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Inspirations 2022
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Rügen – an Island Revealed

Around a glorious German holiday idyll
 
This self-guided cycling holiday on Germany’s Baltic Coast is a voyage of discovery on land and sea, revealing a friendly, laid-back island with a timeless elegance and eccentric charms, all while your luggage is transported ahead to the next hotel.
Rügen – an Island Revealed. 7 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
Rügen – an Island Revealed. 7 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A cycling holiday on Rügen

We’re not quite sure what took us to Rügen, off the sunniest, north-easternmost corner of Germany, but we’re very glad we found it. This full-circle journey, beginning and ending in picturesque Stralsund on the mainland, will appeal to those with a sense of adventure and a yen for the unusual. On an island seemingly made for cycling, there are seaside eccentricities galore and a surprise – and delight – around every bend.
A kooky-looking coastline offers white-sand beaches, towering chalk cliffs and fishing villages that exude charm and nostalgia; while a huge black submarine, Hitler’s vast and ghostly holiday camp and the odd spluttering Trabant hark back to half-hidden decades behind the Iron Curtain. Nowadays, the rows of iconic, striped Strandkörbe (ingenious contraptions that put normal deckchairs to shame), and Rasender Roland – the ‘Rushing Roland’ narrow-gauge steam train – are emblematic of a holiday hideaway that is held in great affection by Germans. Rügen is an unexpected delight.
 

2021

We are currently unable to take new bookings for this holiday, but hope to be able to do so again soon.
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.

We have not provided elevation profiles for any of the routes on this holiday because it is largely on the flat.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 2 3 6 10 15 19 20 21 17 13 7 4
    mm 46 32 40 42 48 59 70 60 53 43 53 49
  • Arrival in Stralsund
    Night 1: at Hotel am Jungfernstieg (where you spend one night).
    As your first night's accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of cycling.
  • Stralsund to Baabe: 59km; shorter options: 17km or 26km
    Unless you would prefer a shorter day (in which case you take the train from Stralsund to either Bergen or Putbus; pay locally), you cycle across the bridge to Rügen, perhaps casting an admiring glance back at Stralsund, this handsome harbour city that was second in importance only to Lübeck in the Hanseatic League. Pedal through refined and dignified Putbus – an ideal refreshment stop – as you take in quaint villages of thatched-roof cottages, flower-filled gardens, and a terrain of wetlands and lush cornfields. Continue along trails through woodland to reach Baabe near the island’s south-easternmost corner. Here, a man with a rowing boat greets you and ferries you and your bikes a final few metres to the waterfront Solthus am See – a memorable ending to your ride.
    Leaving Stralsund, you pedal on to Baabe
  • Circular route from Baabe: 35km
    With two nights in Baabe, you can enjoy a fabulous day’s cycling through pine woods and along the coast: take in glimpses of long, sandy beaches between Lobbe and Thiessow; enjoy a wilder seaside stretch near Klein Zicker; then pootle leisurely alongside the beach between Göhren and Sellin. Two of many highlights are the 394-metre-long Sellin Pier – with its magnificent, Belle-Époque-style pavilion and restaurant – and the Übersee Café in pretty Göhren where you can sample a Sanddorn ice cream, flavoured with juice from the island’s ubiquitous sea buckthorn berries.
    Sellin Pier, on the route around Baabe
  • Baabe to Lohme: 41km
    There’s lots to take in during today’s ride up the island’s eastern flank. Cycle along quiet roads and woodland tracks, and call in at the impressive Jagdschloss Granitz hunting lodge, whose tallest, fabulous cylindrical stone tower offers panoramic views. Next, continue to the elegant spa resort of Binz with its ornate, 19th-century villas and beachfront restaurants. Just five kilometres beyond this, however, comes a stark and eerie contrast: the vast, reinforced-concrete holiday camp of Prora, commissioned by Hitler in the 1930s but never quite completed, so that it retains a mysterious atmosphere. Pedalling onward, look out for Steinernes Meer (a field resembling a “stony sea” of flint that is something of a geological wonder) on your way to Lohme, where you check in at the Panorama Hotel for a two-night stay. As the name suggests, you can enjoy wonderful sea views from its splendid, cliff-top location.
    Binz beach, on the route from Baabe to Lohme
  • Circular route from Lohme: 11km; longer option: 23km
    Today brings plenty more discoveries, and we recommend some walking and sightseeing as well as cycling in order to take in the Jasmund National Park. Its chief attractions are the ancient, UNESCO-listed beech forest with its inviting footpaths; and the mighty chalk cliffs immortalised in the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich, the great German Romantic artist who honeymooned here in 1818. Another highlight is the superb Königsstuhl visitor centre, whose interactive tour is like taking a journey back in time; and you can poke around for Baltic amber amid the driftwood on the beach down below.
    You can also extend your ride down to the harbour at Sassnitz, where the impression of being in a time warp is enhanced by the presence of HMS Otus – formerly a British Navy submarine and now a fascinating museum.
  • Lohme to Poggenhof: 41km; longer option: 65km
    Starting out through a lush, green landscape, you head towards the attractive seaside town of Glowe, from where you follow a cycle path through pine woods just behind the coast, with easy access to the beach for a paddle or a swim. You can choose to continue around the coast to Vitt, a delightful fishing village, and Kap Arkona by the island’s most northerly tip; or take a more direct route across wide-open, agricultural terrain.
    Either way, you clock up the kilometres during the latter part of today’s ride, traversing wide open terrain that nonetheless offers good birdwatching opportunities, especially for spotting migrating cranes. Your destination is the simple Hotel zur alten Schmiede in sleepy Poggenhof, where an overnight stay means you are well-placed for the continuation of your journey.
    Approaching Kap Arkona
  • Poggenhof to Stralsund: 17km
    It is but a short ride from Poggenhof to the small harbour at Schaprode, where you take the ferry across to traffic-free Hiddensee. This peaceful, quirky and seahorse-shaped island is an intriguing place to explore, and again we suggest mixing in some walking and sightseeing, including an excursion to the lighthouse on foot. Then it’s time for one more journey by boat – a triumphant return to Stralsund, where you complete the circle by admiring the city’s striking skyline during your approach. Spend your last evening wandering the atmospheric Altstadt (‘Old Town’), perhaps pausing for a local Störtebeker beer before choosing a restaurant in or around the cobbled Alter Markt for dinner.
 

