Rügen and Usedom, located in the Baltic Sea, were once a holiday paradise for East German union members. Today, they are popular vacation destinations, renowned for their long, white-sand beaches, historic seaside architecture, and natural beauty. Read on and learn more about Germany’s premier island vacation destinations.
Rügen offers dramatic chalk cliffs and rustic charm, while Usedom, the “Sunny Island,” features elegant imperial spas and a 45-km-long sandy beach that extends into Poland. Both islands are known for their serenity — those quiet postcard-perfect days during the summer when the calm ocean waters reflect a cloudless sky.
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On Rügen, the biggest German island, you can explore the smallest German national park, where the largest beech forests on the Baltic coast stretch across hills and stream valleys, enclosing sparse bogs and springs. On the famous white chalk coast, shady green forests meet the blue of the sea. UNESCO designated the rustic old beech forests in the heart of the national park as a World Heritage Site.
A landmark of the island is the 118-meter-high Königsstuhl. Its viewing plateau offers sweeping views over the sea. Binz, the star among the seaside resorts on Rügen, has probably the most beautiful beach, very good hotels, and, above all, particularly attractive spa architecture. Sassnitz is a little quieter, and Göhren is known for its Victorian-era architecture.
The important traffic junction on the island has a charming old town full of winding alleys and white buildings, in the most beautiful seaside resort architecture. The listed “Colossus of Prora”, a former vacation complex more than four kilometers long, is now used as a museum, a documentation center, an apartment complex, and a youth hostel. Exciting insights into the world between and above the treetops are offered by the treetop path in the Rügen Natural Heritage Center.
Don’t miss the “Rasender Roland” historic narrow-gauge steam train.
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The Island of Usedom is known for serenity. On Usedom’s legendary promenade, you can experience the Art Deco villas confiscated from Jewish owners during World War II or the unsightly DDR-Turm, a remnant of the East German times.
To manage traffic on the single main road of Usedom, especially during peak season, they offer flexible arrival and departure days, and even a pick-up service for guests arriving by train. Its houseboats achieve an impressive occupancy rate of over 300 nights, so there’s not much room for more tourists. There’s also an emphasis on authentic, nature-based activities like canoeing and hiking.
Usedom is not without reason one of the most popular German vacation islands. First and foremost, of course, there are the three imperial resorts of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf, and Bansin. Numerous mansions and villas with whitewashed facades, small turrets, curved gables, and filigree ornaments give the three places their unmistakable flair. In addition, you can stroll along the longest pier in Heringsdorf and the oldest in Ahlbeck. And the 8.5-km-long European promenade from Ahlbeck, Germany, to Swinemünde, Poland, also runs here.
Away from the three seaside resorts, there are still Europe’s largest butterfly farm in Trassenheide or the Historical-Technical Museum in Peenemünde to visit. Large parts of the island are under nature protection. The best way to explore the surprisingly wooded and lake-rich interior of the island is on one of the many hiking or biking trails.
This area is quietly redefining what it means to be a sustainable tourist destination. Far from mere buzzwords, sustainability here is integrated into the DNA of business operations, nature preservation, and strategic planning, driven by local pioneers committed to a greener future.
Germany’s Premier Island Vacation Destinations, compiled by Tor Kjolberg