Baltic Coast & its Hanseatic Heritage – Baltic Sea Cycle Path

Saddle up to head briefly north for a super-stylish start to your tour in the chic seaside spa resort or ‘Seebad’ of Travemünde. You can’t miss its smart hotels, casino, ‘place-to-be-seen’ prom, or the bright yellow ‘Strandkorber’ (painted wicker beach chair ‘snugs’) which are available to hire on the brilliant sandy beach. Read Thomas Mann’s novel ‘Death in Venice’? You’ll soon recognise the place! In the mornings, fishermen sell their catch direct from their cutters in Travemünde harbour, not far from the Flying-P Liner tall ship, the Passat (1911) or Germany’s oldest lighthouse (1539).

Take the very short ferry ride across the mouth of the river and the nature of the Priwall peninsula beaches couldn’t be more contrasting. Before German reunification, the wild Priwall was borderland country separating East from West, overlooked by watchtowers and frequented only by locals. These days, it’s a beautiful place to pedal unhindered along the Baltic Coast Path and start your journey east along the ‘Ostsee’ into the region of Mecklenburg. Enjoy the tranquility of the forest nature reserve ‘Brooker Wald’ on route to the pleasant, time-honoured seaside resort of Bolthagen whose famous cliffs share impressive sweeping views of Wismar Bay.

The redbrick towers and sky-splitting spires of Hanse town no. 2 will soon guide you in to Wismar, harbour town under Swedish rule from 1648 to 1803. Fancy clocking up more views? Wismar’s Marienkirche has an inviting tower to climb, or why not just take a seat and watch the world go by on one of Northern Germany’s largest market squares? You’re sure to find something fishy for supper down by the redbrick warehouses alongside the harbour, as well as a replica of a medieval Hanseatic ‘cog’ ship – the Poeler Kogge.

Overnight in Wismar.

Miles 36-48 Kms 58-77

Ferry: Travemünde to Priwall (journey time – approx. 3-5 mins)
Taking train to Travemünde is a short route option (payable locally).

Time to leave the Wismar church towers of St-Georg, St-Nikolai and St-Marie behind you and get a taste for some island hopping. Take a quick peek perhaps at the small island of Poel, (no ferry necessary, simply take the bridge!), home to the remains of Duke Johann Albrecht II’s star-shaped fort (1614), an impressive lighthouse and Germany’s newest seaside resort as well as some brilliant birdwatching opportunities.

Back on the mainland, gentle rural landscapes are the backdrop to the day’s coast and countryside cycling – no big climbs here, unless you fancy stopping off at Bastorf to scale the lighthouse! The breath-taking Baltic views make the extra effort worthwhile – clear days reveal the German island of Fehmarn where ferries hop across to Denmark for Copenhagen. Destination of the day is Germany’s biggest Baltic sea resort, the refined coastal spa town of Kühlungsborn. A fashionable place to take the sea air and waters since the 1860s, here the Ostseeallee beach promenade has a backdrop of fine early twentieth century villas and Art Deco buildings – the perfect relaxed setting for an after-supper stroll!

Overnight in Kühlungsborn.

Miles 20-38 Kms 32-61

From one fine coastal spa resort to another – Germany’s oldest and most prestigious resort, Seeheilbad Heiligendamm, is only a short pedal push along the coast path from Kühlungsborn. You’ll soon discover how it earnt the title ‘White Town on Sea’. For a full century or more after local duke Friedrich Franz I founded it in 1793, Heiligendamm was the nobility’s go-to seaside pleasure spot. Elegance and one-upmanship were the name of the game, leaving a charming, timeless legacy of five stunning white villa mansions lining the seafront. With super-fine sand too, this is definitely a place to kick off the shoes for a beach stroll and paddle – or enjoy a coffee with a unique classy vista!

