Rügen and Usedom are Germany's two largest islands, both on the Baltic coast of Western Pomerania in the north-east of the country and both linked to the mainland by bridges. Rügen is the more varied of the two: the white chalk cliffs of Jasmund National Park near Sassnitz, which Caspar David Friedrich painted around 1818, the northern tip at Cape Arkona near Putgarten, and the 19th-century seaside resorts of Binz and Sellin. The Hanseatic town of Stralsund, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the gateway on the mainland. Usedom lies further east on the Polish border, with the so-called Imperial Spas around Heringsdorf and, at its northern tip, Peenemünde, where Nazi Germany developed the V-2 rocket.
This guide picks eight places for a first trip, suggests a one-day route on Rügen and a two-day plan covering Stralsund, Cape Arkona and Usedom, and explains how to get there from Berlin and Hamburg. The two islands are about two hours apart by road, so give each its own day. Opening hours and prices are on each attraction page (checked October 2026). In 2026, building work is under way at Granitz hunting lodge until about mid-December, and the Cape Arkona lighthouse has been under restoration.
Our picks for a first visit — each with a short reason why.
National parks
Sassnitz
Jasmund National Park near Sassnitz on the island of Rügen is Germany's smallest national park and home to its most famous coastal scenery: brilliant white chalk cliffs up to 118 meters high, topped by ancient beech forests that are part o…
1. Germany's smallest national park, with the 118 m Königsstuhl chalk cliff and a skywalk. The visitor centre is open daily all year (winter 10 am–5 pm); adults €14, children 6–14 €8.
Coast & islands
Putgarten
Cape Arkona (Kap Arkona) near the village of Putgarten is the dramatic northern tip of Rügen, Germany's largest island, on the Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Chalk and clay cliffs rise up to 43 meters above the sea, crowned…
2. Rügen's northern cape, with two lighthouses (one designed by Schinkel), a Slavic temple fort and the fishing village of Vitt. Cars stay at the village car park, 2 km from the towers.
Old towns & squares
Stralsund
The Old Town of Stralsund is one of the top things to do on Germany's Baltic coast: a medieval Hanseatic port set on an island between the sea and three town ponds, crowned by a spectacular brick Gothic town hall and three giant churches.…
3. A Hanseatic port with the ornate brick façade of the town hall, three huge Gothic churches and a 104 m church tower you can climb. UNESCO-listed together with Wismar since 2002.
Coast & islands
Binz
Binz is the largest and best-known seaside resort on Rügen, Germany's biggest island, on the Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It's famous for a fine, white sand beach about 5 kilometers long, a promenade lined with ornate whi…
4. Rügen's largest resort: about 5 km of sandy beach, a car-free promenade, the 1908 Kurhaus and a pier where boats leave for the chalk cliffs. Direct IC and ICE trains.
Palaces
Binz
Granitz Hunting Lodge (Jagdschloss Granitz) near Binz on the island of Rügen looks like a fairy-tale castle hidden in a beech forest: four crenellated corner towers, a slender central tower and pale pink walls. Built for the princes of Put…
5. A turreted hunting lodge in the forest with a cast-iron spiral staircase of 154 steps. Under-18s go free. Façade works until about mid-December 2026 may limit outdoor areas.
Coast & islands
Sellin
Sellin Pier (Seebrücke Sellin) in the seaside resort of Sellin on Rügen is one of the most photographed sights on Germany's Baltic coast. A white, turreted pier house in classic resort architecture sits on stilts above the sea, connected t…
6. Rügen's longest pier (394 m) with a white pier house and a diving gondola that takes you 4 m below the surface. The pier is free; check gondola hours, which change with the season.
Coast & islands
Heringsdorf
The Heringsdorf Pier on the island of Usedom is one of the longest piers in Germany, stretching 508 meters into the Baltic Sea. It is the landmark of the "Imperial Spas," the elegant 19th-century seaside resorts of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and…
7. At 508 m one of Germany's longest piers, partly covered, with a pyramid-roofed pavilion at the end. Free to walk; best at sunrise, when the Imperial Spas are still quiet.
Museums
Peenemünde
The Peenemünde Historical Technical Museum on the island of Usedom tells one of the most consequential and troubling stories of the 20th century. Here, at Germany's secret weapons research site, engineers developed the world's first cruise…
8. The former power station of the V-2 rocket test site, with an exhibition on rocketry, war and forced labour and a 30 m rooftop view. Audio guides in English; adults €15.
Park at the large Hagen car park and take shuttle bus 19 (or walk about 3 km through the beech forest); without a car, bus 23 runs from Sassnitz station. Book a timed online ticket and allow two to three hours for the skywalk and exhibition.
Binz is roughly half an hour's drive south. Walk from the Kurhaus along the promenade and out on the 370 m pier; in season you can also see the chalk cliffs from the water on a boat trip from here.
Places: Binz
Ride the little road train from Binz or the Rasender Roland steam railway to Granitz hunting lodge and climb the tower. Then continue to Sellin, take the 85 steps (or the lift) down to the pier and stay for the lights on the pier house at dusk.
