Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
North Germany: Hamburg, Lübeck, the Baltic Coast and Rügen
8 days from Hamburg to Berlin: the harbour and the Elbphilharmonie, Hanseatic Lübeck, Wismar and Stralsund, Schwerin's lake castle and two nights on the island of Rügen.
8 days · Hamburg to Berlin · up to 12 guests
Hamburg's old town, the Elbphilharmonie and the port, from St Peter's Church Photo: NutzerAusBerlin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hamburg_20260815_St._Petri_Aussicht_31.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Hamburg to Berlin
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Mostly easy walking on cobbled old-town streets, 3 to 4 hours a day on foot. Day 7 is the longest: about 8 km on the forest path along the chalk cliffs of Jasmund, subject to route conditions and closures. The easy option drives to the Hagen car park and takes the public shuttle bus to Königsstuhl and back, walking about 2 km.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners
- Season
- May to September
Highlights
Why this trip
- Hamburg's harbour from the water at 9:30, then the Elbphilharmonie Plaza above the Elbe
- The brick warehouses of the Speicherstadt and the Chilehaus, on foot with a local guide
- Through the Holstentor into Lübeck's old-town island, with a slice of marzipan cake at Niederegger's café
- Schwerin Castle on its lake island at opening
- Wismar's market square and old harbour, where Nosferatu was filmed in 1921
- The Ozeaneum and Stralsund's Gothic town hall, with a fish lunch on the harbour
- The Rasender Roland steam train to the white seaside villas of Binz
- The chalk cliffs of Jasmund on foot, from Sassnitz to Königsstuhl through UNESCO-listed beech forest
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Hamburg
Hamburg Airport (HAM) to your hotel in central Hamburg, then the Rathaus and the Alster
- Dinner
- Stay in Hamburg
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Hamburg Airport (HAM), about 10 km north of the city, where a driver meets you for the half-hour transfer to a hotel near the Rathaus.
Evening
Plan to land by about 3 pm to join the first walk; later arrivals are met all the same and catch up with the group at dinner. At about 5 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing and an easy first walk: the neo-Renaissance Rathaus and its courtyard fountain, the arcades of the Alsterarkaden along the canal, and the Jungfernstieg promenade on the Inner Alster lake, where the white Alster steamers tie up. Hamburg is a city-state and Germany's largest port, and it has lived on trade for eight centuries; this week follows that trade along the Baltic coast to Rügen. In the evening we sit down together to a welcome dinner of north German food, with fish from the Elbe and the North Sea on the menu.
Included
- Pick-up at Hamburg Airport (HAM)
- Welcome briefing and an evening walk: the Rathaus, the Alsterarkaden and the Jungfernstieg
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the late-afternoon briefing
Activity: About 1 hour on foot on level pavements.
The harbour, the Speicherstadt and the Elbphilharmonie
Hamburg on foot, by U-Bahn and by boat: Landungsbrücken, the harbour, the Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus district, the Elbphilharmonie
- Breakfast
- Stay in Hamburg
- By boat
We take the U-Bahn to the Landungsbrücken piers and board a harbour boat at about 9:30. For about an hour we cruise past container ships, dry docks and the cranes of one of Europe's biggest ports, with the route through the Speicherstadt canals dependent on the tide, vessel and operator on the day. Back on land, a local guide walks us through the warehouse district itself, built from the 1880s on oak piles, and across to the Kontorhaus district and the ship-shaped Chilehaus; together they were listed by UNESCO in 2015. We finish at the Elbphilharmonie, opened in 2017 on top of an old brick warehouse, and ride the long curved escalator up to the Plaza, the public terrace 37 m above the water, on a pre-booked slot.
Afternoon
Lunch and the afternoon are yours: HafenCity's cafés are a few minutes away, and the old St Pauli Elbe Tunnel of 1911 runs under the river from the Landungsbrücken.
Included
- Harbour boat tour from the Landungsbrücken, about 1 hour
- Guided walk through the Speicherstadt and the Kontorhaus district with the Chilehaus, with a local guide
- The Elbphilharmonie Plaza on a pre-booked slot
- Hamburg public transport tickets for the day
Optional experiences
- An evening concert at the Elbphilharmonie (tickets sell out early; ask when you book)
- Miniatur Wunderland in the Speicherstadt on a timed entry (at your own cost)
Easier option: Stay on the boat-and-Plaza part of the morning and take a taxi back to the hotel after the Elbphilharmonie.