Accommodation

You stay in a pleasing mix of characterful hotels.

To make your holiday all the more special, opt for our upgrade hotel in Stralsund. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking. Whichever hotel you choose, it is well worth booking an additional night in the harbour city of Stralsund, as there is much to discover.

Please note: most beds in German hotels are normally one large base with two mattresses/duvets. We refer to these as 'Austrian Twins' and they are locally regarded to serve requests for both double and twin bedded rooms. Separate twin beds or traditional double beds with one large mattress are rare and cannot be guaranteed.
 

Extend your stay

What is included
  • 7 nights
  • 4 dinners (5 on upgrade option)
    7 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • high-quality bicycle
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • return ferry to Hiddensee
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

All 8 reviews
  • Boyd & Jennifer Estlin
    01 October 2019

    The quality of the cycle paths, the welcome at each hotel. People so very pleasant. Lovely rural areas with plenty of space and peacefulness.

    Hotel Scheelehof (apparently having being a brewery years ago) was a particular treat in a fascinating town. The sauna and pool at hotel Solthus am See, Baabe absolutely heavenly especially after a day in the saddle.

    Hiddensee was a lovely day out, most unusual and interesting with three delightful little ports and rather twee thatched cottages and no cars apart from essential vehicles. Very special.

  • Mr B Hallam
    Coventry
    17 September 2019

    Wonderful beaches (naturist) along east coast of island.

  • Anon
    12 July 2019

    My husband and I had an amazing journey around Rügen, each day we set out, our cycle journey proved different from the last day's adventures and sights. We loved the week as cycling on the island enabled us to detach ourselves from our everyday life - we really switched off. Returning to Stralsund especially to the divine surroundings, food and service of the Romantik Hotel Scheelehof was like returning from a shared dream that we have already escaped to many times since returning.

  • Mr A Waddingham
    London
    27 June 2019

    We were blessed with good weather, impressed by Rugen's cycle tracks and delighted by the abundance of wild flowers on the roadsides. The bikes were comfortable and well-prepared. A great holiday week.

