Rügen

• , the island's largest town.
• – the "white town"
• , a harbor town with a car ferry connection to Trelleborg in Sweden and Rønne on the Danish island of Bornholm. The place is right next to the Jasmund National Park with its famous chalk cliffs. Its old care offers unique resort architecture.
• , the oldest town on Rügen.
• , including Drewoldke, Gudderitz, Lanckensburg, Mattchow, Schwarbe, Presenske, Wollin and Zühlitz.

Bathing resorts

• , the most famous and bustling beach resort with a long stretch of fine sandy beach.
• including Breege, Juliusruh, Kammin, Lobkevitz and Schmantevitz.

• – UNESCO World Heritage Site with primeval beech forest and coastal landscape, the most famous chalk cliff being the 117 m high Königsstuhl (King's chair)
• , the ruins of world's largest hotel which, however, was never completed. Today turned into modern apartments, youth hostels, museums and event locations (like the nightclub M3 Prora) while still being mostly empty.
• – with its 50 m high steep cliffs it is the northernmost place in East Germany, situated on Rügen north of Putgarten.

The size and shape of the island provides 574km of coastline. The beaches are generally excellent for bathing. In the main season dogs are only allowed on designated dog beaches (Hundestrände), but there are plenty of these. Also on the island are a few nudist (FKK - Freikörperkultur) beaches.

The mother tongue spoken on Rügen is Standard German, with few mixing in a bit of Low German dialect. You will get along with basic English in most areas, especially at the coast. The island was for more than 40 years part of East Germany, when the first foreign language taught in schools was Russian though, so speak clearer and easier to older people.
You should get by with the German phrasebook.
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By plane

Rostock-Laage airport with connections from Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart and Cologne. The airport is about 90km from Rügen.

By car

From the A20 then B96, you can get in by car along Germany's longest bridge from Stralsund on the German mainland, or you can take the ferry from Trelleborg in southern Sweden.

By train

There is also a regional train connection from Stralsund to Sassnitz and Ostseebad Binz, some long distance trains from major German cities travel to Ostseebad Binz.

By boat

Three are three ferries to and from Sassnitz:

• Scandlines, to Trelleborg in Sweden. Phone: +46 42 18 61 00 or +46 410 650 00.
• Bornholmstrafikken , to Rønne on the island of Bornholm. Phone: +45 56 95 18 66
• DFDS Lisco, to Klaipeda in Lithuania.

There is also a cable ferry from Stahlbrode near Greifswald to Glewitz on Rügen.

• Bus: RPNV
• Steam-powered narrow gauge railway, Rügensche BäderBahn - Rasender Roland (Rushing Roland)
• Ship: www.fahrgastschifffahrt-ruegen.de

As well as the coast line with excellent beaches and spectacular cliffs there are some beautiful woodlands and wetlands. This is a great location for wetland bird watching, notably the large flocks of cranes.

• Narrow-gauge railway

  phone: +49 3838 81 35 94
  address: Bahnhofstraße, Putbus
  During the GDR era, the narrow-gauge railway "Rasender Roland" was an important link between Putbus and Göhren, where the steam-hauled trains provided both passenger and freight services. The railway is still a part of the local traffic system and a journey is an excellent way of transportation. There are several nice places to see along the railway, for example the hunting "lodge" (read: "castle") Granitz. You can board the train from any station along the line. Group tickets on offer.

• Horseback riding

  address: Feldweg 2, Zirmoisel
  Whether you are an experienced rider or a beginner, this establishment has something for everyone, for example adventure on horseback or picnic. The center has also a flat for rental.

• Windsurfing/Canoeing

  phone: +49 173 151 39 70
  address: Strand, Lietzow
  If you already know how to surf, you can rent all you need from Wassersportschule Timpeltu. If you cannot surf, they can teach you how. The school also has smaller yachts and canoes for rent.

• Hot air balloon trips

  phone: +49 175 843 16 26, +49 38204 746 65, +49 385 760 57 66
  address: Roggentin bei Rostock
  The company Sanfte Reisen offers flights with a hot air balloon. Departure, time and price on request.

• Diving

  address: Proraer Chausee 50, Prora
  If you are into diving can rent the equipment here. If you do not know how to dive, they can teach you. Tauchen Rügen also arranges guided tours to wrecks.

• Rent a bike

  address: Ferienheim Birkengrund 1, Sassnitz
  Bikes can be rented in almost every place, daily rates start as low as €5. You can get your bike delivered to your holiday appt or hotel. A large, and still to improve, network of bike trails offers sceneries beyond the jammed main roads. The holiday home Birkengrund not only offers accommodation for rent, but also bikes. They have several packages including bikes and accommodation. Guide´d tours on request.

• Water skiing

  address: Am Kapellenberg 1, Zirkow
  WSC Rügen offers classes in water skiing and wakeboard. You may rent per hour, week or season.

• Golf

  address: Dorfstraße 11 a, Karnitz
  The golf centre in Karnitz has two courses, 9 and 18 holes.

Rügen is an island, which you can tell when you walk into a restaurant. Seafood is omnipresent and usually very fresh. Try a fischbrötchen, a sliced bread roll filled with smoked (Raücherfisch) or pickled herring and vegetables. The Germans are crazy about asparagus, so during season, do not miss out. You will also find in the region products made from sea-buckthorn (sanddorn) such as fruit juice (served hot or cold), jam and flavoured ice cream.

The local sea-buckthorn (sanddorn) fruit juice is best hot.
Although brewed just of the island in Stralsund, Störtebeker beer is readily available and well worth a few glasses.

Due to the island's popularity over the years, it is easy to find accommodation at all price and comfort levels. The most common accommodation is various forms of holiday apartments, a practical and cheap way to stay. If you prefer to stay in hotels or hostels, there is plenty to choose from. A double in a hotel is around €80-120/night, breakfast included. A holiday flat, a ferienwohnung, starts at around €20 p.p. and night.

When walking near the cliffs, be careful near the edges as they tend to overhang the actual cliff face and are subject to collapse.
Although rare, there is a risk of coming across wild boar. Best advice is to keep your distance and treat them with respect.

• Stralsund, UNESCO World Heritage old town surrounded by water, the "Gateway to Rügen"
• Usedom Island ("Sunny Island") and Greifswald (university and harbour old town)