We love our new hobby – cycling. That doesn’t mean we didn’t enjoy cycling before, of course, but we never had our own bikes (always borrowed from our parents) and therefore never spontaneously went out on our bikes. Since we got our own bikes, however, the world has looked completely different. Just recently, it happened again: “It’s supposed to be nice and warm today with lots of sun and hardly any wind!” And you can guess what we did then, right? “Okay, cool, let’s postpone work until the evening and go for a short bike ride.”.
No sooner said than done! We spontaneously drove to the Baltic Sea resort of Graal Müritz, parked the car there, grabbed our bikes, and rode first to the super idyllic Baltic Sea resort of Dierhagen and then on to Ribnitz-Damgarten. We then cycled back through the beautiful Rostock Heath to the starting point in Graal Müritz. It was a wonderful day in nature with the Caribbean Sea and many charming villages. We’ve brought back lots of great photos for you and, of course, plenty of inspiration. So hop on your bike and let’s go…
- Our route at a glance
- 1. Start in Graal Müritz
- 2. The Baltic Sea Cycle Route
- 3. The beautiful beaches
- 4. The idyllic town of Neuhaus
- 5. Dierhagen Beach
- 6. The small harbor in Dierhagen
- 7. Detour to Ribnitz-Damgarten
- 8. Return trip through the Rostock Heath
- Packing list for our bike tour
Our route at a glance
On the map below, we’ve marked our route with the individual stops. We started in the Baltic Sea resort of Graal Müritz, which is only about 25 minutes from Rostock. We parked the car in a free parking lot, grabbed the bikes from the trunk, and headed to the sea.
From here, you can take a leisurely ride along the Baltic Sea Cycle Route to Dierhagen (and much further). From there, we turned off to Ribnitz-Damgarten and strolled through the pretty town on the Bodden. We then cycled directly back to Graal Müritz through the lush Rostock Heath. The entire route was approximately 33 kilometers and took just under 4 hours including all the stops and breaks.
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1. Start in Graal Müritz
Our cycling tour started in Graal Müritz, a beautiful seaside resort near Rostock. We love hiking in this area, as the beautiful Rostock Heath is also located here. Graal Müritz stretches for almost 5 kilometers between the towns of Dierhagen and Rostock, is enchantingly situated by the sea and offers a breathtaking sandy beach.
A walk on the approximately 300-meter-long pier should not be missing from your itinerary. Nor should a detour to the 4.5-hectare rhododendron park, where you can admire over 2,500 plants.
Sights in Graal Müritz
- 300-meter-long pier
- Rhododendron park with 2,500 plants
- History in the local history museum
- Protestant and Catholic churches
- Stroll through the lovely shops
- Numerous restaurants and cafés
- Graal Müritz promenade
- Fishermen’s cottages
- Gallery Dutch windmill & Water Tower
2. The Baltic Sea Cycle Route
From Graal Müritz, you can comfortably cycle between the beach and the forest on the Baltic Sea Cycle Route to Dierhagen. The sandy path is very well-developed, and you repeatedly pass beach entrances where you can park your bike and walk across the dunes to the sea.
The Baltic Sea Cycle Route is 1,140 kilometers long, 695 kilometers of which run through Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The starting point is in Lübeck-Travemünde and the end point is in Ahlbeck on the island of Usedom, but of course, it also works the other way around. We’d also like to try this multi-day tour.
3. The beautiful beaches
Right here, between Graal Müritz and Dierhagen, you’ll find one of the most beautiful stretches of coast in Germany (at least from our perspective). The beaches are very wide and await you with fine, light sand. The water slopes gently, making these beaches ideal for kids and dogs.
We were lucky and had simply fantastic weather, which is why the sea looked like the Caribbean and sparkled in the most beautiful shades of blue. Wonderful! We want to come back in the summer and experience a really nice day at the beach with everything that goes with it.
4. The idyllic town of Neuhaus
Dierhagen is only about 8 kilometers from Graal Müritz, so you don’t need to plan much time. However, since we stopped at many beach entrances, it took us a bit longer. On the way to the harbor of Dierhagen, we passed through the small, enchanting district of Neuhaus (a district of Dierhagen) with its pretty thatched-roof houses.
