Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Baltic Sea coast and lakes
Europe's largest boating destination
Whether you are on a one-way sailing trip or a round trip on a motorboat, 1,943 kilometers of coastline on the Baltic Sea and the adjoining lagoons as well as 60 islands are waiting to be explored by leisure-boat captains in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. There's always a lighthouse or a brick church in view, witnesses from the time of the Hanseatic League. Boating fans can also enjoy the Mecklenburg Lake District with its 2,000 lakes as a gateway to Europe's largest interconnected boating destination.
From Boltenhagen to Bansin by houseboat across the lakes, canals and the Bay of Greifswald or on a sailing yacht around the island of Rügen, cruises across the open sea or the lagoons and lakes, for two days or only two hours, for Baltic Sea experts or newcomers - Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's coast offers a suitable cruise across suitable waters for every leisure boat captain. If you don't come on your own boat, you can charter one - even without a boating licence - or use one of the numerous sailing opportunities as crew or guest, as for example on one of the traditional Zees boats with their typical brown-coloured sails.
Further Information Indulge in your boating passion not only on the Baltic Sea, but also on Lake Kummerow in "Mecklenburg Switzerland", for example. Tips on the Baltic Sea and lake district can also be found in the brochures "Das Blaue Paradies" and "Wassersportparadies Ostsee" of the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Tourist Board. Here guests can also find maps, waterways information, routes, marina guides, charter companies and general places of interest. The brochures are available free of charge from the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Tourism Association: www.auf-nach-mv.de.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's maritime world is also open to tourists with limited mobility and perception. Numerous tourist facilities such as ships, museums, marinas and accommodation are barrier-free. One of the highlight is the tall ship "Wappen von Ueckermünde": wheelchair users can actively participate in everyday life on board during multi-day trips.
Other water sports activities in the region Canoeists, houseboat owners and rafters will find 26,000 idyllic kilometres of waterways with beavers and kingfishers on the banks as well as sea eagles and ospreys circling above the rivers and lakes. The excellent infrastructure complements these natural advantages and makes the county Germany's most modern boating and watersports region with 25,000 berths in 350 marinas, many of them certified by the Maritime Quality Management MQM.
Those who feel even more adventurous can also try windsurfing, kitesurfing, surfing or stand-up paddling in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Experienced sportsmen find suitable coastal sections, for example at the Wohlenberger Wiek near Wismar, in Warnemünde - where the surfers ride on the waves of the arriving Scandinavian ferries during the so-called ferry wave surfing -, in Kägsdorf near Rostock or in Surendorf on the island of Ummanz. The "Surfmap MV" - the first nationwide overview of this kind - shows the way to the most beautiful and best surfing areas on the Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It presents 28 spots and places where windsurfers and kitesurfers can practice their sport.
Guests can enjoy the last unspoilt river valley in Europe during an eight-day canoe tour on the Amazon of the north, the River Peene. Without locks and notable currents, the Peene allows even paddling beginners to relax. With a difference in altitude of only 30 centimetres over 100 kilometres from the great lakes of Mecklenburg Switzerland to Usedom, the river rather rests than flows. It travels slowly through secluded forests and rustic moorland. For hours the paddler hardly meets other people, but all the more animals inhabitanting the lowlands - sea eagles and kites, terns, kingfishers, herons and last but not least the beaver.
And there are also underwater treasures to be found in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Sunken treasures such as old wrecks can be found in the coastal waters as well as the county's lakes. These also present a surprisingly varied flora and fauna from pipe fish to starfish as well as many adventurous diving spots with shipwrecks and treasure chests - many of them are not only easily accessible from the boat but also from the shore. 21 diving clubs and 18 diving centres around the county are happy to help newcomers as well as experienced divers to discover it all.