Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [668]
Münsterteicher ( 143 80; Strandpromenade 17-18; mains €9.90-19.80; from noon) The Strandhalle’s sister restaurant, fronted by a terrace strewn with green-and-white-canopied Strandkörbe (beach chairs), serves Argentine steaks, pasta, fish and sushi.
Poseidon ( 337 10; Lottumstrasse 1; mains €11.50-17.50; from noon) One of the most respected restaurants in Binz, this lovely historic villa one block west of the Strandpromenade serves famously fresh catches of the day and even has a menu section that takes you ‘round the herring’. For those who don’t eat fish, venison is another speciality.
Strandhalle ( 315 64; Strandpromenade 5; mains €11.90-18.40; noon-11pm) Toni Münster-teicher’s Strandhalle is a local legend that promises – and delivers – fine cooking at everyday prices. At the quiet southern end of Strandpromenade, the atmospheric hall’s vaulted-ceiling and wood-lined interior is eclectically decked out with church statues, chandeliers, curtains of fairy lights and shelves of antiquarian books. Don’t pass up Münsterteicher’s signature pear-and-celery soup with red peppercorns followed by Baltic cod cooked in a potato crust and the Scheiterhaufen (‘pyre’) dessert of baked and caramelised apple.
Return to beginning of chapter
South Rügen
SELLIN
038303 / pop 18,586
The symbol of ‘Ostseebad’ Sellin is its Seebrüucke (pier), an ornate, turreted pavilion sitting out over the water at the end of a long wooden causeway. The original pier was built in 1906, following a boating accident while bringing visitors to shore (the only access to Sellin at the time). Twice destroyed by storms, what you see today is a 1998 reproduction based on a model from 1927, which now houses cafes and bars.
To reach the pier from Sellin’s southern shores (and the Sellin Ost steam train station), follow the long Seepark Promenade through grassy parkland until you reach the covered archway of the Seepark Passage, flanked by ice cream shops. Continuing straight ahead takes you uphill along the main street, Wilhelmstrasse, lined with elegant villas. The pier is at the far northern end of Wilhelmstrasse, as is Sellin’s loveliest white-sand beach.
Sellin’s Kurverwaltung ( 160; www.ostseebad-sellin.de; Warmbadstrasse 4; 8.30am-8pm Mon-Fri, 1-5pm Sat & Sun Jun-Sep, 8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 1-5pm Sat Oct-May) has tourist information and can help you find a room.
Plentiful accommodation includes a DJH hostel ( 950 99; www.sellin.jugendherberge.de; Kiefernweg 4; dm under/over 26yr incl breakfast €25.20/30.80; ) 400m from the sea. Rising above the pier is the town’s most famous hotel, the Kurhaus Sellin ( 951 00; www.travelcharme.com; Wilhelmstrasse 27; s €69-149, d €98-238, ste from €138 incl breakfast; Mar-Nov; ), sister property of Binz’ iconic Kurhaus (left), with nostalgic wicker-furnished rooms, spa treatments, and romantic suites tucked inside its tower.
The Rasender Roland steam train (Click here) stops in Sellin West and Ostseebad Sellin (also known as Sellin Ost), four minutes apart. Disembark at the latter for the town centre.
GÖHREN
038308 / pop 1278
On the Nordperd spit, Göhren’s stunning 7km-long stretch of sand – divided into the sleepier Südstrand and the more developed Nordstrand – lives up to its hype as Rügen’s best resort beach.
Apart from its beach, Göhren has a collection of four sites: the historical Heimatsmuseum and the Museumshof farm (open year-round), and the unusual chimney-less Rookhus and the museum ship Luise (open mid-April to mid-October), which together make up the Monchgüter Museen ( 2175; www.moenchguter-museen-ruegen.de, in German; single museum adult/concession €3/2.50, combined ticket €8/6). Check individual opening