1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Paradise for hikers

July 31, 2012

Strings of beaches, breathtaking cliffs and elegant seaside resorts - the island of Ruegen on Germany's north-eastern Baltic coast beguiles visitors with its architectural and natural beauty.

Strings of beaches, breathtaking cliffs and elegant seaside resorts - the island of Ruegen on Germany's north-eastern Baltic coast beguiles visitors with its architectural and natural beauty.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

The chalk cliffs are among the most imposing features of Ruegen's island landscape, towering up to 120 meters (390 feet) over the Baltic Sea. The most famous cliff, known as the "Koenigsstuhl" or "King's Chair" is one of Ruegen's landmarks.

The island is also a paradise for hikers. Its three nature preserves offer a variety of scenery, from beech forests to wild meadows to heaths, moors, and salt marshes. The landscape is especially lovely in the spring, when nature awakens from its winter sleep.

Ruegen is famous for its beautiful white cliffsImage: picture-alliance / dpa

Cyclists can enjoy nearly 200 kilometers of bicycle paths, which often pass through terrain closed to automobile traffic. The island is also famous for the "Rasende Roland," Germany's oldest narrow-gauge railway, which traverses the coastline between the seaside towns of Binz, Sellin and Goehren.

The towns feature the gleaming white buildings of Ruegen's famous resort architecture. In the early pre-season, visitors can enjoy a stroll along the beach promenade to the pier, without the crowds of tourists that will throng to the island in only a few months to come.

Discover Germany # Recommended - Three Tips for a Trip to Rügen # 28.03.2010

04:07

This browser does not support the video element.

From Visit Germany

Editor: Kate Bowen

Skip next section Explore more
Skip next section DW's Top Story

DW's Top Story

Skip next section More stories from DW