travlsolo2

I'm starting to research a trip to Ruegen; would likely take train from Hamburg, and would like to stay in a smallish hotel and rent a bicycle for exploring the island. Does anybody have recommendations for which town/area, hotel, bike rentals, and where to find the most information. Thanks!

Ingo

I have a page on Rügen on Virtualtourist which you might find helpful:

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/5ad3/

The island is larger than you might think and exploring by bicycle will not take you to every corner of Rügen. But Sellin is a nice place and in a good location to explore the eastern and southern parts of the island.

I.

hausfrau

I'm not sure that many people on this board have been to Ruegen, hence the limited responses to your query. We stayed in Binz in 2007 and enjoyed it very much, but we were there in the off season (October). I have a feeling it is pretty busy in the high season. There is a good-sized shopping area with a beautiful promenade along the water. We stayed at the Kurhaus Binz, which is one of the grand old island hotels, probably too big for your liking, but we really enjoyed it (best breakfast buffet EVER!)...there may be some smaller guest houses in the area that might appeal to you.

I agree with Ingo...I'm not sure how much of the island you'll be able to see by bike. If you have a chance, the woodland stroll to the Koenigstuhl cliffs is quite nice, as are the Kap Arkona lighthouses.

travlsolo2

Thank you, Ingo and Hausfrau, for the information. I will keep on researching, including books at Barnes and Noble, etc. I figured there wouldn't be many Americans familiar with it, but I "need" to go there. It was my father's favorite island, probably in the 30's, or maybe even earlier.
I do bike a lot, and have ridden around the Bodensee, so if there are bike trails or bike lanes, I would love to bike all over Ruegen.

travlsolo2

Ingo and Hausfrau: FYI - I just found a great website called Radfahren auf Ruegen, with maps and detailed routes/tours. Cool stuff.

hausfrau

Great, glad you have found some good info about biking. Ruegen really is a fabulous place, and the fact that it isn't popular with Americans makes it all the better! I found myself wondering what it must have been like pre-WWII. Your father must have some interesting stories!