Pedal off inland to Bad Doberan for another heritage must-see treat – the mighty minster (Münster) masterpiece of high Gothic architecture. Acclaimed as the best example of North German redbrick Gothic, it has roots as a Cistercian abbey and is surrounded by the remains of monastic buildings including gates, granary barns and even place for storing bones…

Chilling stuff? Back on the coast with the cycle path as your companion, dare to encounter a forest of tree skeletons on a ride through the Gespenstwald (ghost forest) near Niehagen. Clinging to the steep banks of the Baltic, many of the beech trees here have been reduced to spindly branches by the biting salt spray. But you’re soon back with the other sort of beaches at Warnemünde, home to super-wide sandy stretches, visiting cruise-ships and another lighthouse to climb, before you head along the Unterwarnow estuary to Hanse Town No. 3, Rostock. Hanse highlights here include University Square flanked by the former palace of the grand dukes, the waterfront, town hall and the cruciform Marienkirche with its ‘dancing apostles’ astronomical clock.

Overnight in Rostock.

Miles 13-35 Kms 21-56

Time for a quick look at Rostock’s Joie de Vivre sculpture fountains or the botanical gardens perhaps, before heading to the harbour? The ferry ride across the Warnow (incl. in tour price) to Hohe Düne puts your bike tyres back on the Baltic Coast Cycle Path for encounters with the area of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Swing inland across its protected heathland to the make some superb golden discoveries on the shores of the Saaler Bodden lagoon at Ribnitz Damgarten, home to the Baltic amber museum and fine local apiaries. Dierhagen at the base of the sweeping and wildly beautiful Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula is destination of the day – a stunning dune-land location sandwiched between the lagoon and the Baltic sea. Enjoy the special light here, feel at one with nature and the elements – it may be attached to the mainland, but this area – Fischland – feels like an island and really sets the scene for the rest of the peninsula’s breath-taking landscapes.

Overnight in Dierhagen on Fischland.

Miles 11-38 Kms 17-62

Ferry: Warnow – Hohe Düne yacht harbour (journey time – approx. 5-10 mins)

Thatched cottages sheltering in the dunes; brown-sailed boats on the lagoon; cranes roosting by the reedbeds, or maybe even the flash of a white hart in the forest… whichever route options you take along and around the peninsula today, you’ll be reaching for those binoculars. You’ll be wanting your swimming things in those panniers too, because as you set off on the Fischlander Weg via the beaches of Wustrow, it’s hard to resist the call of the waves or thought of soft fine sand between the toes! Be prepared to encounter everything from steep sea cliffs to rolling hills and reedbeds, and to fall in love with the old thatched fishing-village-cum-artist-colony of Ahrenshoop too.

Darß introduces itself where the peninsula swings east, into the pristine natural world of the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft (Western Pomerania Lagoon Landscape) National Park. Pedal inland through the forest landscapes of the Darßer Wald and make your way back to the Baltic sea at Prerow, a resort famed for its white sandy beach and 395 metre wooden pier.

Zingst is the final wild piece of the peninsula puzzle, before you island hop inland across the tranquil lagoons to the small waterside and legend-rich town of Barth, aka ‘The Gateway to the Baltic Sea’ – once part of Sweden.

Overnight in Barth

Miles 19-40 Kms 30-65

With sights set on Hanse Town No. 4 as destination of the day, curl around the lakeland (Bodden) coast through gentle rural terrain, taking in charming small villages and landscapes dotted with remote farmsteads. Just as with Lübeck, Wismar and Rostock, Stralsund’s redbrick church towers and pointed spires soon appear on the horizon to lead the way.
One of the most prosperous ports of the Hanseatic League in its early medieval hey-day, Stralsund is a designated UNESCO World heritage Site where impressive modern architecture has been allowed to find its place alongside historic harbour-front buildings. Look out for the stunning aquarium (German Oceanographic Museum) sandwiched between Hanse heritage sites, or head to the Alte Markt to see the beautiful town hall and a superb run of redbrick Gothic town houses including the step-gabled Wulflamhaus. And if, after your time on the peninsula, you find you’re missing the sands of the coastline, no worries – Stralsund even has an 850 metre long beach to enjoy right in the heart of the city!

Overnight in Stralsund.

Miles 26-35 Kms 42-57

Depart after breakfast, or what about a last wander along Stralsund’s historic parkland waterfront, a visit to one of the town’s fascinating museums or time exploring the amazing church of St-Nikolai?

Extra nights can be booked to allow more time to explore Stralsund at your leisure.