More active option: Climb the 452 steps of the St Michael's tower in the afternoon (ticket at your own cost) for the view over the port, then walk back along the river.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Hamburg
Activity: About 3 to 4 hours on foot in the morning on level ground, with steps at the Plaza.
Lübeck: the Holstentor and marzipan
Hamburg to Lübeck
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lübeck
- Drive about 1 h
An unhurried start, then about an hour north-east by the A1 to Lübeck, once the capital of the Hanseatic League, whose old town on its island in the river Trave was listed by UNESCO in 1987. We walk in through the Holstentor, the leaning twin-towered city gate finished in the 1470s, past the gabled brick salt warehouses on the river.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch in the old town a local guide shows us St Mary's Church, the model for brick Gothic churches all around the Baltic, where the bells that fell in the air raid of 1942 still lie shattered on the floor; the merchants' houses of Mengstrasse; and the narrow alleys and almshouse courtyards hidden behind the street fronts. Then comes the European Hansemuseum, which tells the League's story from Novgorod to Bruges. We end at Niederegger's café, beside the town hall, with a slice of the marzipan nut cake Lübeck is known for.
Evening
The evening is free on the island.
Included
- Drive from Hamburg to Lübeck with your guide
- The Holstentor and its museum
- Guided old-town walk with a local guide: St Mary's Church, Mengstrasse and the hidden courtyards
- The European Hansemuseum
- Marzipan cake and coffee at Niederegger's café
- Sit-down lunch in the old town
Optional experiences
- A late-afternoon boat around the old-town island on the Trave (at your own cost)
Easier option: Skip the courtyards and rest at the hotel between the Hansemuseum and the café.
More active option: Climb the viewing platform of St Peter's Church in the evening for the view of the seven spires (ticket at your own cost; opening times to be checked).
Free time: Evening free in Lübeck
Activity: About 4 hours on foot on cobbles, with short climbs.
Schwerin's lake castle and Wismar's harbour
Lübeck to Schwerin, then Wismar
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Wismar
- Drive about 1.5 h
We leave Lübeck at 8:30 and drive about an hour east into Mecklenburg to reach Schwerin Castle at opening, around 10 am, early in the day. The castle stands on its own island in Lake Schwerin, a fairy-tale rebuild of the 1840s and 1850s with gilded domes and turrets, and is still the seat of the state parliament; the Schwerin Residence Ensemble was listed by UNESCO in 2024. Inside, the state rooms and the throne room are open as a museum, and the baroque castle garden runs down to the water behind it.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch in Schwerin it is about half an hour north to Wismar on the Baltic. Its old town, listed by UNESCO in 2002 with Stralsund's, is built around one of the largest market squares in northern Germany, with the Wasserkunst fountain house of 1602 in one corner. We walk down to the old harbour and the Wassertor, the last of the town's harbour gates, where F. W.
Evening
Murnau filmed scenes of Nosferatu in 1921, and the evening is free.
Included
- Schwerin Castle at opening: the state rooms, the throne room and the castle garden
- Sit-down lunch in Schwerin
- Walk through Wismar's old town with your guide: the market square, the Wasserkunst, St George's Church, the old harbour and the Wassertor
Easier option: Stay in the castle garden by the lake while the group tours the upper rooms; in Wismar the walk is short and level.
More active option: Walk the lakeside path south of the castle into the Schlossgarten and back before lunch, about 3 km.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Wismar
Activity: About 3 hours on foot, with stairs inside the castle.
Stralsund: the Ozeaneum and a Gothic town hall
Wismar to Stralsund along the A20
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Stralsund
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
A slow morning in Wismar with time for the fish smokehouses on the harbour, then about two hours east along the A20 to Stralsund, a Hanseatic port on the Strelasund strait facing the island of Rügen.
Afternoon
We are there for a sit-down fish lunch on the harbour. After lunch we visit the Ozeaneum on the harbour, a museum and aquarium of the Baltic and North Seas opened in 2008, with life-size whale models hanging from the roof; outside July and August it closes at 5 pm with last entry an hour earlier, so we go early in the afternoon. Then a local guide walks us through the old town, which sits between the sea and two ponds: the Alter Markt with the openwork brick gable of the town hall, St Nicholas' Church behind it, and the merchants' houses of Mönchstrasse.
