Destination-Report Usedom: Decelerate & relax days on Europe's longest promenade {reader's travel tip}

Anyone who thinks hiking in the mountains is strenuous has never tried beach hiking. At the same time, it's totally decelerating and exhausting at the same time. For example on Usedom.

Beach hiking on Usedom - pure deceleration

I was able to try out for myself how great and decelerating it is, but also exhausting at the same time, on Europe's longest beach promenade on Usedom. Here you can hike for 12 kilometers from Świnoujście in Poland to Bansin, and you can even get to Koserow directly along the beach.

Most of the time I chose the path directly along the beach: there is simply no better option than that Head to really get free than to have the smell of salt water in your nose and the wind in your hair accompanied by the sound of the waves. However, one should not underestimate how tiring it is to walk on sand, even if it is relatively hard-packed. So I only walked parts of it.

Detour to the imperial baths

Especially between Ahlbeck and Heringsdorf as well as in Bansin, a detour to the promenade and the towns is worthwhile: Because these are the so-called imperial baths with unique villas from the 19th century, some of which are even built especially on Lücke to accommodate their residents in the second row to allow the sea view. The resort architecture offers a charming contrast to the Polish city of Swinoujscie with its modern new hotel buildings.

Directly on the Ahlbeck Promenade, Uwe's Fischerhütte conveys the flair of the fishing milieu. Here the Krüger family, fishermen in the 6th generation, offers freshly caught fish from the Baltic Sea, oven-fresh smoked fish and fish rolls in different variations. You can also eat very well in the Fischkopp restaurant, which is about halfway in Bansin ways located between the beach and the train station.

Mountains and sea on the steep coast

Behind the end of Bansin rises the Lange Berg, the second highest point on the coast. While the beach below the steep bank is getting quieter and quieter, from above you have a phenomenal view of the entire beach.

From Bansin you hike on towards Ückeritz. The 4-kilometer-long natural campsite "Am Strand" runs directly behind the dune. In Ückeritz it is worthwhile to hike to the Achterwasserseite: the Café Knatter and the surf school on the Achterwasser in Ückeritz offer ideal conditions for surfing and kiting when the wind is blowing west.

Worth seeing hinterland

The landscape of the Loddiner Höft is also beautiful with its steep bank to the backwaters. The fish and grill restaurant Waterblick in Loddin delights its guests not only with the fantastic view of the Achterwasser, but also convinces with excellent Pomeranian fish specialties such as jellied fish in the style of Loddin, Loddin noble fish meatballs á la Executive or Loddiner frying pan.

In Koserow, a walk up the Streckelsberg is worthwhile. It is the highest point on the coast. From above you have a beautiful view of the Baltic Sea. A new pier with three wave-shaped curved elements is currently being built in Koserow. It is to be 290 meters long and three and a half meters wide and equipped with a 400 square meter platform at the bridgehead.

Good food and lots of rest

Idyllic places in the original, maritime Usedom are the listed Koserow salt works from the 19th century. They were used by the fishermen as salt stores during the herring season. You can eat fish or fish rolls very well in the Koserower salt huts. The fish freshly smoked on beech wood is particularly recommended.

Perhaps the quietest stretch of beach on the island is, however, further north between Trassenheide and Karlshagen. The forest just behind the dune is really remarkable with its extreme hills. The beach ends behind Karlshagen and gradually turns into a belt of reeds. That is quite attractive. From there you have a beautiful view of the Greifswalder Oie and Rügen.

Journey of discovery through the hinterland

In general, Usedom also offers many interesting hiking opportunities inland: In the Achterland, the Low German expression for hinterland, there is, for example, the idyllic village of Benz with its very original church and the Dutch windmill.

You can also hike around or cycle around the remote, almost idyllic and enchanted Lieper Winkel. The small towns of Liepe with the oldest church and the small fishing town of Warthe am Achterwasser are worth seeing. In the south, towards Stettiner Haff, the small town of Stolpe with the Stolpe Castle is worth seeing. Here, too, you can eat very well in the coach house.

Creative brewery in the moated castle

In the Mellenthin moated castle, which is well worth seeing and has its own brewery, you can take a nice break, eat waffles or something hearty and drink coffee or beer. In addition to the classics light & dark are depending on Lust At the whim of the master brewer, other varieties such as Mellenthin wheat, bock, smoked, black and old or surprising creations such as beer with coffee, ginger or amber are on offer - while stocks last!

On big Resonance chows down a beer with hemp, which the lord of the castle Jan Fidora calls Mellenthiner Cannabis for advertising purposes. Another of their own creations, the dry-hopped wine "Wine & Hops", is very popular and not only convinces wine lovers. The latest achievement is an in-house distillery, in which fine fruit schnapps and a special type of whiskey are distilled.

Quaint location for small events with an active program

The Cafe Knatter in Ückeritz is also exciting in this context. It is suitable for seminars, Meetings or incentive events of all kinds, as long as the scope remains small and especially if a sporting accompanying program is desired - because the cafe also has a surfing school.

Even if that Team has experience in organizing events, the Cafe Knatter is not a MICE location at first glance. As the restaurant manager explains to me, it is Business-Target group not necessarily in the focus of the cafe.

“We are not a conference hotel,” she says clear. But because of its special location, the service and good food as well as the affiliated surf school, the cafe is definitely worth a second look as a MICE location.

Special location, good service

The cafe is right on the Bodden me gorgeous view of the lake. There is a restaurant, a terrace and a room to be separated as a seminar or meeting room, which offers space for 20 man.

In the entire restaurant, depending on the weather, which allows the terrace use, about 60 people place. There are 9 modern, original and lovingly furnished double rooms of various sizes.

Value for money

Plus the price-performance ratio is: One night in the simplest room costs 42 to 47 Euro per person, including breakfast. This is of high quality: freshly squeezed orange juice and fresh fruit you will not necessarily synonymous upscale hotels.

Also service and kitchen are altogether positive. The family atmosphere, in which sometimes special wishes are fulfilled, is the big advantage of a small pension in comparison to larger, but anonymous houses.

Surfing school next door

The surf school next door can teach groups up to 15 participants surfing or sailing at the same time. Kite surfing is not ideal because of the difficult wind conditions.

For bigger groups, the group can be divided, in which one has experience, for example, through class journeys, as Jörg Arwert, head of surf school, tells me. As a guideline, a trial lesson costs 25 Euro, an entire course includes 8 hours, which are distributed over three days. However, the surf school is open only by the 1. May to 30. September.

Shortcoming space and WLAN problems

And there are a few other restrictions too, such as the lack of business infrastructure in Cafe Knatter: no projector, no flipchart and the WiFi has never been tested with 20 people at the same time. Boss Jana Kröber suspects that it is Problems could be, since the signal is rather weak.

Also the accommodation of the seminar participants could be scih difficult as: In addition to the limited space available in Cafe Knatter, there is no larger hotel in Ückeritz: the participants would have to be distributed to different guest houses.

 Worth considering

Nevertheless, the Cafe Knatter is worth considering for smaller events with sports offer. By the way, the Baltic Sea beach is about 30 minutes away on foot, there is the possibility to rent cheap bikes on Usedom Rad and numerous other sports and recreational opportunities.

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