Rügen Excursion Tips

Germany’s largest island combines natural wonders with cultural landmarks. Its chalk cliffs and Mönchgut peninsula stand alongside the “Störtebeker” festival and Spyker Castle. The opening of the new Rügen Bridge in October 2007 also improved access to the island.

Cape Arkona
One of the best-known destinations on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen is its northernmost point, Cape Arkona.

Granitz Hunting Lodge
Just southeast of the Baltic seaside resort of Binz on Rügen, the wooded Granitz ridge rises above the surrounding landscape. Granitz Hunting Lodge was built in the mid-19th century on Tempelberg, the ridge’s highest point at 108 metres. From its 38-metre central tower, visitors enjoy impressive panoramic views of the island and the surrounding waters. The most visited castle in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, welcoming 250,000 visitors a year, is an outpost of the Pomeranian State Museum in Greifswald.

“Colossus of Prora”
Construction of a seaside resort for 20,000 holidaymakers began in 1936 on the Schmale Heide, a spit of land between the Baltic Sea and the Kleiner Jasmunder Bodden, north of the Baltic seaside resort of Binz on Rügen. The complex was completed to shell stage after 17 months, but never opened because war broke out; after 1945, it was used mainly by the military. Today, five buildings, each 800 metres long, stand directly on the Baltic coast as an architectural monument. All the blocks have since been renovated and are used mainly as holiday apartments.

Störtebeker Festival
The small village of Ralswiek on the Großer Jasmunder Bodden was once an important harbour on the island. Since 1993—following earlier productions in 1959–61 and 1980–81—it has been the setting for Rügen’s biggest visitor attraction. From late June to early September, up to 360,000 guests attend the Störtebeker Festival on a unique natural stage with 8,000 seats, where spectacular shipwrecks and eagle flights unfold against the romantic backdrop of the Bodden. Every day except Sunday, the show brings to life adventures from the legendary pirate Klaus Störtebeker’s life.

Rügen Park
Gingst, in the western part of Rügen, is home to Rügen Park, the island’s largest amusement park. From early April to early November, visitors can admire miniatures such as the Reichstag, the Colosseum, Notre-Dame and the island of Rügen across the four-hectare site. Rügen Park offers a range of attractions, especially for younger visitors, including a pony ride, jet scooters, a super slide, a petting zoo and a sea lion show featuring animals from the TV series “Hallo Robbie”.