Hiddensee is a narrow island in the west of Rügen. The only way to get to the island is by boat. Hiddensee has three ports, Neuendorf in the south, Vitte in the middle and Kloster in the north. There are ferry connections from Stralsund, Schaprode (Rügen), Wiek (Rügen) and Dranske (Rügen). The shortest connection is from Schaprode to Neuendorf and takes around 25 minutes. The journey from Stralsund to Kloster is the longest and takes over 2 hours. You can get tickets at the counter at the harbor or at the tourist information in Stralsund. Tickets can also be booked online via the shipping company's website. On the website you can also find the departure times and prices of the ferries.

www.reederei-hiddensee.de

Kloster is the most famous town on the island of Hiddensee. The village was named after the Cistercian monastery, which was founded here in the 13th century. In 1538 the monastery became the property of the Dukes of Pomerania. It stood where the island church is today. There are restaurants, hotels and guest houses in Kloster. It is the most interesting place on the island.

Another attraction of Kloster is the Gerhart-Hauptmann-House. The winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature lived temporarily on the island of Hiddensee and was buried in Kloster, because Poland insisted that Hauptmann should not be buried in his Silesian homeland, where he lived until his death. The Gerhart-Hauptmann-House is now a museum.

Kloster

www.hauptmannhaus.de

There are no cars with combustion engines on the island of Hiddensee. Few electric vehicles drive on the island. There is an electric island bus that runs between Neuendorf / Hafen in the south and Grieben in the north of the island. Another means of transportation is the horse-drawn carriage. For day guests it is worth renting a bike. Bicycles are available at all ports on the island. Many visitors bring their own bike, but you have to buy an additional ticket for the ferry. If you stay on the island for several days, it is worth taking your own bike with you. The bike paths on the island are sometimes very bumpy and two-wheelers are not allowed in the Dornbusch National Park. It is best to hike in the northerpart of Hiddensee.

www.seebad-hiddensee.de/service/wissenswertes/inselbus

Dornbusch is the name of a hilly landscape in the north of the island of Hiddensee. The thorn bush belongs to the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park. On the west side is the steep coast of Hiddensee, which is closed to visitors due to the risk of landslides. In the east, the coast becomes flatter until it only consists of sandbanks. A path leads from Kloster to the Dornbusch lighthouse, where you climb the hills and overlook the most beautiful part of the island. You can see meadows and forests, the narrow island and the sea on both sides. No motorcyclists, no noise, just wind, sun and clouds. You are not alone here, but you understand why Hiddensee is special.

Dornbusch

If you continue walking through the enchanting landscape, the Dornbusch Lighthouse will appear at some point. The white tower stands on a 70 m high hill. The lighthouse itself is 27.5 m high and can be climbed over 102 steps. From the viewing platform at a height of around 20 m you can see the entire northern part of the island. The lighthouse on Hiddensee was built in 1888 and is the symbol of the Baltic Sea island.

Leuchtturm Dornbusch

As in all of northern Germany, there are many houses with thatched roofs on Hiddensee. Reed is tied to bundles and then connected to the roof. It is one of the oldest roofing techniques in Germany and has been recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. The thatched roofs definitely contribute to the holiday feeling and give the island a romantic character.

Grieben

If you follow the Kirchweg in Kloster to the west, you will reach the beach after a few hundred meters. The beach at Kloster becomes a cliff further north. You can already see the wooded chalk cliffs from the beach. However, the beach is protected from the stormy sea by concrete blocks and it is not easy to get to the water. The beach itself is a mixture of sand and gravel. The coastal protection ends about a kilometer to the south and you can swim freely in the Baltic Sea.

In Vitte the beach is wider and the sand is fine-grained. If you especially want to go to the beach, you should book an accommodation in Vitte.

Neuendorf / Plogshagen is also suitable for a beach holiday, but there are only a few restaurants here. The village is very small, you have the feeling that all the houses stand on a large meadow. If you want to be left alone, this is the place.

Strand bei Kloster