Rügen, with an area of almost 1,000 km2, is the largest island in Germany and maybe the most beautiful. A varied coast with white sandy beaches, cliffs and Bodden scenery stretches along 580 kilometres. It is worth visiting the island at any time of year: the flowering of the rape in spring, the pleasure of a sea bath in summer, the harvest of the sea buckthorn in autumn and the wellness treatments with chalk clay from Rügen in winter time.
The most northern point of the island is at cape Arkona. Here you can visit the lighthouses or walk to the small fishing village of Vitt, where the only round church in Rügen can be found.
The Jasmund national park impresses the eye with its beech forests and pretty cretaceous formations with craggy cliffs higher than 100 metres. The most famous is the Königstuhl cliff (in German, “Seat of the King”).
In Ralswiek, in one of the largest and most beautiful natural settings in Europe, the life of the legendary pirate Klaus Störtebeker is enacted every year.
Between Lauterbach and Göhren, the Rasende Roland narrow gauge train blows its whistle through the enchanting scenery. It stops at a station at the foot of the Granitz hunting castle from whose tower you can enjoy a fantastic view over the whole island of Rügen.
The old Bäderstrasse (“street of the hot springs”), from Sellin to Altefähr, is the beginning of the Deutschen Alleenstrasse, a 2,500 kilometre-long road crossing Germany from North to South.
The Hanseatic city Stralsund, with more than 500 historical protected buildings, makes up part of the cultural heritage of UNESCO. The Meeresmuseum (“museum of the sea”) is truly fascinating, both for young and old people alike.