Evening
The evening is free; the harbour promenade and the three-masted Gorch Fock I, moored as a museum ship, are a short walk from the hotel.
Included
- Drive from Wismar to Stralsund with your guide
- Sit-down fish lunch on the Stralsund harbour
- Guided old-town walk with a local guide: the Alter Markt, the town hall and St Nicholas' Church
- The Ozeaneum
Optional experiences
- The Gorch Fock I museum ship (at your own cost)
Easier option: Go straight from lunch to the Ozeaneum and skip the old-town walk.
More active option: Climb the tower of St Mary's Church for the view across the strait to Rügen, where it is open (ticket at your own cost).
Free time: Evening free in Stralsund
Activity: About 3 hours on foot, on cobbles and inside the museum.
Across to Rügen and the steam train to Binz
Stralsund over the Rügen Bridge to Bergen and Putbus, then the Rasender Roland to Binz
- Breakfast
- Stay in Binz
- Drive about 1 h
We cross the Strelasund on the Rügen Bridge, opened in 2007, onto Germany's largest island. The first stop is Bergen, the island's old market town, for coffee on the square and a look inside St Mary's Church, the oldest church on the island. Then it is a short drive to Putbus, the white neoclassical town a prince of Putbus laid out in the early 1800s around a round 'circus' of houses and a large English park. Here we leave the van, which takes our luggage ahead, and board the Rasender Roland, a narrow-gauge steam railway that runs a timetable across the island (in the 2026 high-season timetable, 9 May to 1 November, trains leave Putbus every two hours from 08:08, including 12:08, and take 27 minutes; the 2027 timetable is not yet published, so we plan around the timetable for your date). It puffs through fields and woods for about half an hour to Binz. Binz is the island's largest seaside resort, with white villas carved with balconies along a long beach promenade and a pier.
Afternoon
The afternoon is yours: swim, walk the promenade or rent a beach chair.
Included
- Drive over the Rügen Bridge with your guide
- Bergen's market square and St Mary's Church
- A walk through Putbus and its circus
- The Rasender Roland steam train from Putbus to Binz
- Luggage carried to your hotel in Binz
Optional experiences
- The Prora documentation centre north of Binz, on the unfinished seaside complex built under the Nazi regime (at your own cost)
Easier option: Ride in the van to Binz instead of the train; room availability on arrival is confirmed with the hotel.
More active option: Walk the beach path north from Binz towards Prora and back in the late afternoon, about 8 km.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Binz
Activity: Short walks only; about 2 hours on foot in all.
The chalk cliffs of Jasmund on foot
Binz to Sassnitz, the cliff path to Königsstuhl, then the shuttle to the Hagen car park and back to Binz
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Binz
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
We drive about half an hour to Sassnitz, at the edge of the Jasmund National Park, whose old beech forest is part of the UNESCO Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests listing of 2011, and start walking at about 9 am, ahead of the late-morning crowds. The cliff path, the Hochuferweg, runs about 8 km from Sassnitz to Königsstuhl under the beeches along the top of the white chalk cliffs, with views down through the trees to the turquoise water and the Victoria viewpoint.
Afternoon
A sit-down lunch waits near Königsstuhl, where the 118 m chalk headland can no longer be walked on and is seen from a skywalk about 185 m long, and the National Park Centre (open 9 am to 6 pm in May and September, 9 am to 7 pm from June to August) explains how the cliffs keep falling and renewing. Private vehicles cannot reach the centre, so after lunch and the centre we take the public shuttle (bus line 19, about 5 minutes) from Königsstuhl to the Hagen car park, where the vehicle meets the group for the drive back to Binz.
Evening
Free time follows, and in the evening we sit down together to a farewell dinner.
Included
- Guided walk on the cliff path from Sassnitz to Königsstuhl, about 8 km
- Sit-down lunch near Königsstuhl
- The Königsstuhl National Park Centre and its skywalk
- Public shuttle bus from Königsstuhl to the Hagen car park, where the vehicle meets the group (fare proposed as included)
- Farewell dinner in Binz
Easier option: Drive to the Hagen car park and ride the public shuttle bus (line 19, about 5 minutes) to Königsstuhl and back, as private vehicles cannot reach the centre, and walk about 2 km of the cliff path to the Victoria viewpoint and back.
