Areas and places
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania area by area
Each area has its own page, with its own character, plans and map.
Plan the trip
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
From May to September, with beaches, boats and long days; June and September are less crowded than July and August. In winter the museums are open and the coast is empty and windy.
How you travel
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania your way
The ways of travelling that suit Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. We are writing a guide to each one: where to stay, how to get around and which services you will need.
By carBy planeCar-free
Nearby
Near Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is the state in north-east Germany that faces the Baltic Sea: a long coast of beaches, lagoons and islands, an interior of lakes and fields, and few people. For a traveller flying into Berlin it is the getaway to the sea: three hours by train to the north. It is not a day trip, but a two- or three-night one.
What to see
Stralsund and Rügen are the best gateway. Stralsund is a Hanseatic League city with a World Heritage old town of Gothic brick, a harbour with a sailing ship from 1933 and the Ozeaneum, the great North Sea and Baltic museum of Europe. A bridge links it to Rügen, Germany's largest island, with seaside resorts of white villas, a narrow-gauge steam train and, in the north-east, the chalk cliffs of Jasmund National Park, with the Königsstuhl and its walkway over the edge.
Schwerin, the state capital, is about two hours from Berlin: a palace of towers and golden domes on an island in the lake, gardens beside the water, boats on the lakes and a brick old town. It can be done in a long day or with a night.
How do you get there from Spain?
By air to Berlin: BER airport has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. From Berlin there are direct trains to Stralsund in about three hours, and from there regional trains to the island. By car, along the A11 and the A20, about three hours from Berlin. Rostock has its own airport, but almost all flights from Spain arrive in Berlin or Hamburg.
When to go
From May to September. July and August are the German holiday months and the coast fills up; June and September have long days and fewer people. In winter the museums and the national park centre open every day, but it is cold and windy and gets dark early.
How to combine it
With Stralsund as a base: one day for the city and the Ozeaneum, another for Rügen and the Königsstuhl. With a third night, the resorts of Binz and Sellin and the steam train. If you come by car, you can return to Berlin through the interior, among the Mecklenburg lakes.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Berlin to the Baltic?
To Stralsund, about three hours by direct train or by car.
Can you go and come back in a day?
It is not worth it: it is six hours of travel. Sleep at least two nights.
Do you need a car on Rügen?
No: there are regional trains, buses and the steam train; a car gives more freedom.
Can you swim in the Baltic?
In summer, yes, although the water is cold even in August.