
Escape: Rügen

Sometimes Berlin feels like an island, too rarely my way leads me out of the city and into the countryside, enjoying the many beauties northern Germany has to offer. The past weekend I finally managed once again to travel up North to the Baltic Sea, more precise onto the island Rügen, Germany’s biggest island and home to the world famous chalk cliffs.

My perfect Rügen day includes sleeping in, running up and down the beach before breakfast and then taking the path through the forests from Binz to Sellin to have the gorgeous fruit filled Wareniki at the Russian tea house Tschai Kowski, finally walking back to Binz and enjoying a delicious dinner at Strandhalle.

There’s so much more to do here, like of course seeing the chalk cliffs, or to visit the uncanny yet fascinating ruins of Prora, an unbelievably big, yet never finished tourist structure planned and started during Nazi-Germnay to house 20.000 beach holiday makers, or the perfect classicist city of Putbus, or a day-trip to the island of birds, Vilm, or to the traditional fisher village Vitt just near Cape Arkona and have the best Fischbrötchen of the island, or a round-trip to see all the buildings of Ulrich Müther, beautiful concrete shell structures in bright white to be found all over the island as bus stations, first aid posts, former restaurants, swimming pools and many more.

If you want to stay in Binz, I also (and seriously) recommend you to try the smoked fish at Fischräucherei Kuse, the dark bread Das Dunkle at Bäckerei Peters, to eat at Meerbar and drink at Monte Vino.

It’s quite easy to get here, Deutsche Bahn has several connections some even without transfer in four hours from Hauptbahnhof to Binz, with prices starting at 43 Euros (!) for 1 person round-trip in 2nd class. Best months to come here are March til early June and then from September to late October. In July and August the island is crowded with too many people, while May and June might already be warm enough to maybe have a swim. But you should be aware that temperatures here are (even) lower than in Berlin, although the sun can get quite strong in summer.
Start planning. Now.

Newest Posts

IG Live Series: Food & Stuff

Where to: Donate Clothes in Berlin

ZukunftHandel: Eine Initiative von Google & dem Handelsverband Deutschland

Benjamin on
Dear Anna,
I like your ´Escape´ post about Rügen.
Just as I like the whole website / blog.
Could you recommend a nice accommodation on the island Rügen?
Benjamin
Sandra on
Anna?
I want to escape, Mary! Now. Well done!
Mary Scherpe on
haha, no problem – in terms of accommodations I don’t really have a recommendation since I usually stay with friends – but there are tons of holiday apartments in and around the several villages and it’s up to you wether you need one with an ocean view or not. I’d say choose one that is in walking distance from the beach, apart from that they’re quite similar.
If you like to stay in a hotel, I’d say Ceres or Haus am Meer in Binz though I’ve been in neither of them they do look quite nice.
Sylee on
So glad you found sun! I was at Herringsdorf over Easter and the beach was white with snow: but oh, those succulent Fischbrötchen were a comfort…
Benjamin on
Sorry… Marry!
I don´t know why I wrote Anna. I am sorry…
Pixglam on
Hi, just loved the photos, and specially the first one.
Natascha on
Hi Mary,
wonderful article! I have been wondering if you were serious about having a swim in the Ostsee in May-June or September. Have we visited the same Ostsee? :). Jokes aside – isn’t Ostsee notorious for not being much suitable for bathing? We were there in the peak heat time this year (end of July, where the temperatures were over 30 for a couple of weeks) – the water was unusually warm for Ostsee , more precisely , 21C. This was more of an exception than a rule, since from what I gathered – the maximums in summer rarely reach 20C. May-June and September tend to be colder (around 17C).Which would mean, everything besides the hottest two months is really not applicable for swimming.. Your thoughts?
Many thanks,
Natascha
Mary Scherpe on
I guess that totally depends on your own cold-sensitivity, I personally am very sensitive, though I know people who go swimming in Sweden, where it’s definitely even colder than in Rügen…
Sibel on
What is the best place to stay in order to see the chalk cliffs? Is it ok to stay in central Rügen or where? Can you give some more information about the transportation inside the island?
Thanks
Mary Scherpe on
Hi Sibel,
I’d stay in a bigger place like Binz and then travel up to the cliffs, public transport is pretty good on the island, plus you can book plenty cruises to see the cliffs