Free time: Late afternoon free in Binz
Activity: The longest walking day: about 8 km (about 3 hours) on forest paths with roots and several flights of wooden steps. Cliff sections can close after falls, so the guide adjusts the route on the day; the shuttle and vehicle meeting point at Hagen are confirmed in your quote.
By train to Berlin and home
Binz to Berlin Hauptbahnhof by train, then Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) or a central hotel, with a short city walk only if timing allows
- Breakfast
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
After breakfast we walk with our luggage to Binz station and take a Deutsche Bahn intercity train to Berlin on a morning departure fixed once the timetable for your date is published, about 3 hours 40 minutes on direct trains in current listings (on some dates we may need to change at Stralsund), with seats reserved once your date is set, subject to rail availability, and the flat farmland of Vorpommern going by.
Afternoon
We arrive at Berlin Hauptbahnhof around midday or early afternoon, depending on the train, a glass station opened in 2006 on the bend of the Spree. Rail and flight times are date-specific and no connection is guaranteed. Only if the train arrives on time and early enough, your guide may take the group on a short walk from the station to the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate for a first look at the capital, with lunch of your choice near the Gate; if the train is late, changes at Stralsund or arrives after about 1 pm, the walk is dropped and we go straight on. A separate Berlin transfer vehicle, timed to the train's arrival, takes you to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), about 45 minutes, or drops you at a hotel in the centre if you are staying on. Your guide says goodbye at the airport or hotel.
Included
- Seats reserved on the train from Binz to Berlin Hauptbahnhof once your date is set, subject to rail availability
- If the train is on time and timing allows, a short walk with your guide to the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate
- Transfer in a separate Berlin transfer vehicle to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), or to a central Berlin hotel
Easier option: Go straight from the station to the airport or your hotel.
Activity: Rail and flight times are date-specific and no connection is guaranteed; we give flight-timing guidance in the written itinerary for your date. The Berlin walk is dropped if the train runs late or timing is tight, or you can stay on in Berlin.
- Hamburg2 nights
- Lübeck1 night
- Wismar1 night
- Stralsund1 night
- Binz2 nights
- Berlinend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May and June bring the longest days and the beech forest at its freshest green; July and August are warmest, with the Baltic warm enough for a swim and the Rügen resorts at their busiest. September is quieter and still mild.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who have done Berlin and Bavaria and want the other Germany
- Brick Gothic towns, harbours and Hanseatic history
- A seaside finish with a real coastal walk
- Short drives and afternoons free in each town
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: cobbled old towns, castle stairs and a forest path with wooden steps
- Travellers who want one base all week (there are three single nights in a row)
- A Berlin city break: Berlin is the departure transfer point, with a short city walk only if train and onward travel times allow
- Guaranteed beach weather: the Baltic summer is mild and changeable
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Hamburg2 nights
- Lübeck1 night
- Wismar1 night
- Stralsund1 night
- Binz2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- Proposed inclusions, confirmed in your written quote:
- 7 nights: 2 in Hamburg, 1 in Lübeck, 1 in Wismar, 1 in Stralsund and 2 in Binz on Rügen
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms, proposed within about 10 minutes' walk of each old town (in Lübeck, on the old-town island; in Binz, near the promenade); hotels are named in your written quote once availability is checked
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Private transfer from Hamburg Airport (HAM) on day 1
- Hamburg public transport tickets and a harbour boat tour on day 2
- A private minibus and professional driver for the group from Hamburg to Rügen, days 3 to 7, carrying your luggage
- The Rasender Roland steam train from Putbus to Binz
- Seats reserved on the train from Binz to Berlin on day 8, subject to rail availability
- Transfer to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) or a central Berlin hotel on day 8, in a separate Berlin transfer vehicle
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, from the day 1 walk to the day 8 airport transfer
- Local guides for the walks in Hamburg, Lübeck and Stralsund
Activities
- Hamburg: an evening walk to the Rathaus and the Alster, the harbour boat tour, a guided walk through the Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus district, and the Elbphilharmonie Plaza
- Lübeck: the Holstentor Museum, a guided old-town walk with St Mary's Church, the European Hansemuseum, and marzipan cake at Niederegger's café
- Schwerin Castle and its garden
- Wismar: a guided walk through the old town and the old harbour
- Stralsund: a guided old-town walk and the Ozeaneum
- Rügen: Bergen, Putbus, the steam train to Binz, the Jasmund cliff walk to Königsstuhl and the National Park Centre with its skywalk
- Berlin: a short walk to the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate, only if the train is on time and timing allows
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 4 lunches, on days 3, 4, 5 and 7
- 2 dinners: a welcome dinner in Hamburg and a farewell dinner in Binz
Not included
- International flights to Hamburg and home from Berlin
- Travel insurance
- Visa or travel authorisation fees, if any apply to you
- Local tourist or city taxes, unless your written quote says otherwise
- Meals not listed, including 3 lunches and 5 dinners
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities, priced and subject to availability in your written quote: an Elbphilharmonie concert, Miniatur Wunderland, the Trave boat, the Gorch Fock I, the Prora centre
- Berlin hotel nights after the trip
- Personal expenses
Local fees
- Local tourist or city taxes are not included unless your written quote says otherwise.
