Where the chalk cliffs rise white out of the water and white villas line up behind the dunes lies the classic German summer retreat: the Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with its two great islands, Rügen and Usedom. Bathers have been coming here since the 19th century, first by railway and with parasols, today with bicycles and hiking boots – and much from those days has survived: the piers, the resort architecture, the wicker beach chairs standing in tidy rows by the water.
This article introduces both islands: Jasmund National Park with the Königsstuhl and the clifftop trail, the seaside resorts of Binz, Sellin and Göhren together with the narrow-gauge steam train "Rasender Roland", the Kaiserbäder on Usedom, and Stralsund as the gateway to the region. Then comes the practical side: the best time to travel, how to arrive by train, and the question of which resort suits which style of holiday.
Rügen: Germany's Largest Island
At around 926 square kilometres, Rügen is Germany's largest island – and one of its most varied. Hardly any coastline in Europe is as indented: shallow lagoons and inlets known as Bodden and Wieken cut deep into the land, and between them lie peninsulas such as Jasmund, Wittow and Mönchgut, connected by narrow isthmuses. First-time visitors almost always underestimate the distances; from Stralsund to Cape Arkona in the north it is a good 50 kilometres by road.
The east coast belongs to the bathing resorts: here are the long sandy beaches of Binz, Sellin and Göhren, as well as the chalk coast of Jasmund National Park. The west and the lagoon landscape are quieter – fishing villages, reed belts, cranes in autumn. The Mönchgut peninsula in the south-east is protected as a biosphere reserve and is well suited to cycling, while little Putbus, with its neoclassical Circus, plays a special role as the planned residence town of Prince Wilhelm Malte I.
Jasmund National Park: Chalk Cliffs and the Königsstuhl
Jasmund is Germany's smallest national park, but almost everyone knows its image: white chalk cliffs rising up to 118 metres sheer out of the Baltic, topped by beech forest running right up to the crumbling edge. The park's ancient beech stands have been part of UNESCO's World Natural Heritage since 2011. Caspar David Friedrich painted the chalk cliffs in 1818 and created a motif that defines the island to this day – even though the section he painted no longer exists in that form, for the coast is constantly breaking away and changes with every storm.
The Königsstuhl and its Skywalk
The most famous point on the chalk coast is the Königsstuhl, a rock promontory 118 metres high. Since 2023 the Königsweg has floated here – an elliptical skywalk projecting freely beyond the cliff edge. It replaced the old viewing platform, which was putting increasing strain on the rock through the flow of visitors, and it is fully accessible. The view drops vertically to the turquoise-tinged water over the chalk seabed and stretches far across the Baltic. The Königsstuhl is also home to the national park centre with an exhibition on chalk, forest and coastal dynamics; the best way to get there is by bus from Sassnitz or on foot, as there is no parking at the centre itself.
The Clifftop Trail from Sassnitz to Lohme
The finest approach to the chalk cliffs is the Hochuferweg, the clifftop trail that runs for around twelve kilometres from Sassnitz via the Königsstuhl to Lohme. The path leads along the top through beech forest, repeatedly opening up views of chalk faces such as the Wissower Klinken or the Victoria viewpoint. The trail is rooty and hilly in places – bring good shoes and three to four hours of time. If you don't want to walk the whole way, take the Sassnitz–Königsstuhl section and return by bus.
Stayhaus tip: Walk the clifftop trail early in the morning and in the direction of the Königsstuhl. In the morning the sun stands over the sea and lights up the chalk faces, and you reach the most visited spot in the national park before the buses arrive from the beach resorts.
Resort Architecture: Binz, Sellin and Göhren
When sea bathing became fashionable around 1880, entire townscapes of white wooden verandas, turrets, gables and carved balconies sprang up on Rügen's east coast within a few decades – the Bäderarchitektur, an idiosyncratic blend of neoclassicism, Swiss chalet style and seaside fantasy. After 1990 the villas were painstakingly restored, and today the three resorts of Binz, Sellin and Göhren are the best places to experience this era.
Binz is the island's largest seaside resort, with a beach promenade stretching for kilometres, the Kurhaus of 1908 and an unbroken front of white villas behind the beach. A few kilometres to the north stands the counterpart to this delicate resort architecture: the "Colossus of Prora", the Nazi-era seaside complex begun in 1936 and several kilometres long, where a documentation centre now explains the history of the building. Sellin sits spectacularly on a high bluff; from Wilhelmstraße with its rows of trees and coffee houses, a staircase leads down to the pier – at 394 metres the longest on the island. Its pier pavilion with restaurant and diving gondola was rebuilt in the 1990s on historical models and is now the most photographed structure on Rügen. Göhren, finally, in the far south-east on the Mönchgut peninsula, is smaller and more family-like, with beaches facing two directions and a view of the offshore island of Vilm.
Full Steam Ahead: the Rasender Roland
The three resorts are linked by an attraction in its own right: the "Rasender Roland" ("Racing Roland"), a narrow-gauge railway that has run between Putbus and Göhren since 1895 and still operates scheduled services with steam locomotives. At a leisurely pace – the name is ironic – the train trundles via Binz, Sellin and Baabe through the woods and fields of the Mönchgut peninsula. It is not a museum operation but part of the public transport network: it runs several times a day all year round, bicycles are carried, and for trips between the resorts it is often the most relaxed choice.