Here, there are stunningly beautiful houses right in the forest and not far from the sea. The district consists almost entirely of vacation apartments and holiday homes; there is also a campsite, a bakery, and an ice cream parlor. Neuhaus is also located at the end of the “Großes Moor” (Great Moor) nature reserve, where you can enjoy a variety of hikes.
5. Dierhagen Beach
We cycled through Neuhaus, continued through the forest, and reached the district of Dierhagen Beach. For us, this area is the gateway to the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula, which you should definitely check out. Dierhagen is located between the sea and the Booden lake and is divided into 6 districts: Dierhagen Village, Dierhagen Beach, Dierhagen East, Neuhaus, Dändorf, and Körkwitz Hof. Each district exudes its own charm and an incredible sense of tranquility.
We believe Dierhagen is the perfect vacation spot for families with children. We particularly love the overgrown dunes and coastal forests all around, as well as the beautiful, expansive, stone-free sandy beach, which is perfect for sunbathing and swimming. This beach is a full 7 kilometers long and offers plenty of space even during the peak season. We definitely want to spend a lovely summer day here with our kids (nieces and nephews).
Sights in the Baltic Sea resort of Dierhagen:
- Brick church from the 19th century
- The small harbor near Dierhagen Village
- Captains’ houses & Fishermen’s cottages in Dierhagen Village
- Dierhagen spa gardens & tent cinema
- Ribnitzer Großes Moor nature reserve
- Hiking in the Rostock Heath
- Historic salt harbor in Dändorf
6. The small harbor in Dierhagen
From Dierhagen Beach, we cycled directly to the small harbor on the Bodden side. Here you can marvel at the traditional Zees boats, which ferry tourists and vacationers across the Bodden during the season. You can also take a pleasure boat to Wustrow or Ribnitz.
As soon as the sun rises, the small fishing boats set sail, returning a little later with freshly caught fish and other seafood. If you still have a little time, you can visit the pretty brick church in Dierhagen village and the many idyllic fishermen’s cottages and captain’s houses.
7. Detour to Ribnitz-Damgarten
Our bike tour then continued through the idyllic landscape to Ribnitz-Damgarten, about 10 km away. This town is also called the “Amber Town” because of the long tradition of amber handicrafts here.
First, we reached the charming harbor on the southern shore of Lake Ribnitz and then the cozy and picturesque old town with its many colorful houses and narrow alleys. From the 55 meter high tower of St. Mary’s Church you have a wonderful view of the historic town center, the Bodden and the Baltic Sea.
Sights in Ribnitz-Damgarten
- The cozy harbor on the Bodden
- St. Mary’s Church in the old town & Rostock Gate
- German Amber Museum
- Pütnitz Technology Museum
- Klockenhagen Open-Air Museum
- Vorpommern Boddenlandschaft National Park
- Ribnitzer Große Moor & Rostock Heath
8. Return trip through the Rostock Heath
After we made a short stop at the harbor in Ribnitz-Damgarten and then strolled through the town center and got a little refreshment at the bakery, we drove directly back to Graal Müritz to our car, just under 12 kilometers. We also passed the Rostock Heath, a 6,000-hectare coastal forest with more than 60 km of cycling and hiking trails. We absolutely love exploring the Rostock Heath and especially love the mix of sea and forest. After about four hours, we returned to the car, stowed the bikes, and rode back home to Rostock. Ever since we got a flat tire on our last bike tour on the Baltic Sea Cycle Route, we no longer start our tours without a spare inner tube and an air pump. We also brought gloves, a hat/headband, and a scarf with us on this trip, as it can get quite chilly on the coast in winter and spring. Your backpack should, of course, contain enough provisions (bread, fruit, vegetables, snacks) for the trip, as well as plenty of water. Also, wear comfortable clothing, preferably breathable and not necessarily cotton (check out Decathlon*). You should also pack sunscreen, as the sun can take a toll on your skin, even during the cooler months of the year. We also brought a beach towel* for a picnic and our water bottle* with fresh coffee.
If you’d like to know what camera equipment we have, take a look here: Our complete photo equipment. Our bikes: Marco has the CUBE Aim EX 29 and Bolle has the Cube Touring One.