Extras
- Room of your own
- Price on request
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Proposed: seven nights in central hotels (named in your quote), 7 breakfasts, 4 sit-down lunches, a welcome and a farewell dinner, both airport transfers, a minibus and driver from a local vehicle partner, with your luggage carried, the harbour boat, the steam train, reserved seats on the train to Berlin (subject to rail availability), your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local guides, and the entries listed as included in the day plan (subject to supplier availability), such as Schwerin Castle and the Ozeaneum. Optional activities are not included.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip is planned for 7 to 12 guests, in a minibus rather than a coach, which keeps everyone close to the guide in narrow old-town lanes.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the welcome walk in Hamburg to the airport transfer in Berlin. Local guides join for the walks in Hamburg, Lübeck and Stralsund, where their knowledge of the town adds the most. Your guide is assigned once departures are confirmed.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately. Most days mean 3 to 4 hours on foot on cobbles. Day 7 on Rügen is the longest, about 8 km on a forest path with roots and wooden steps. The easy option takes the shuttle bus to Königsstuhl and walks about 2 km, so you see the cliffs either way.
I am travelling solo. Do I have to pay a single supplement?
A room of your own is indicatively CAD 840 more; the written quote sets the final supplement for your dates. Tell us if you would rather share and we will say what is possible. Roommate matching is not promised, and if no suitable shared room is available, we will explain the options and any supplement before you accept.
When is the best time to go?
May to September. May and June have the longest days and the beech forest at its freshest; July and August are warmest, with the Baltic warm enough to swim and Rügen at its busiest. September is quieter and still mild. Wind and showers can come in any month.
Why are there three one-night stops?
Lübeck, Wismar and Stralsund are each worth an evening, and they sit one to two hours apart along the coast. We keep the drives short, arrive by early afternoon, plan to carry your luggage in the vehicle and not leave before 8:30 am, then give Hamburg and Rügen two nights each.
How does the trip end in Berlin?
On day 8 we take a morning intercity train from Binz to Berlin Hauptbahnhof, about 3 hours 40 minutes on direct trains, with seats reserved once your date is set. If the train is on time and timing allows, your guide may walk the group to the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate; otherwise the walk is dropped. A separate Berlin transfer vehicle then takes you to Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Rail and flight times are date-specific and no connection is guaranteed, so book a flight only after your written itinerary gives timing guidance for your date, or stay on in Berlin.
Do I need a visa for Germany?
It depends on your nationality, status and travel dates, so check the official German or EU guidance for your passport before you book. For visa-exempt visitors a Schengen short stay is limited to 90 days in any 180 days. The EU's Entry/Exit System registers travellers at the border, and ETIAS has no confirmed start date that we have seen. We will tell you in your quote if anything applies to your dates.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you request, subject to availability, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us and we will quote a similar plan, subject to availability of hotels, trains and local guides.
How does booking work?
Send a request with your preferred dates and style. It takes no payment. We check availability with our suppliers and send a written quote with the final price, the operator details and the terms; the quote sets out how and when a booking is confirmed, and nothing is booked by the request itself. Indicative prices are per person sharing a room, with tax treatment stated in the quote: the small group starts from CAD 4,945, a private trip from CAD 8,900, and a room of your own adds CAD 840. This is a proposed trip, so departure dates and hotels are not yet confirmed.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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