Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, from Lübeck to Usedom

Easy to moderate
20 to 77km per cycling day. No particular technical difficulties. Mostly on cycle paths, greenways or minor roads. Little elevation gain: a maximum of 100m per day.

You only carry a small bag with your picnic lunch and belongings for the day. Your luggage is transported from hotel to hotel: 2 bags per person are allowed (maximum 15 kg per bag). We recommend packing a change of clothes in your panniers, as your luggage may occasionally arrive late due to rare, unforeseen circumstances, such as traffic jams.

Bookings are accepted for groups of 2 people or more; solo travellers can also book, but a single room supplement applies.

Depart on a date of your choice, from mid-April to early October

14 days, 13 nights

We email you a digital travel information pack containing:

• access to our smartphone navigation app,
• a list of your accommodation,
• any applicable vouchers,
• information about arriving at your destination and how your trip works (practical guide),
• the route book in French

At your first hotel, you will find:

• your printed vouchers,
• your luggage labels,
• the route book in English – useful for the maps it contains.

This is a self-guided trip, with no guide accompanying you, so you travel independently throughout your stay.

Category A: 3*+ and 4* hotels or equivalent, in a room for two
Category B: 2* to 3* hotels or guesthouses or equivalent, in a room for two

In Germany, double beds with a single large mattress are generally uncommon, as are rooms with 2 separate twin beds. There is usually one bed base with two 90 cm mattresses, and each person has their own duvet. Rooms for 3: these usually have an extra bed added; however, the rooms are generally spacious.

Hotel ratings

More and more hotels are choosing not to have an official rating, including establishments that were still rated a year or two ago. This does not mean their quality has declined – far from it. If we indicate, for example, a comfort level of “3* or equivalent”, this means that the establishment does not necessarily have an official rating, but offers a level of comfort comparable to a 3* hotel.

Breakfast is included. Lunches and dinners are not included, but you will have no difficulty finding somewhere to eat along the way. Please note: dinner is often served early. Make sure you arrive during serving hours.

Bike hire

These are quality German bikes from the manufacturers “Kalkhoff” or “Lehmkuhl” (or equivalent, depending on availability), with women’s and men’s models, which should allow you to enjoy your cycling trip without any mechanical problems.

The bikes are fitted with a front suspension fork, a soft or gel saddle, a hub dynamo with LED lights, and a cycle computer (subject to availability).

Equipment: a 12-litre pannier, a handlebar map holder, a repair kit, a lock and a pump. Electric bikes come with 2 panniers, the battery & charger, and a user manual. FollowMe and a trailer are available on request.

Hybrid bike: standard bike: 7 gears, 28-inch wheels, coaster brake. Please let us know if you would like this model.

Hybrid bike without a coaster brake: 7 or 24 gears, 28-inch wheels: this is the model we reserve for you by default, as French riders are generally unfamiliar with coaster brakes.

E-bike (on request): electrically assisted bicycle: ideal if you are not entirely confident in your cycling ability, or if your small group has different fitness levels. See below. Hydraulic brakes. Bosch motor with a 500 Wh, 36 V battery. Range: up to 140km, assistance up to 25km/h, 7/8 gears, with or without a coaster brake.

Klickfix system on the handlebars.

By plane:
Hamburg Airport

• Scheduled flights, often direct, or direct low-cost flights; in 2 cases, departing from Paris, Geneva and several regional French cities: Lufthansa, Air France, Vueling, Easyjet, Ryanair, etc.
  Visit the Hamburg Airport website

• Hamburg Central Station – Lübeck connection: by train (direct, approx. 45 minutes) or bus (Flixbus, direct, approx. 1 hour)
• Stralsund – Hamburg connection: by train (1 or 2 changes, 3 to 3½ hours) or by train to Greifswald (25 minutes), then bus (Flixbus)

Berlin Airport

• Berlin Central Station – Lübeck connection: by train (2 hours 45 minutes with 1 change) or bus (Flixbus)
• Stralsund – Berlin Central Station connection: by train (direct, approx. 3 hours 10 minutes) or bus (Flixbus)
• Scheduled flights, often direct, or direct low-cost flights; in 2 cases, departing from Paris, Geneva and several regional French cities: Lufthansa, Air France, Vueling, Easyjet, Ryanair, etc.
• Scheduled flights, often direct, or direct low-cost flights; in 2 cases, departing from Paris, Geneva and several regional French cities: Lufthansa, Air France, Vueling, Easyjet, Ryanair, etc.
  Visit the Berlin Airport website

By train:
Stralsund station (from Paris, via Cologne or Mannheim and Berlin) and Lübeck station (via Cologne, Mannheim or Karlsruhe, and Hamburg).
Visit the German Railways (DB) website
Example: depart Paris at 09:04, arrive in Lübeck at 18:48 (with connection times of 1 hour in Mannheim and 30 minutes in Hamburg)
For journeys on regional trains and public transport in Germany, consider the Deutschland Ticket, which allows you to travel throughout Germany. Detailed information here and book here.

