Ostseeküstenradweg by bike

Gravel cycle path beside a pebble beach on the west coast of Fehmarn

Photo: Ein Dahmer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Distance
about 1,100 km (680 miles)
Country
Germany
Difficulty
Easy to moderate
Type of trip
Cycling route

The Ostseeküsten-Radweg is the German part of EuroVelo 10, the cycle route round the Baltic, and is also D-Route 2 in Germany's national cycle network. It follows the coast through Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, from Flensburg near the Danish border to Ahlbeck on the island of Usedom, at the Polish border. On the way it passes Eckernförde, Kiel, Fehmarn, Travemünde, Wismar, Warnemünde, Fischland-Darß-Zingst, Stralsund, Rügen and Greifswald. Schleswig-Holstein splits Flensburg to Travemünde into 11 stages, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern splits Travemünde to Ahlbeck into 11 more, including a loop round Rügen. Wikivoyage says to allow two weeks for the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern part alone, and that most people ride it eastwards, which usually suits the wind. You sleep in hotels, guesthouses, youth hostels and campsites. Both the Schleswig-Holstein site and Wikivoyage say to book ahead in high season, when the seaside resorts fill up. Carry cash, as some cafés, snack stalls and restaurants only take cash.

Schleswig-Holstein's tourist board calls its part partly hilly but fine for leisure riders, mostly on good tarmac cycle paths and quiet roads, with short sandy or unsurfaced bits. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern says its part is mostly flat, with climbs on Rügen and Usedom. It isn't all along the beach. German Wikipedia says the route sometimes runs several kilometres inland beside country roads, and through villages on the road itself. In rural parts it warns of coarse gravel, roots, sand and mud after rain, and paths just over 2 m wide shared with oncoming cars. Wikivoyage describes the eastern part as anything from good farm tracks to clifftop paths full of puddles, with a few short steep ramps. It suggests gears, and an e-bike if the wind worries you. Between Lübeck and Fehmarn the X85 bus stands in for the train for the next few years while the new rail link is built, and its bike space is limited.

Highlights along the way

  1. Flensburg and Eckernförde: The Schleswig-Holstein site suggests starting with Flensburg's old harbour and its shipping and rum museum. Eckernförde has an old town and a harbour worth stopping for.
  2. Kiel and Fehmarn: Kiel's Germaniahafen has old traditional ships along the quay, and there's a U-boat to look round at Laboe. You cross the Fehmarnsund bridge to Fehmarn and ride round the island past the NABU water bird reserve.
  3. Wismar to Stralsund: Wismar is a UNESCO World Heritage town. Further east you ride through the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft national park on Fischland-Darß-Zingst. In Stralsund the Ozeaneum has 50 aquariums and penguins on the roof terrace.
  4. Rügen: The route loops round the island. The chalk cliffs at the Königsstuhl in Jasmund National Park have a skywalk and a museum, and the loop also takes in Kap Arkona. Putbus was laid out from 1810 as a spa town, around a round plaza called the Circus.
  5. Greifswald and Usedom: Greifswald cathedral's 100 m tower has a gallery with a view across to Rügen. On Usedom you pass the museum at Peenemünde, the pier at Zinnowitz with its diving gondola and the old imperial seaside resorts, before the end at Ahlbeck.

Distance

About 1,100 km (680 miles) in all, from Flensburg to Ahlbeck, by the federal D-Route count. Schleswig-Holstein gives 438 km from Flensburg to Travemünde, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern about 690 km from Travemünde to Ahlbeck, with the Rügen loop. Its stages run from about 35 km to about 95 km.

Best time to go

Schleswig-Holstein's tourist board says the best time is from early March to the end of October, with spring and autumn the nicest and summer very busy. For the eastern part Wikivoyage suggests May to September, as April is often still cool there. A big storm surge in October 2023 damaged parts of the coast. On 3 November 2026 the Schleswig-Holstein site still listed the effects. On Fehmarn the stretch from Puttgarden to Grüner Brink is closed to bikes, and there are damaged sections on the island's south and east coasts. There are diversions at the Brodtener Steilufer between Niendorf and Travemünde, and between Kellenhusen and the Dahmeshöved lighthouse. Check ostsee-schleswig-holstein.de, auf-nach-mv.de or the local tourist office before you go.

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