Family holidays on the Baltic Sea

Few regions are as well suited to a holiday with the whole family as the Baltic Sea and its hinterland. The beach alone is enough to make every child's heart beat faster. Splashing in the shallow water, romping around with siblings or parents, and, of course, creating a family sandcastle masterpiece are experiences that stay with you for a lifetime. In many places along the Baltic coast, the water is shallow and very child-friendly, giving even non-swimmers plenty of room to play. 

Children's play centres and similar facilities, as well as childcare options, are standard features in the larger seaside resorts. Many seaside resorts are starting points for family outings aboard passenger boats to the Baltic region's beautiful natural areas. A future career as a recreational skipper often begins in a simple inflatable dinghy or on a swim ring in the Baltic Sea—as here on the beach at Karlshagen on Usedom. 



The entire Baltic coast has a very diverse hinterland. Whether it is dune or bog woodland, expansive meadows, rolling hills dotted with small lakes, or the many cultural monuments in towns and their surrounding areas, there are opportunities for excursions into nature as well as glimpses into history. And experiences in nature are best enjoyed together with the whole family. 



More and more tourism destinations are also recognising the value of attractions that appeal equally to young and old. These include amusement parks as well as museums that explore the many different aspects of nature and life on the coast, and offer an ever-growing range of interactive activities. 



Finally, people are coming to realise that parents can only feel at ease when the children are happy—and that is what makes a holiday a truly memorable family experience. The two German states on the Baltic coast—Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein—have therefore launched an initiative enabling individual tourism providers, as well as entire seaside resorts, to be certified as family-friendly.