By car:
Visit the ViaMichelin website
From Paris: approximately 10 hours' drive

Car parking options:

• in Lübeck, at the hotel (12 to 16€/day, unattended, payable locally)
• on the street (free, unattended),
• public covered car parks, payable locally, with no advance booking possible: for example, Parkhaus Bahnhof (approx. 4€/day). Other public car parks may cost between 5 and 15€ per day.
• Other parking options (free or paid) at: www.parkopedia.de

Transporting your own bikes:

Transporting your bikes back from Usedom to Lübeck is not included: you will need to make sure you book trains that accept bikes.
You can bring your own bikes on this tour, but transporting your bikes and personal luggage back makes independent return travel complicated. We accept no liability for damage, theft or other incidents involving your own bikes.

RETURN by train from Usedom to Lübeck (5 hours 10 minutes):

From Bansin Seebad, Heringsdorf and Ahlbeck stations.
Take the regional train towards Züssow; the journey takes approximately 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Get off at Züssow.
Then take the Regional Express towards Stralsund Hbf. The journey takes approx. 40 minutes. Get off at Stralsund’s main station: Stralsund Hauptbahnhof.
Then travel from Stralsund to Lübeck by train: approximately 3 hours, with at least one change in Rostock.

If you book an extra night in Stralsund, a transfer from Stralsund to Lübeck is arranged at 8 am.

Please note
The travel information above is provided for guidance and is subject to change. Please check it before departure.

A number of our trips offer opportunities to swim, either during a day’s route or at the end of the day. It would be a shame to miss out. However, we emphasise that you alone must decide whether it is appropriate to swim; any swimming is therefore your own responsibility and at your own risk. On the German section, there are many opportunities to swim at seaside resorts along the Baltic Sea. Remember to bring your swimwear and a beach towel. The temperature generally ranges between 19°C and 35°C during the period offered.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips—on foot, by bike and on snow—to invite everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As a member of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the sector move towards more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we are committed to:

• Transparency in our practices and pricing
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on each of our trips

We also share the values of the Traveller’s Ethical Charter, which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and make meaningful connections with others.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international certification that recognises our responsible environmental, ethical and sustainable management practices, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a demanding international certification, recognises our practical efforts to support responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in accordance with our sustainability policy

For cycling

• Cycling shorts or tights, depending on the season
• Cycling gloves
• A helmet
• Sunglasses (to protect against the sun, wind and midges)
• A windproof jacket
• T-shirts or cycling jerseys
• A handlebar smartphone mount & a power bank
• A water bottle

Please note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. New merino wool clothing is also available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the advantage of resisting sweat odours (brands include Icebreaker, Ruka, etc.)!
As a general rule, avoid cotton, which makes you cold when wet.

For sun and rain protection

• Sunscreen and sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat (helmet)
• A windproof jacket
• A rain cape or a Gore-Tex jacket

After cycling

• A jumper or fleece
• Comfortable trousers for walking
• Shorts
• A tracksuit or a change of clothes
• A lightweight, long-sleeved cotton shirt
• A pair of running-style trainers for the evening
• Spare clothes and underwear
• A toiletry bag
• Swimwear
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, Elastoplast, dressing gauze or “2nd skin”, gauze, disinfectant, arnica granules and aspirin for minor aches and injuries…

Luggage

• If your bike does not have a pannier, bring a comfortable, small 40-litre backpack with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic during the day. If you have a luggage rack, you can secure your bag to it with bungee cords. Rental bikes come with a pannier for your belongings. Bring a small backpack as well; it makes it easy to carry your belongings when you stop to visit places along the way.
• A bag for luggage transfers: a backpack or travel bag in good condition

Country: Germany
Capital: Berlin

Travellers, including minors, must carry a national identity card or passport (EU nationals).

Bring your European Health Insurance Card, which you should request from your health insurance provider at least 15 days before departure. Health conditions are similar to those in France.

German National Tourist Office
21 rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris
Tel. 0140201706, fax 0140201700
www.germany-tourism.de

Dialling code for calling France from abroad: 0033
Dialling code for calling Germany: 0049

No time difference from France. GMT +1.

The euro in Germany

A few legends from the Baltic islands…

Klaus Störtebeker (pronounced SHTUR-tuh-bay-kuh): Nicknamed the Red Privateer, Klaus Störtebeker, whose name means “knock back the tankard” in Low German and would deserve a story of its own, was a famous pirate from northern Germany who lived in the 14th century. The city of Hamburg is said to have tasked Simon Utrecht with capturing him, which he reportedly managed despite the pirate’s attempts to bribe him. According to various accounts, he was either burned or beheaded in 1401. In the latter version, he was supposedly promised that all the pirates he could walk past after being beheaded would be pardoned. 11 pirates should therefore have been spared, but the mayor of Hamburg broke his promise. Legend also has it that his ghost still prowls the shores of the Baltic Sea in search of the treasure he is said to have buried on Rügen…

The Königsstuhl : Seen from the sea, it rises 118 metres in crumbling rock, battered by sea spray and almost smooth in places. It is said that anyone who dared to climb the cliff and then sit on the stone that forms a seat would become king of Rügen… (Attempting to climb the cliff is strictly forbidden, as doing so would prove fatal).

The woman of the Watch Rock: At the foot of the Königsstuhl lies an enormous granite boulder, smoothed by erosion, known as the Watch Rock. Every 7 years, a beautiful young woman is said to appear at first light on 24 June (St John’s Day). Anyone who greeted her with the words “Guten Tag, Gott helfe” (“Good day, may God be with you”) would free her from a curse. To thank them, she would reveal the location of a treasure. Less risky than climbing the Königsstuhl, this legend nevertheless calls for some practice with your German pronunciation…