Federal waterway (Bundeswasserstraße)
Also: inland waterway, maritime waterway
Federal waterways in Germany are rivers, canals and coastal waters with shipping, managed by the federal government. Special rules apply here, including for packrafts.
They include large rivers such as the Rhine, Elbe or Danube, many canals and coastal waters. Commercial shipping has priority; you paddle at the edge of the fairway and cross shipping channels quickly and at right angles. Boats must be labelled.
On our Rhine trip from Cologne to the North Sea we experienced how important it is to keep your distance from freighters, their waves and suction.
Matching trips of ours
Sources and further reading
Research as of 13 Nov 2026. We have marked manufacturer information as such.