Places: Granitz Hunting Lodge Sellin Pier
From the main station it is a 15-minute walk to the Alter Markt with the town hall and St Nicholas' Church. Allow three to four hours to see both market squares and the harbour.
Places: Stralsund Old Town
Large aquariums from the Baltic to the Atlantic, life-size whale models and penguins on the roof. Adults €20, children 4–16 €12; book a time slot online in school holidays and on rainy days.
Places: Ozeaneum Stralsund
Cross the Rügen Bridge and drive a little over an hour north to Putgarten. Leave the car at the entrance to the village and walk, cycle or take the road train to the towers, then follow the clifftop path to Vitt. The lighthouse is open only from April to October.
Places: Cape Arkona
Allow around two hours to drive from Rügen to Usedom via the bridge at Wolgast. At the museum, plan two to three hours for the exhibition, the power station and the rooftop platform. From November to March it closes on Mondays.
Drive or take the Usedomer Bäderbahn island railway to Heringsdorf, then walk to the pier. The seafront promenade continues to Ahlbeck and Bansin and on to Świnoujście in Poland.
Places: Heringsdorf Pier
By train. Stralsund is about three hours from both Berlin and Hamburg. Some IC and ICE trains continue across the causeway to Ostseebad Binz; regional trains serve Bergen and Sassnitz. For Usedom, change at Züssow to the Usedomer Bäderbahn (UBB), which runs to Heringsdorf and via Zinnowitz to Peenemünde. The Deutschlandticket is valid on regional trains, UBB and buses.
By car and by air. No ferry is needed: Rügen is reached via the toll-free Rügen Bridge at Stralsund, Usedom via the bridges at Wolgast and Zecherin. The nearest airport to Binz is Rostock-Laage, about 120 km away; most international visitors fly into Berlin or Hamburg and continue by train or hire car. Ferries from Stralsund harbour go to the car-free island of Hiddensee.
On the islands. The Rasender Roland narrow-gauge steam railway links Putbus, Binz, Granitz, Sellin and Göhren. You cannot drive to the Königsstuhl: use the Hagen car park and shuttle bus 19, or bus 23 from Sassnitz. Putgarten at Cape Arkona is closed to private cars.
May, June and September are the sweet spot: long days, quieter beaches than in July and August and clear views from the cliffs. In midsummer Binz, Sellin, Cape Arkona and the Königsstuhl are busiest around midday, so go early or late. In autumn the beech woods above the chalk cliffs turn gold.
Autumn and winter 2026/27. The Königsstuhl visitor centre opens daily 10 am–5 pm from November to March, Granitz hunting lodge Tuesday to Sunday 10 am–4 pm, and the Peenemünde museum 10 am–4 pm (closed Mondays). The Cape Arkona lighthouse is closed in winter. The Ozeaneum in Stralsund is open year-round except 24 December. Piers and promenades are open all year and make good winter walks.
Cliff safety. After frost and rain, parts of the cliffs collapse without warning. Keep well back from the edge, avoid the beach directly below the cliffs and respect barriers.
No. Both islands are connected to the mainland by bridges and have railway lines: Rügen via the Rügen Bridge and causeway at Stralsund, Usedom via the bridges at Wolgast and Zecherin. Ferries are only needed for excursions, for example from Stralsund to Hiddensee.
It is possible but long: Stralsund is about three hours from Berlin by train, and the sights on Rügen are spread out. One or two nights in Binz, Sellin or Stralsund work much better.
Rügen has more variety, with chalk cliffs, Cape Arkona, several resorts and a steam railway. Usedom is smaller, with long beach promenades between its Imperial Spas and the Peenemünde museum. If you only have one day, choose Rügen.
Entry to the national park is free. The visitor centre with skywalk, exhibition and cinema costs €14 for adults, €8 for children aged 6–14 and €30 for families; under-6s go free (October 2026). Timed online tickets guarantee entry.
Yes. The beach at Binz shelves gently, the skywalk is step-free, children enjoy the diving gondola at Sellin, the tower at Granitz (free for under-18s) and the road train at Cape Arkona, and the Ozeaneum in Stralsund has its own children's area.
Audio guides are available in English and several other languages for €3, and guided tours in English can be booked in advance. The museum is not fully step-free, but staff can help you reach all exhibition areas.
The region brings together attractions from these towns. Open a town guide or its list of attractions.
Landmarks
Heringsdorf
Ahlbeck Pier (Seebrücke Ahlbeck) on the Baltic island of Usedom is the landmark of the historic resort of Ahlbeck and one of the island's most photographed sights. A white pier house with a red roof and four green turrets sits on a platfor…
Coast & islands
Heringsdorf
The Heringsdorf Pier on the island of Usedom is one of the longest piers in Germany, stretching 508 meters into the Baltic Sea. It is the landmark of the "Imperial Spas," the elegant 19th-century seaside resorts of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and…