake on day two.
Cottbus is Brandenburg's second city, a compact old town on the Spree with a Sorbian/Wendish minority culture, an art-nouveau theatre and Pückler's Branitz landscape park. It is a rail stop between Berlin and Dresden, 1.5 h from Berlin by train, and the gateway to the Spreewald and the new Cottbuser Ostsee. Two nights covers the city and one day trip; most travellers pass through in a day.
- Country
- Germany
- Local name
- Chóśebuz
- Best months
- May–Sep (parks, lake paths, Parkeisenbahn running)
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, grey, short days); check Parkeisenbahn and lake access in winter
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €45–70 excl. bed · Mid €80–130 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a café | €2.50–4 |
| Lunch, bakery or imbiss | €5–9 |
| Dinner, mid restaurant | €12–22 |
| Beer, 0.5 l draught / bottle in a shop | €4–5.50 / €1–2 |
| Museum entry (Wendisches Museum, Dieselkraftwerk) | €2.50–5 |
| Tram single ride | €2–3 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €8–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BER · Berlin Brandenburg
- About 1.5 h by rail with a change at Königs Wusterhausen; about 1 h by car
- DRS · Dresden
- About 2.5 h by train; about 1.5 h by car
Typical fares
- BER → Cottbus by rail
- about €20–30, 1.5 h with a change (check)
- Cottbus → Berlin by regional train
- about €20–25, 1.5–2 h (check)
- Tram single ticket in the city
- about €2–3 (check)
Get around
The centre is walkable; Cottbusverkehr runs four tram lines and eight main bus routes, with night buses 21:00–04:30 meeting at the station. Bikes are easy on the flat riverside paths. Regional trains reach Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig and Frankfurt (Oder) direct.The centre is walkable; Cottbusverkehr runs four tram lines and eight main bus routes, with night buses 9:00 PM–4:30 AM meeting at the station. Bikes are easy on the flat riverside paths. Regional trains reach Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig and Frankfurt (Oder) direct.
See and do
Known for
- Sorbian/Wendish culture
- Branitz Park and Schloss Branitz
- Staatstheater Cottbus (art nouveau)
- Cottbuser Ostsee (new artificial lake)
- Baumkuchen and Spreewald pickles
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Spreewald (Lübbenau) | Regional train from Cottbus to Lübbenau, about 30–40 min | About 1 h |
| Cottbuser Ostsee | Cycle or local bus toward Merzdorf | About 30–45 min |
| Senftenberg | Regional train via the Lusatian lake district | About 1–1.5 h |
| Frankfurt an der Oder | Direct regional train | About 1 h |
| Berlin | Regional or IC train from Cottbus station | About 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Altmarkt / old town
- Walk to Oberkirche, Spremberger Turm, the market and most restaurants; best for a short stay.
- Near the station (Bahnhofstraße)
- Cheapest beds and direct trams into the centre; 10–15 min walk to the Altmarkt.
- Branitz / south
- Quiet, close to Branitz Park and the zoo; needs a tram or bike for the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Guten TagGOO-ten tahk |
| Thank you | DankeDAHN-kuh |
| Please | BitteBIT-tuh |
| How much is it? | Wie viel kostet das?vee feel KOS-tet dahs |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kahn ikh mit KAR-tuh TSAH-len |
| Where is the tram stop? | Wo ist die Haltestelle?voh ist dee HAHL-tuh-shtel-uh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- Cottbuser Ostsee is still a landscape construction site: swimming and boating are prohibited as of 2026 — check before you plan a beach day.
- Many museums close on Monday; the Dieselkraftwerk art museum is closed Monday and free on the first Monday of the month.
- Shops close on Sundays; the Saturday market on Oberkirchplatz runs 07:00 to about midday.
- Some churches and the Apothekenmuseum are guided-tour only — check times before you go.
Cottbus is a calm, low-crime city; the real risks are winter ice on riverside paths, dark unlit stretches along the Spree after nightfall, and the station area late at night — stick to lit streets and trams.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Cottbus yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Sorbian/Wendish culture
- Branitz Park and Schloss Branitz
- Staatstheater Cottbus (art nouveau)
- Cottbuser Ostsee (new artificial lake)
- Baumkuchen and Spreewald pickles
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Cottbus official city site: www.cottbus.de/
- Cottbus Tourism: cottbus-tourismus.de/
- Cottbusverkehr (local transport): www.cottbusverkehr.de/
- Berlin Brandenburg Airport: ber.berlin-airport.de/
- Cottbuser Ostsee project site: cottbuser-ostsee.de/
- Wikivoyage: Cottbus, revision 5333658 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5333658
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
CottbusChóśebuz
Bitte zu dieser Adresse
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Cottbus; most countries are represented in Berlin, about 1.5–2 h by train. The US consulate-general is in Berlin.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/cottbus). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.