  • Mrs G Stott
    Newcastle Upon Tyne
    17 June 2019

    The whole holiday was excellent.  A great insight into the island of Rügen.  Loved the varied itinerary.  Fun getting the little boat and ferries.  The train went well too.  The food was fabulous in particular the Hotel Solthus and Romantik.  The bags were always in our rooms waiting for us.  Happy with the bikes too.  Some parts were tough but complimented by opportunity for easy days.  Money well spent.  Had a great time.

  • Mrs J Martin
    Edinburgh
    05 June 2019

    We have used Inntravel several times in the past for cycling trips and they are hard to beat.  The unusual location attracted us to this holiday (Rugen Island) and it did not disappoint.  The culture and history on the island is fascinating, the cycling was mainly away from traffic and the views were impressive.  Everyone we met was friendly and helpful, and there were very few english speakers (a plus for us - an opportunity to brush off our high school German!)

  • Mr J Albert
    Norwich
    01 June 2019

    We had lots of highlights: E bikes - brilliant for the older cyclist. The landscape, the peace and quiet and the cycle paths, which made travel very stressless. The hotels, the fish brötchen for lunch and the local beer, in all its varieties. Hiddensee, which is like going back in time.

    Interestingly, we did not meet any other English visitors. Rügen is clearly a very popular destination for German holidaymakers.

  • Mrs M Turgoose
    Exmouth
    07 May 2019

    An absolutely brilliant holiday. At the end we really wished we could do it all over again. The quality of information, equipment and hotels were all excellent. As ever you choose small hotels with character and excellent service from very friendly people. Rugen was a fascinating place to visit, with such beautiful seaside towns and lovely villages. I think that we were lucky to visit in May because the rape fields were in full flower and were so beautiful - I would recommend this time of year for the trip. I really liked the fact that very few people spoke English either, made it feel like we were truly in a different place.
 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • If your holiday plans go awry because of Coronavirus, rest assured that we’ll do right by you. Since the start of the pandemic, our flexible booking policy and prompt issuing of refunds to customers who prefer not to defer their holiday have earned us high praise in the national press.
  • We sincerely hope that your holiday experience will be as enjoyable as it would have been before the pandemic – cycling holidays are ideal in these times of social distancing, and we’re not operating holidays if the key highlights can no longer be delivered – but, naturally, there will be some changes to ensure your and other people’s safety, not least taking tests before and after your holiday for many destinations.
    Your holiday experience: what to expect >
    Safety measures being taken by hoteliers & others >
    Entry requirements for non-UK destinations & for re-entering the UK >
  • Our chosen bike rental shop will provide you with a hybrid bike with 24 gears; a waterproof map case on handlebars; panniers/saddlebags; pump; puncture repair kit; and a lock. Electric bikes are available as an upgrade (see price panel), subject to availability, and must be requested at the time of booking. The bike shop also has a limited number of tandems.
  • No. We recommend that you bring your own.
  • Yes, we will provide GPX tracks for this holiday prior to departure so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. (We also provide maps and our tried-and-tested route notes, which remain the principal means of navigation).
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. On mornings when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation so that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.
  • Bike insurance is not included in the price of our cycling holidays, and unfortunately we can't supply such insurance. Some general travel insurance policies can or do provide cover for rented bikes, so it's worth seeing if your policy is one of these. The most important thing is to ensure that you take good care of your bike (you are responsible for damage to or loss of it while it is hired to you), always being careful to lock it up, ideally to an immovable object, and removing all easy-to-steal accessories whenever you leave it unattended.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines (but not, currently, with Ryanair). As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. For Europe, there’s a £35 booking fee per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). For India and Nepal, the booking fee is £60 per person. More information on flights >
  • Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact Abi and Lizzie to discuss your plans.
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

    You don’t have to take out our recommended travel insurance policy (if you live outside the UK you’ll definitely need to make your own arrangements, as the policy is only for UK residents), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    We'll ask you for the details of your policy (insurer, policy number and medical emergency phone number) so that we can help out if the worst happens while you are on holiday. It's up to you, though, to check that your policy covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs; we don't check alternative policies.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Germany, but not a visa. If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • The official language is German. The currency is the Euro. German time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.

    At Inntravel we work in close partnership with our hoteliers, taxi drivers and other local suppliers to provide our self-guided holidays directly to you. We are entirely confident that you will continue to receive the usual warm welcome from them, regardless of what is happening in the European political sphere.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.
    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
Last fetch time is : 10/26/2021 5:59:37 AM