4 Best Sights in Germany

Boats shuttling between Stock and Herreninsel (Gentlemen's Island) also stop at this small retreat, which translates as Ladies' Island. The Benedictine convent here, founded an astonishing 1,200 years ago, houses a small community of nuns. One of its earliest superiors, Irmengard, daughter of King Ludwig der Deutsche, died here in the 9th century; her grave in the convent chapel was discovered in 1961, the same year that early frescoes there were brought to light. The chapel is open daily from dawn to dusk. Otherwise, the island has about 50 private houses, a couple of shops, and a guesthouse where visitors wishing to take part in the nuns' quiet lives can overnight. You can walk around the island in about 20 minutes—just don't miss partaking in the Benedictine Sisters' delicious fruit liqueurs, gingerbread, and marzipan.

Just 5 km (3 miles) off the northwest corner of Rügen is a smaller, sticklike island called Hiddensee whose undisturbed solitude has attracted such visitors as Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Sigmund Freud. As Hiddensee is an auto-free zone, leave your car in Schaprode, 21 km (13 miles) west of Bergen, and take a ferry. Reederei Hiddensee ( 038300/210  reederei-hiddensee.de) makes the 45-minute trip from Schaprode on Rügen to Vitte on Hiddensee up to thirteen times a day, with other departures from Stralsund. They also serve the towns of Kloster and Neuendorf on Hiddensee. Fares start at €22.80 return. Vacation cottages and restaurants are on the island.

The name of this tiny island is translated as “Island of Youth.” Nestled into a bend in the Spree River between Treptow and the Alt-Stralau peninsula, it was the scene of a youth club during GDR times. Although its heyday is past, there is something dreamy, if not a bit creepy, about the island. It can only be accessed via a narrow, arched footbridge from Treptower Park, so it's devoid of cars, noise, and even much foot traffic. Visitors can enjoy a picnic on the docks, or rent paddleboats and canoes. In the evening, the club Insel Berlin hosts concerts, film screenings, and parties (the club also runs the beer garden and café).

Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II whisked his mistresses away to this small island oasis on the Great Wannsee. Schloss Pfaueninsel, the small white palace, erected in 1794 according to the ruler's plans—and in accordance with the taste of the era—was built as a fake ruin. The simple building looks strangely cartoonlike; you can see the interior on half-hour tours. In the early 19th-century, garden architect Joseph Peter Lenné designed an English garden on the island, which ultimately became western Berlin's favorite summer getaway. The park, which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is now a nature reseve.