Fancy a relaxing bike ride along the beautiful Baltic Sea coast on the Baltic Sea Cycle Route? We present a varied day tour that takes you to charming Baltic Sea resorts, impressive cliffs, across meadows and fields, and all the way to stunningly beautiful beaches. The coastal bike tour from Heiligendamm to Rerik can be completed in a relaxed one-day tour (a leisurely 2 hours each way), but it can also be done much faster. However, if you’d like to take a break and explore the surrounding area, we recommend a full day trip.
The Baltic Sea Cycle Route is 1,140 kilometers long (695 km in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) and runs predominantly on well-maintained paths and roads. Many more stages await you (and us), which couldn’t be more varied. In the following article, we’ll tell you all about our bike tour, the places we visited, and the top highlights. Enjoy browsing!
- Baltic Sea Cycle Route – Our Day Tour
- 1. Start in Heiligendamm
- 2. Heiligendamm Ghost Forest
- 3. Cliffs between Kühlungsborn and Heiligendamm
- 4. Kühlungsborn Baltic Sea resort
- 5. Kägsdorf and Bastorf Lighthouse
- 6. Rerik Baltic Sea resort on the Salzhaff Lagoon
- Return trip to Heiligendamm
- Packing list for the Baltic Sea Cycle Route
Baltic Sea Cycle Route – Our Day Tour
We opted for a relaxed bike tour from Heiligendamm to Rerik, with stops in Kühlungsborn and Kägsdorf. You can, of course, do this tour on the Baltic Sea Cycle Route the other way around, however you prefer. Generally, you should allow around 1.5 to 2 hours per route (approx. 22 km each). With breaks, exploratory stops, and breakdowns, we added another 3 hours, so at the end of the day we had around 7 to 7.5 hours on the clock. We prefer slow travel, which is why we took our time in the towns on this tour as well.
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1. Start in Heiligendamm
We started our bike tour on the Baltic Sea Cycle Route in the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm, the oldest Baltic Sea resort in Germany. Heiligendamm is actually a district of the town of Bad Doberan, but is located directly on the Baltic Sea coast. The seaside resort was founded in 1793 and has since been considered a resort for the European aristocracy. At that time, concerts, dance evenings, children’s festivals, sporting events, horse races, tennis tournaments, and other events took place here. Numerous beautiful (predominantly white) villas were built in the neoclassical style, which, incidentally, are the reason for the nickname “White City by the Sea.” In 1908, there were 2,480 spa guests, which was quite a lot for that time. Especially considering that the Baltic Sea resort isn’t really that big.
The white villas are lined up like a string of pearls, most of which belong to the 5-star Grand Hotel*. This hotel opened in 2003 and awaits you with wellness, top-class cuisine, and exclusive rooms and suites. Some dilapidated villas have already been restored, while others are to be rebuilt true to their historical origins. While strolling along the promenade, you can marvel at many of the buildings in the complex; the best view is from the 200-meter-long pier. The adjacent coastal forest also invites you to enjoy a variety of hikes and walks.
Other sights in Heiligendamm:
- Catholic and Protestant Forest Chapel
- Ride on the historic Molli steam train (more about it here)
- Ghost Forest Heiligendamm
- Sundowner at Deck Beach Club Heiligendamm
- Fine-grained, almost stone-free beach Heiligendamm
- Excursion to Doberan Minster
Parking: We parked the car in “Parking Space 3” right next to the dunes and paid €5 for a day ticket (€0.50 per hour). There are numerous parking spaces in the Baltic Sea resort; it’s best to take a look at this map: Parking Heiligendamm.
2. Ghost Forest Heiligendamm
After exploring the small Baltic Sea resort on foot, we finally headed towards the Ghost Forest. Simply follow the Baltic Sea Coastal Cycle Path to the Deck Beach Club. You won’t find any witches or ghosts here, but the tall, old, and gnarled trees can certainly provide the occasional spooky moment. Such forests are particularly beautiful and mystical in the morning or evening hours when the fog drifts through the forest. Some of the trees are 170 years old and are distinctively bent and shaped by the salty winds. The view from the cliffs is unique! By the way, you should definitely check out the ghost forest in Nienhagen!
A popular meeting place is the Deck Beach Club Heiligendamm, which is located here in the forest directly on the cliffs and offers a unique view of the sea. In summer, you can relax on the terrace with a delicious cocktail, spend a few hours in a beach chair, or rent a SUP and paddle across the water. How beautiful must an evening dinner be with the sunset and cozy sounds from the speakers? Wonderful…
3. Cliffs between Kühlungsborn & Heiligendamm
We pushed the bikes back onto the coastal cycle path and set off for Kühlungsborn. From the Ghost Forest, it’s only about 4 kilometers before you reach the small harbor in Kühlungsborn. The path there is sandy, but well-maintained and easy to cycle on. Along the way, you’ll pass some beautiful viewpoints where you should stop again. You can also walk down to the natural beaches and enjoy the view over the sea. The hike from Kühlungsborn to Heiligendamm and back is also popular.
