European island Brits won’t have heard of that’s like ‘travelling to the 1970s’ with white sand beaches and beer tours
AN island off the coast of Germany has tourists believing they’re holidaying in the 1970s.
Rügen is a little-known stunning German island with beautiful beaches, fields of sunflowers and huge lakes, but be prepared as it’s very unique.
The island off the north coast of Germany gets two million visitors every year, but isn’t that well-known to Brits.
On the island you’ll find four towns and five popular seaside resorts – Binz, Baabe, Göhren, Sellin and Thiessow.
Rügen has 37 miles of sandy beaches, with Binz being one of the hotspots for sunbathing, particularly in the summer months when the weather reaches over 20 degrees.
On the sandy beach you’ll find 1970s inspired beach chairs and wicker basket seating.
The Binz Pier, also called ‘Seebrücke’, is a popular spot for fishing and taking a stroll at sunset.
Seven miles away on Sellin beach is a beautiful pier with a restaurant and a diving gondola that looks like it’s from a movie.
The gondola allows visitors to go into the Baltic Sea without getting wet and is only one of four in the world.
Other sights include the Granitz Hunting Lodge which was built between 1837 and 1846 and was once home to royalty is now a museum.
On the island there’s also the Jasmund National Park, which is the smallest in Germany and home to the chalk coast of the island and its beech forest.
A must-see spot is the Königsstuhl (translated as the King’s Chair), the highest point of the island, offering an incredible view over the sea, which can be reached by a coastal path.
For any fan of beer, there are tours and tastings across the island.
Rügener Insel-Brauerei in Rambin gives tours of their brewing process and offers tastings of rare and classic beers.
If a tour of the island is what you’re after, there’s the Rügensche Kleinbahn railway that runs from Binz to Sellin, Baabe and Göhren.
Jump on the historic coaches, some of which are 100 years old, that explore 14.5 miles of railway track.
As for where to stay, there are plenty of holiday homes, apartments and campsites. Some holiday homes you can stay in for just £54 per night.
One person who visited commented that they felt like had been transported back to the 1970s.
They even said they felt like they were “holidaying in the GDR” because of the harsh architecture and man-made lakes amidst the natural beauty of the island.
The ‘Dokumentationszentrum Prora’ in Binz is a huge grey building, now a museum that is part of World War II history.
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