54.32° N · 13.09° E
A two- or three-night getaway from Berlin: the Hanseatic old town of Stralsund, the Ozeaneum and, on Rügen, the Königsstuhl chalk cliffs.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Museum and aquarium · 3 h · €20 · Large Baltic and North Atlantic aquariums and life-size whales, in Stralsund harbour
Walk · 2 h · Free · The openwork-gabled town hall on the Alter Markt, St Nicholas's, St Mary's and the merchants' houses by the harbour, a World Heritage Site
Viewpoint and exhibition · 2–3 h · €14 · The Skywalk walkway over Rügen's most famous chalk cliff, in Jasmund National Park
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
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
From May to September, with boats to the cliffs, the Gorch Fock open and long days. In July and August, plenty of people on Rügen. In winter the Ozeaneum and the Königsstuhl open daily, with wind and less light.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Without a car it works well based in Stralsund: the old town and harbour are small, and Rügen is covered by regional train, bus and the steam train. The only thing that needs planning is the Königsstuhl: train to Sassnitz and bus 23, or the path on foot.
For Stralsund and Rügen you fly 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 Rügen. With a hire car at BER it is about 270 km via the A11 and the A20, around three hours.
A car gives you freedom on Rügen, a large island: the Jasmund cliffs, the resorts of Binz and Sellin and Putbus are far from one another. From Berlin it is about 270 km via the A11 and the A20, around three hours. In Stralsund, leave it at the hotel or in a car park at the gates of the old town.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
It is one of the best getaways from Berlin with children: huge aquariums, a sailing ship, white cliffs, boats and a steam train. Split it up: one day Stralsund and another Rügen.
For the youngest: fish, boats and a steam train. Avoid the long path and go up to the Königsstuhl on the shuttle.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Hotel in protected houses in Stralsund's old town, by the old harbour, with brick vaults, a spa with three saunas and a restaurant.
Why we like it: Hotel by the harbour and the Strelasund strait, steps from the old town, with 24-hour reception, a sauna and electric-car chargers.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: a seasonal dish with the beer they recommend to go with it
What to order: the regional Pomeranian cooking from the daily menu
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Tips
One day for Stralsund and another for Rügen.
The trail from Sassnitz is the best thing on the island; come back down by bus.
In summer and during the German holidays there is a queue.
The wind blows on the Baltic even in summer.
Stralsund and Rügen are the seaside getaway from Berlin: three hours by train to the north and you are on the Baltic. Stralsund was one of the great cities of the Hanseatic League and its old town, on an island between lagoons, is a World Heritage Site: churches and merchants' houses of Gothic brick, a harbour and the Ozeaneum, the great sea museum. Across the strait, linked by a bridge, Rügen is Germany's largest island, with seaside resorts of white villas and, in the north-east, the chalk cliffs of Jasmund National Park.
It is not a day trip: the journey is long. With two nights you can do one day in Stralsund and another on Rügen; with three, you add the resorts and the steam train.
The old town. The Alter Markt, with the openwork facade of the town hall and St Nicholas behind it, St Mary's at the other end and the streets of merchants' houses that run down to the harbour.
The Ozeaneum. Aquariums of the Baltic and the North Atlantic, life-size whales and penguins on the roof terrace. Three hours and €20.
The Gorch Fock I. The original sail training ship from 1933, moored opposite; from April to October, Tuesday to Saturday, deck only.
The Königsstuhl and the Skywalk. The most famous chalk cliff, seen from a walkway over the edge, with the national park exhibition. Arrive by the trail from Sassnitz, 8 km through the beech forest, or by bus.
The boat to the cliffs. From Sassnitz or from the piers at Binz and Sellin, to see the white wall from the sea.
The Rasender Roland. The narrow-gauge steam train that has linked Putbus with the resorts of Binz, Sellin and Göhren since 1895.
By train, there are direct trains from Berlin to Stralsund in about three hours. From Stralsund Hauptbahnhof, regional trains go to Binz and Sassnitz; from Sassnitz, bus 23 goes up to the Königsstuhl.
By car, about 260 km along the A11 and the A20, around three hours from central Berlin. On Rügen a car helps, but you cannot drive to the Königsstuhl: you park at Hagen and take a shuttle up.
Sleep in Stralsund, in the old town or at the harbour: the Scheelehof occupies Hanseatic houses with brick vaults and a spa, and accepts dogs; the Hafenresidenz, next to the Ozeaneum, has a 24-hour reception. For dinner, Zum Scheele, with Pomeranian cooking Tuesday to Saturday; and every day, the Störtebeker brewery's Braugasthaus, on the outskirts.
From May to September: boats to the cliffs, the Gorch Fock open and very long days. In July and August Rügen fills with German holidaymakers; June and September are better. In winter the Ozeaneum and the Königsstuhl open every day and the coast is empty, cold and windy.
Questions
About three hours by direct train, and around three hours by car.
It is not worth it: it is six hours of travel. Sleep at least two nights in Stralsund.
By train to Sassnitz and bus 23, or on foot, 8 km along the cliff trail.
€20; children aged 4 to 16, €12.
In Stralsund, if you travel by train: you have the station and trains to the whole island.
To the Königsstuhl, on a lead, around the site; the Scheelehof accepts pets.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/mecklenburg-western-pomerania/stralsund-and-rugen
