Heiuki Rummelsburg

Heiuki Rummelsburg: SUP Vending Machine at Rummelsburger Bucht

Heiuki’s station is located on Gustav-Holzmann-Straße in Rummelsburg, right at the end of the right pier, where the Rummelsburger Bucht transitions into the Spree. Tram 21 stops directly at the Gustav-Holzmann-Straße station, it’s a few minutes’ walk from S-Bahnhof Rummelsburg, and there are public parking spaces on the street itself. What stands there is not a rental booth with a counter, but a solar-powered vending machine with lockers that operates without staff. This is precisely what sets it apart from all other stations on this list: you book online in advance, receive a code, use it to open the locker, take out a board or kayak, and start paddling. There is no instruction, and no waiting time. Prices start from 14.99 Euros; those who return late pay 5 Euros for every commenced 15 minutes. The entire system is operated by a Viennese company that has now installed its machines at over a hundred locations in Europe, including Berlin, at Müggelsee and on Lindwerder Island, in addition to Rummelsburg.

Equipment and Paddling Routes at Heiuki in Rummelsburg

Inside the vending machine are Stand-Up Paddle boards and single kayaks; paddles and a dry bag are included, and the locker remains free for your clothes during the trip. A life jacket is not included in the price when paddling on the board; the operator explicitly points out that you should bring your own. It is also required that you can swim continuously for at least 25 minutes in open water. Your mobile phone serves as the key to the locker and should therefore be kept in a waterproof bag and not in the locker. For the first round, the loop around the Rummelsburger peninsula is suitable, about three and a half kilometers in approximately one and a half hours, past the houseboats on the shore. If you want more, start between the islands of Kratzbruch and Liebesinsel, cross the Spree, and paddle under the Abteibrücke bridge to the Molecule Man, about eight kilometers in two to three hours. For the return journey against the current, you should plan additional time. Early in the morning, the Spree here is almost empty, and the TV Tower is in view just a few minutes after the start.