4. Ostseebad Kühlungsborn
We reached the Ostseebad Kühlungsborn, which we had already explored last summer, on the Baltic Sea Cycle Route. This time, however, there were very few people around, which is of course also due to the ongoing pandemic. The Baltic Sea resort is only about 40 minutes by car from Rostock and is located between Rerik and Heiligendamm. Two districts await you here: Kühlungsborn East and Kühlungsborn West. Between them lies the lush green, truly large city forest. This is why the Baltic Sea resort is also nicknamed the “Green City by the Sea.” Particularly beautiful are the expansive and long sandy beach, the beautiful pier, the historic resort architecture, and the wide range of excursion destinations in the area.
Other sights in Kühlungsborn:
- Kühlungsborn pier
- The harbor with promenade
- GDR border tower
- Villas of spa architecture
- Long sandy beach & Promenade
- The green city forest
- Stone nature trail
Reading tip: We have already written a detailed article about the sophisticated Baltic Sea resort of Kühlungsborn. There you can learn all about the sights, accommodations, excursion destinations, and beaches.
5. Kägsdorf & Bastorf Lighthouse
We left Kühlungsborn behind us and continued on the Riedenweg towards Kägsdorf. Now you drive through the idyllic flat landscapes around the Riedensee nature reserve. Kägsdorf is a small, quiet village, but it does have a beautiful stretch of coast with a beach (1.2 km from the village). If you cycle directly through the village, you’ll reach the intersection toward the Bastorfer Lighthouse. We didn’t turn off on this tour, however, as we had already seen the lighthouse on our last bike tour. You can learn more about it and see more pictures of the lighthouse in our Kühlungsborn post. The view from the lighthouse is fantastic, by the way!
6. Baltic Sea resort of Rerik on the Salzhaff
We continued our coastal bike tour and followed the signs to the Baltic Sea resort of Rerik, 7.5 km away (via Meschendorfer Weg), which is located between the Salzhaff and the island of Poel. We locked our bikes at the harbor and explored this seaside resort on foot. Despite the cold and thick clouds, we made ourselves comfortable on a bench on the harbor promenade and first got out our lunch boxes. After dinner, the clouds cleared and the sun came out again – perfect timing! We strolled up the small Schmiedeberg and enjoyed the beautiful view of the sea, the town, the Salzhaff, and the harbor. Magnificent!
Afterward, we explored the beautiful, fine sandy beach with its pier, strolled through Rerik, and stopped at St. Johannis Church, the local history museum, and the cliffs. Rerik is a very relaxed little town that we definitely want to visit again in the summer. In the lovingly designed local history museum, you can learn more about Rerik’s history and even get insights into the time before the town was first inhabited. During the season, various excursion boats from the harbor take you to the lagoon, to the island of Poel, and along the Wustrow peninsula. More about Rerik here: Our best tips for the Baltic Sea resort of Rerik.
All sights in Rerik:
- Rerik pier
- View from Schmiedeberg
- Excursion to the island of Poel, Wustrow peninsula, and Salzhaff
- Church and local history museum
- The small harbor with the lagoon promenade
- Fine sandy beach
- Views from the cliffs (Liebesschlucht gorge, Rosengarten)
- Metalithic tombs of Rerik
Rerik Parking:If you want to start your tour in Rerik, you can park your car at the “Teufelsschlucht” parking lot and set off. A day ticket costs €2 in winter and €6 in summer.
Return to Heiligendamm
Around 5 p.m., we slowly made our way back to Heiligendamm. We returned the exact same way, via Kägsdorf and Kühlungsborn. In the Baltic Sea resort of Kühlungsborn, we sat down on a bench on the beach promenade, ate our last snacks, and enjoyed the now fading sun. The view of the sea was the crowning conclusion to this coastal bike tour from Heiligendamm to Rerik.
Around 7 p.m., we returned to our car in Heiligendamm. In total, we cycled almost 45 kilometers on the Ostseeküstenradweg that day, spending around 7 hours (4 hours of cycling, 3 hours of breaks, exploring, and repairs). The bike tour along the coast was very relaxing, varied, and, of course, very scenic. You can find more great routes and tours along the beautiful Baltic Sea coast on the Komoot website, and in the future, of course, here with us as well.
Packing list for the Baltic Sea Cycle Route
Did we already mention that we got a flat tire on the way there in Kühlungsborn? Luckily, we got a tube at a bike repair shop and were able to continue the tour after a 1.5-hour delay. Since that incident, we won’t set off without a spare tube and a pump. We were also very glad that we had gloves, a hat/headband, and a scarf with us, because it can get quite chilly on the coast in winter/spring. Your backpack should, of course, contain enough provisions (bread, fruit, vegetables, snacks) for the ride, as well as plenty of drinks.
Also wear comfortable clothing, preferably breathable and not necessarily cotton (check out Decathlon*). You should also pack sunscreen, as the sun is harsh on your skin, even during the cooler months. We also brought our blue Weltverliebt beach towel* for a picnic, our bamboo water bottle* (filled with coffee), our cool road trip mug*, and our beloved “South Africa” camera strap*. Feel free to stop by our shop; we’d love to see you.Our bikes: Marco has the CUBE Aim EX 29 and Bolle the Cube Touring One.