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
Rügen – an Island Revealed. 7 nights
 

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.
 
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). Alternatively, upgrade to Romantik Hotel Scheelehof.
    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: 28km
    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. 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.
 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 7 nights: 04 May 2024 - 03 October 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    4 - 20 May 2024 £1550 £405
    21 May - 30 Jun 2024 £1595 £405
    1 Jul - 31 Aug 2024 £1650 £450
    1 - 15 Sep 2024 £1605 £410
    16 - 26 Sep 2024 £1550 £405
    3rd & 4th person discount -£170
    Single traveller supplement £170

    Includes accommodation, meals, bike hire, luggage transfers and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus cycling notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Deduct £66pp if staying in Baabe on a Monday or Tuesday night when the restaurant is closed.

    Electric bikes available: add £165pp

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

    7 nights: 04 May 2024 - 03 October 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    4 - 20 May 2024 £1690 £405
    21 May - 30 Jun 2024 £1735 £405
    1 Jul - 31 Aug 2024 £1790 £450
    1 - 15 Sep 2024 £1745 £410
    16 - 26 Sep 2024 £1690 £405
    3rd & 4th person discount -£310
    Single traveller supplement £310

    Includes all elements in the 'cycle price', plus a return Channel crossing between Folkestone and Calais with LeShuttle for your party and one car.

    Deduct £66pp if staying in Baabe on a Monday or Tuesday night when the restaurant is closed.

    > More information about travelling self-drive

    Electric bikes available: add £165pp

    A supplement of approximately £65 per car per single journey applies for travel at key dates over Easter, while from May onwards a supplement of approximately £42 per car per single journey applies for travel over public holidays and at weekends during school holidays. See the self-drive page or contact us for more details.

  • 7 nights, staying at Romantik Hotel Scheelehof: 04 May 2024 - 03 October 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    4 - 20 May 2024 £1610 £440
    21 May - 30 Jun 2024 £1685 £440
    1 Jul - 31 Aug 2024 £1730 £495
    1 - 15 Sep 2024 £1695 £445
    16 - 26 Sep 2024 £1610 £435
    3rd & 4th person discount -£170
    Single traveller supplement £170

    Includes accommodation, meals, bike hire, luggage transfers and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus cycling notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Deduct £66pp if staying in Baabe on a Monday or Tuesday night when the restaurant is closed.

    Electric bikes available: add £165pp

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

    7 nights, staying at Romantik Hotel Scheelehof: 04 May 2024 - 03 October 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    4 - 20 May 2024 £1735 £440
    21 May - 30 Jun 2024 £1810 £440
    1 Jul - 31 Aug 2024 £1855 £495
    1 - 15 Sep 2024 £1820 £445
    16 - 26 Sep 2024 £1735 £435
    3rd & 4th person discount -£295
    Single traveller supplement £295

    Includes all elements in the 'cycle price', plus a return Channel crossing between Folkestone and Calais with LeShuttle for your party and one car.

    Deduct £66pp if staying in Baabe on a Monday or Tuesday night when the restaurant is closed.

    > More information about travelling self-drive

    Electric bikes available: add £165pp

    A supplement of approximately £65 per car per single journey applies for travel at key dates over Easter, while from May onwards a supplement of approximately £42 per car per single journey applies for travel over public holidays and at weekends during school holidays. See the self-drive page or contact us for more details.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Solthus am See, Baabe
    Sea view: 04 May - 30 Jun 2024 £9
    Sea view: 01 Jul - 03 Sep 2024 £13
    Sea view: 04 Sep - 03 Oct 2024 £9

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Prices include an extra day’s hire of a standard bike. If you are upgrading to an e-bike, add a further £24pp per day.
    Hotel am Jungfernstieg, Stralsund (B&B) Double room Single room
    04 May - 03 Oct 2024 £114 £167
    Solthus am See, Baabe (with dinner) Double room Single room
    04 May - 30 Jun 2024 £170 £256
    01 Jul - 03 Sep 2024 £190 £287
    04 Sep - 03 Oct 2024 £170 £256
  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Solthus am See, Baabe
    Sea view: 04 May - 30 Jun 2024 £9
    Sea view: 01 Jul - 03 Sep 2024 £13
    Sea view: 04 Sep - 03 Oct 2024 £9

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Prices include an extra day’s hire of a standard bike. If you are upgrading to an e-bike, add a further £24pp per day.
    Hotel Scheelehof, Stralsund (B&B) Double room Single room
    04 May - 30 Jun 2024 £121 £194
    01 Jul - 31 Aug 2024 £128 £201
    01 Sep - 03 Oct 2024 £121 £194
    Solthus am See, Baabe (with dinner) Double room Single room
    04 May - 30 Jun 2024 £170 £256
    01 Jul - 03 Sep 2024 £190 £287
    04 Sep - 03 Oct 2024 £170 £256
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Hamburg or Berlin
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Berlin. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Hamburg Eurowings 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Berlin Brandenburg easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Nottingham East Midlands - Berlin Brandenburg Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Berlin Brandenburg easyJet 
    Edinburgh - Hamburg easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Berlin Brandenburg easyJet,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Humberside - Berlin Brandenbrug (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Berlin Brandenbrug (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Liverpool - Berlin Brandenburg easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Berlin Brandenburg British Airways 
    London City - Hamburg British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Berlin Brandenburg British Airways,  easyJet 
    Gatwick - Hamburg easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Berlin Brandenburg British Airways,  Eurowings 
    Heathrow - Hamburg British Airways,  Eurowings 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Berlin Brandenburg easyJet 
    Luton - Hamburg easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    London Southend - Berlin Brandenburg easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Berlin Brandenburg Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Berlin Brandenburg easyJet,  Ryanair 
    Manchester - Hamburg easyJet,  Eurowings 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Berlin Brandenburg easyJet 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Berlin. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Unless otherwise stated, connecting travel by rail or bus tends to be from the city centre station, rather than from its airport, and connections between the two should be paid for locally.

    If flying via Hamburg, please note that your connecting travel price may depend on your flight times (there may be a long wait for the next regional train, making the more expensive ICE train the best option).

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Berlin Brandenburg

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Berlin Hbf to Stralsund Hbf (3h15), walk Stralsund Hbf to hotel (0h05) £40 1400
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    walk hotel to Stralsund Hbf (0h05), rail Stralsund Hbf to Berlin Hbf (3h15) £40 1430

    Connecting travel options - flying via Hamburg

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Hamburg Hbf to Stralsund Hbf (3h-3h30), walk Stralsund Hbf to hotel (0h05) £101 1500
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    walk hotel to Stralsund Hbf (0h05), rail Stralsund Hbf to Hamburg Hbf (3h) £101 1500
What is included
  • 7 nights
  • 5 dinners
    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 >

 

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.
  • 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.

    For more detailed information, see our cycling holidays in Europe page.
  • You are responsible for damage to or loss of the rental bike while it is hired to you. Always be careful to lock it up, ideally to an immovable object, and remove 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. 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. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). 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 us 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 incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), 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.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • 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 (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). 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.
  • 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.
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