Beach holidays: destination Germany, another idea of ​​the islands

Sylt, an air of Saint-Tropez

Or ? Facing Denmark, the North Sea on one side, the Wadden Sea on the other, three hours by train from Hamburg.

Particularity. The traffic jams of Porsche, Mercedes and Ferrari on the main road of this 100 km2 island!

In two words. Landscapes of dunes, carpets of oats and heather, salt meadows covered with plump sheep… Sylt (pronounced "Zult") is a dream of winds and sand on more than 40 kilometers of (almost) deserted (and sometimes naturist) beaches ). It is an island of wild nature, so fragile that it is protected with love and respect. We walk on its moorland with a false Scottish air on wooden pontoons which come to be extinguished on the beach.

Its charming thatched-roof houses were home to farmers and whale-fishermen in the 19th century. Today the great fortunes of Germany have made it their second homes. They come there to rest, take in deep breaths of air, ride a horse, windsurf or feast in one of the 200 restaurants (including three starred). This paradise comes at a price: land is among the most expensive in Germany.

OR SLEEP ?

Twelve villages make up this island inhabited by twenty thousand people a year. Keitum offers its visitors a labyrinth of alleys lined with houses with thatched roofs. Martina Dohle / Sylt Marketing

Söl'ring Hof Sylt Encamped
in the dunes, the Söl'ring Hof is an elegant address with 15 rooms, facing the sea. Double room from € 495 with breakfast.
Söl'ring Hof, Am Sandwall 1, 25980 Rantum, Sylt. Phone. +49 4651 83 62 00.

Budersand Hotel Golf & Spa
Lines with a Nordic influence, 5-star comfort and windows that open onto the waves… Double room from € 285 with breakfast and access to the spa.
Budersand Hotel Golf & Spa, Am Kai 3, 25997 Hörnum, Sylt. Phone. +49 4651 46070.

Sylt Tourist Office. Phone. +49 4651 82020. sylt.de

Rügen, the white island

With its large white chalk cliffs and bold colors, the island of Rügen, Germany's largest, is one of the favorite holiday destinations for Germans. Peter Lehmann

Or ? In the Baltic Sea at 2:45 by car from Berlin and Hamburg.

Particularity. The monumental chalk cliffs inspired the painting The White Cliffs of Rügen by Caspar David Friedrich.

In two words. You have to cross the town of Stralsund, listed by Unesco for its Hanseatic heritage, before taking the bridge leading to Rügen. The largest island in the country (1000 km2) took off in the 19th century thanks to seaside tourism. The count of Putbus erected there the astonishing city of the same name and launched the fashion for sea bathing. Hotels and beautiful villas then came to border the beaches of Binz and Sellin.

But Rügen is above all the beech forest of Jasmund National Park and the famous view of Koenigsstuhl ("the king's chair"). There, chalk cliffs over 100 meters high overlook the Caribbean blue waves. Alas! The sight immortalized by Caspar David Friedrich is gone. Erosion and landslides regularly carve out new landscapes. Rügen is also peaceful inland seas, ideal for Stand up Paddle.

Finally, there is Prora, this 4.5 km long complex where Hitler had imagined a bathing center for indoctrination for 20,000 vacationers. The war thwarted his plan. The Red Army established its quarters there and, from now on, chic holiday apartments have settled there. Reversal of history.

OR SLEEP ?

Binz beach on the island of Rügen. Kurverwaltung Binz / Christian Thiele

Im Jaich
These houses on stilts and with a green roof call for holidays between the rustling of the wind, the clapping of the water and the cry of the seagulls. Night from 136 € (price for September).
Im Jaich, Am Yachthafen 1, 18581 Lauterbach, Rügen. Phone. +49 38 301 8090.

Gut Üselitz
An island… on an island. This manor full of poetry, completely renovated, offers apartments for rent. Morning hinds are the only encounters around. Night from 70 € for two 2 people, 120 € for 4 to 6 people.

Üselitz 2, 18574 Poseritz, Rügen. Reservation via Welcome Beyond. Phone. +49 163 737 2509.

Rügen Tourist Office . Phone. +49 3838 80 77 80. ruegen.de

Usedom: one island, two countries

Ahlbeck pier on the island of Usedom. Andreas Dumke

Or ? In the Baltic Sea, 2.5 hours from Berlin by car.

Particularity. One island, two atmospheres, two countries. Usedom totals 445 km2 of which 20% of the territory now belongs to Poland.

In two words. It is colloquially nicknamed the "Berlin Bath". Like its neighbor Rügen, Usedom has developed around seaside tourism since the 19th century. The beautiful villas, pensions and hotels in Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin then flourished. Among them, Villa Irmgard hosted Maxim Gorky in 1922. Transformed into a museum of literature and regional history, it presents a room in the orientalist fashion of the time. To see not far from there, the Seebrücke , this “sea bridge” 508 meters long which juts out majestically into the waves.

The B side of Usedom is less shiny. The Nazis built one of Germany's largest weapons complexes there, Peenemünde. Nearly 12,000 people manufacture, under inhuman conditions, the V1 and V2 rockets which were to fall on London and Antwerp. The Peenemünde site traces the history of the place and hosts concerts during the annual Usedom Music Festival (from 19/09 to 10/10/2020).

