# Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

The Baltic state north of Berlin: Hanseatic brick cities such as Stralsund, the island of Rügen and its chalk cliffs. How to get there and when to go.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/mecklenburg-western-pomerania · Revisado: 2026-11-12

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.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Brandenburg (a 211.8 km), Saxony-Anhalt (a 239.5 km), Saxony (a 330.1 km)

## Preguntas frecuentes

### 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.