The Strandkorb: a German Institution
No image of the German Baltic is complete without it: the Strandkorb, that two-seater wicker beach chair with adjustable hood, footrests and fold-out side tables. It was invented in 1882 by the Rostock master basket-maker Wilhelm Bartelmann for a spa guest who wanted to shield her rheumatism from wind and sun – and it solved both problems in a way that still holds today: you sit sheltered from the often stiff Baltic wind and can nevertheless spend the whole day by the water. On the beaches from Binz to Ahlbeck the chairs stand in rows and are rented by the day, usually for around 10–15 € per day; you rent from the beach chair attendant on each section of beach, and in high season it pays to reserve the day before. Anyone who has spent a stormy day in a Strandkorb turned against the wind, with a book and a thermos flask, understands why the coastal towns have guests outside the summer months too.
Usedom: the Kaiserbäder and the Sunny Island
East of Rügen, divided between Germany and Poland, lies Usedom – the "sunny island", which regularly records the most hours of sunshine in Germany. Its capital asset is a beach around 40 kilometres long, running without interruption from Peenemünde to Świnoujście in Poland: fine pale sand backed by dunes and coastal forest, wide enough that even in August you can find a quiet stretch.
The social heart is formed by the three Kaiserbäder – the imperial resorts of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin, which merge seamlessly into one another. They owe their name to Kaiser Wilhelm II, who regularly spent his summer holidays in Heringsdorf, and their legacy is probably the most complete ensemble of resort architecture on the entire Baltic coast: rows of villas with verandas and turrets, interspersed with spa gardens and bandstands. The Ahlbeck pier, with its green-roofed pavilion of 1898, is the oldest surviving pier in Germany. A beach promenade links the three towns and continues as the Europa Promenade to Świnoujście – a good twelve kilometres that you can walk or cycle entirely along the sea, across a national border marked on the beach by nothing more than a stele.
Stralsund: the Gateway to Rügen
Anyone travelling to Rügen by train or car passes through Stralsund – and should give the city more than a drive-through. The old town lies on an island between the sound and a ring of ponds; its brick churches and gabled merchant houses from the Hanseatic era have been UNESCO World Heritage, together with Wismar, since 2002. From the tower of St. Mary's Church you look out over the city, the Strelasund and the Rügen bridge. On the harbour stands the Ozeaneum, one of the country's best natural history museums: the exhibition leads through the underwater worlds of the Baltic and North Seas to life-size models of marine mammals. Two crossings lead over to Rügen: the old Rügendamm causeway of 1936 and the Rügen bridge opened in 2007, whose pylon can be seen from afar – trains use the causeway, cars take the bridge.
Where to Stay on the Baltic
The choice of resort decides the character of the holiday – fashionable seaside town, family beach or quiet peninsula. The main resorts compared:
| Resort | Island | Suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Binz | Rügen | A first trip to the Baltic, wide choice of hotels, long promenade, restaurants and Kurhaus flair |
| Sellin | Rügen | Resort architecture and the pier backdrop, clifftop setting, good base between Jasmund and Mönchgut |
| Göhren | Rügen | Families, cyclists and anyone who prefers things smaller and quieter; terminus of the Rasender Roland |
| Ahlbeck | Usedom | A classic with Germany's oldest pier, close to the Polish border and Świnoujście |
| Heringsdorf | Usedom | The most elegant of the Kaiserbäder, villa-lined promenade, the widest choice of hotels and dining on Usedom |
| Bansin | Usedom | The quietest of the Kaiserbäder, low cliffs and coastal forest, good starting point for the Usedom hills |
On the Baltic, people book early: for July and August in Binz or Heringsdorf you should allow several months' lead time, while in the low season the choice is relaxed. On Stayhaus you will find hotels across Germany – from the grand hotel on the Binz promenade to a guesthouse behind the dunes. Many guests also combine the coast with a day or two in Berlin or Hamburg at the start or end of the trip.
Stayhaus tip: Rügen or Usedom? If you are after landscape and hiking, Rügen is the right choice; if you want the longest beach and an unbroken line of resort architecture, choose Usedom. With a week you can combine both – the drive from Binz to the Kaiserbäder takes about two hours.
Practical Information
Arriving by train: For Rügen the train is the most comfortable choice: Intercity trains run from Berlin via Stralsund directly to Binz, a journey of around three hours. From the west you travel via Hamburg and Stralsund. On Usedom the Usedomer Bäderbahn (UBB) takes over from Züssow, distributing passengers to the Kaiserbäder; it runs all the way to Świnoujście in Poland.
Getting around: On Rügen, buses, the Rasender Roland and well-developed cycle paths connect the towns; a car is helpful for Cape Arkona and the west of the island, but in high season it is more of a hindrance at the chalk cliffs – there, bus and foot are the better choice. On Usedom the UBB replaces the car almost entirely.
Resort tax: Almost all the seaside resorts levy a visitors' tax of around 2–4 € per person per day, collected by your accommodation; the guest card serves as a ticket on some local buses and brings discounts on events.
Swimming and weather: The Baltic has almost no tides and shelves gently; lifeguarded beaches fly flags just as on the Mediterranean. Even in high summer a windproof jacket belongs in your luggage – on this coast the wind, not the rain, is the real weather factor.
The Best Time to Visit
The bathing season on the Baltic is short and clearly defined: from June to September the water reaches pleasant, if never Caribbean, temperatures – 17 to 20 degrees counts as a good summer. July and August are high season, with full beaches and the highest prices; if you can, switch to June or September, when the water temperature still cooperates and the towns are noticeably emptier.
Spring and autumn belong to walkers and cyclists: the clifftop trail in Jasmund National Park is at its best in May and October, and in autumn tens of thousands of cranes rest in the lagoon landscape. And winter has its own quiet appeal – empty promenades, mist over the sea, tearooms in Binz and Heringsdorf. Many hotels offer spa packages then, and on a clear January day the resort architecture is almost more striking than in the summer crowds.