Nature remains to be explored ideally by bike on the 180 km of cycle paths. Of course, we will not fail to make a getaway on the other side of the border, in Poland. The guards of the GDR have disappeared but not the Polish bison which are sometimes seen on the outskirts of the town of Swinoujscie.

OR SLEEP ?

Typical 19th century architecture in Heringsdorf. Andreas Dumke

Lotsenturm
A former lighthouse whose living room, on the top floor, offers a 360 ° view. Overnight from € 290, breakfast basket included.
Lotsenturm Usedom, Dorfstrasse 28b, 17406 Karnin, Usedom. Phone. +49 49 30 922 129 66.

Luxury Apartment Villa Usedom
In Heringsdorf, behind a 19th century façade, there are 16 apartments in contemporary and vintage style (up to 4 people max.). Night from 250 to 450 € (2 nights min.).
Reservation through The Niche Traveler. Phone. +49 40 41478434.

Usedom Tourist Office . Phone. +49 151 6273 0742. usedom-info.com

Read also: Rügen & Usedom, the exotic Baltic

Hiddensee, the sweet life

Dornbusch Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located in the Dornbusch Highlands, north of Hiddensee Island. TMV / Legrand

Or ? In the Baltic Sea, west of Rügen. 3 hours drive from Berlin and Hamburg to Schaprode (Rügen) then 25 minutes by ferry.

Particularity. Rügen's “little sister” is an island where people can travel on foot, by bicycle or on horseback only.

In two words. Something special floats in Hiddensee. Something sweet that makes you madly in love. On this tongue of sand 17 kilometers long, the landscapes, swept by the winds and caressed by the sun, have inspired more than one: Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann and Sigmund Freud for the most famous. And of course Gerhart Hauptmann, playwright, novelist and naturalist poet little known in France, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1912 and the Goethe Prize in 1932. His charming house, Gerhart Hauptmann Haus, can be visited today.

Hiddensee has 1,500 year-round residents. Pretty thatched-roofed houses sit alongside buildings erected during the GDR period. They mix well. What are we doing in Hiddensee? Relax in the greatest simplicity. No car have you seen me but horses, real ones, as a taxi. Nature is protected and is part of the West Pomeranian Lagoon National Park. Here more than elsewhere, we eat herring or pike-perch, fresh or smoked. And time flies slowly.

OR SLEEP ?

Note to walkers, the island (without a car) has many hiking trails. TMV / Grundner

Hitthim Kloster
Hotel A hotel with a certain charm if you like yesterday's trendy wallpapers and carpets… Double room from 100 €, breakfast included.
Hotel Hitthim, Hafenweg 8, 18565 Kloster, Hiddensee. Phone. +49 38300 6660.

Shillings Gasthof Guesthouse
There is no shortage of bed and breakfasts in Hiddensee. But for wandering around, Schaprode in Rügen is a good option. The apartment of the Shilling family too. Simple and no-frills decoration. Night from 95 € the apartment, to book on Airbnb.

Hiddensee Tourist Office. Phone. +49 38300 608685. seebad-hiddensee.de

Lindau Island, the mountains for the horizon

The Lindau peninsula is the starting point for the German Alpine Route and for hiking trails around Lake Constance. Hari Pulko / Lindau Tourism

Or ? In southern Germany, on Lake Constance. 1.5 hours from Zurich by car.

Particularity. The town of Lindau makes the big difference: one part floats on Lake Constance, the other is posed on the mainland sporting an air of the Bavarian Riviera.

In two words. A Mediterranean atmosphere and a mountainous backdrop… The island of Lindau has everything from a happy postcard or an Instagram image. Its 70 hectares are home to the Old Town of Lindau, its centuries-old buildings and charming cobbled streets. To see: the old Gothic-style Town Hall; the frescoes of the ancient Saint-Pierre church; the Cavazzen house, a baroque building with a trompe-l'oeil painting on its facade… To do: salute the Bavarian lion and its 50 tonnes and 6 meters high which marks the entrance to the port; walk through the halls of the Kunstmuseum Lindau with beautiful exhibitions.

As for swimming, it is possible to soak in Gerberschanze but we will probably prefer the Lindenhofbad (on the mainland). Unless you opt for a ride on the lake in a stand-up paddle, kayak or pedal boat. The more leggy will cycle around the lake on the 290 kilometers of trails.

OR SLEEP ?

Lindau Island has everything from a happy postcard or an Instagram image. Lindau Tourism

Hotel Villino
Take a step back to appreciate a landscape… On the mainland, you will sleep in one of the 21 rooms and suites decorated in Tuscany fashion at the Hotel Villino, member of Relais & Châteaux. Night from 170 €.
Hotel Villino, Reiner Fischer Mittenbuch 6 88131 Lindau / Bodolz. Phone. +49 8382 93450.

Hotel Adara
This island hotel combines designer décor with old stones and exposed beams. Double room from 210 € with breakfast.
Adara, Alter Schulplatz 1, 88131 Lindau, Bodensee. Phone. +49 8382 943500.

Lindau Tourist Office , bodensee.eu

Read also: Five exceptional hikes in Germany