Top Trip Highlights From Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany

Four days in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was hardly enough time to see and do everything this state has to offer (heck, I can barely scratch the surface of a place with a full week!), however, that’s how much time I had to explore this new-to-me part of Germany. I dove in head first and tried to see as much as possible, and this post is a small glimpse at some of the highlights from my visit.

Taking a walking tour of Stralsund

The first thing that caught my eye in Stralsund was the red brickwork. This is a city that has UNESCO World Heritage status and I imagined it was because of its distinct architecture, however, I was surprised to learn that it’s actually because the mapping of the city streets remains unchanged since the medieval period. Sure, some sections of road have been paved and in other stretches the cobblestones have needed a little bit of fixing up, but aside from that the streets themselves are exactly where they were several centuries back.

Learning to punt at Freilichtmuseum Klockenhagen

Another highlight came in the form of a visit to Freilichtmuseum Klockenhagen, an open air museum that showcases local life as it was a few centuries back. It was quite similar to the other open air museum I had visited in Spreewald just a few days prior, and this one also allowed you to experience certain elements of daily living. I may have failed at riding the penny-farthings they had in the yard, but I felt like a master punter as I pushed my raft around the lagoon.

Biking in Fischland-Darß-Zingst

Fischland-Darß-Zingst is a 45-kilometre long peninsula in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and it’s a pretty idyllic place to go biking. The towns and villages are connected by small lanes that take you past farm fields and cottages, and as you can see the homes in this area look straight out of a picture book. Many of the traditional houses have roofs made out of reeds, and the exteriors are also painted in bright cheerful colours. My favourite house was the one with blue walls and red shutters – I felt like Hansel and Gretel were going to step out the front door any second!

Watching the Zeesboot Regatta in Wustrow

My visit to Wustrow couldn’t have been planned any better. I happened to be in town on the very same day that the Zeesboot Regatta was taking place – one of the biggest events of the summer season! Having never attended a regatta before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I was pleasantly surprised when I reached the harbour and saw that it was full of wooden boats with red sails. (I was told that back in the day the sails would have been dyed red using herring blood!) The boats taking part in the race were Zeesbooten, which are vessels that were once used for fishing in the Bodden. There was a live band playing and everyone was cheering for the boats as they left the harbour.

Driving the green tunnels of Ruegen Island

I’ve already written in depth about my time in Ruegen and all that the island has to offer, however, if there’s one thing that I failed to mention it’s that the roads in Ruegen are a dream! There were stretches where either side of the road was lined with trees that created a green tunnel, and there were stretches where the road turned into a cobbled lane that cut through the forest. I was so blown away by the view that I had to pull over on more than one occasion so that I could snap a few photos. It seriously looked like something straight out of a Pinterest board!

Have you been to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania?
What were some of your favourite destinations in the state?

This trip was planned in partnership with the German National Tourism Board as part of their #JoinGermanTradition campaign which seeks to highlight unique customs and traditions across Germany.