Kühlungsborn: Germany’s Hidden Gem On The Baltic Coastline

Visiting Kühlungsborn? Read this travel guide and find out what to see and do there. For me, Kühlungsborn was certainly one of the best places to visit in the Baltics in Germany.

Kühlungsborn

I visited Kühlungsborn on a blog trip with Germany Tourism. They invited me and a few other bloggers from across the world to explore this offbeat place in the Baltics in Germany.

Other tourist places in the Baltics in Germany we explored during our trip include Germany’s Largest Island Of Rügen and Pomerania Boddenlandschaft National Park. Personally speaking, I loved Ruegen a lot. Now, let’s get back to discussing Kühlungsborn…

As I landed at Hamburg airport and greeted other bloggers and journalists whom I was going to travel with for the next few days, I was excited more than ever. We were going to explore the highlights along the little-visited German Baltic coast — a part of Germany that promises beautiful architecture and some of the best beaches in Western Europe.

And the resort town of Kühlungsborn — ‘among the best places to visit in the Baltics in Germany’ as often claimed by our tour guide, was our first destination!

Among The Best Places To Visit In The Baltics In Germany

If you will look at a map, the coastline of Kühlungsborn, looks pretty jagged and rough, as though forcibly ripped from the sea. But when you reach there you realise that the water, in fact, cannot appear more serene and tranquil.

Even on a cloudy day, the sea behaves unbelievably calmly. Nor did the weather feel as chilly or windy, as it often does in Europe.

In Germany, the Baltic coast is the butt of all jokes for its slow pace of life, and I got the same impression from Kühlungsborn. Here highways and busy city streets were replaced by country roads. Biking paths were almost as wide and vaguely spread as roads. Locals and tourists moreover only appeared busy sipping on their latte or the favorite German beer. Outside of my hotel window, I could spot more birds and insects, than I did people.

And this slower pace of life started as soon as we left the afternoon madness in Hamburg and paced towards the coast. We passed through some of the most fertile plains in the country: vivid yellow fields, ancient forests and meadowlands, dotting a few occasional farmlands. Things only turned more surreal the closer we get to Kühlungsborn — indeed, it was the best place to visit in the Baltics in Germany.

Things To Do In Kühlungsborn

Cycling & Hiking For Outdoor Enthusiasts

The quaint German town of Kühlungsborn is surrounded by heavenly countryside, making it geographically favorable for outdoor activities like hiking and biking. Walking trails and bicycle paths lead tourists through fields and forests, with the Baltic Coast always running parallel on either side.

A surrounding wooded ridge of “Kuhlung” moreover offers great opportunities to hike and absorb a pure and unspoilt nature. From “Kuhlung” one can also have incredible views of the Mecklenburg Baltic Coast.

However, biking in Kühlungsborn — which turned out to be the first activity of our blog trip too — is the most popular. Beautiful touring biking paths, stretching from one corner of the town to the other, have been carefully spread, which also run parallel to the shore for as long as 8km. For those interested in adventure biking, over 25km of mountain biking trails can be explored. So yea, when we talk about one of the best places to visit in the Baltics in Germany, biking remains a great thing to do!

Indulging Detoxification Experiences

For centuries — given that the first spa visitors started visiting Kühlungsborn in the 1880s — Kühlungsborn has been considered one of Germany’s preferred spa towns. A significant reason has always been the Northern coast where people would go to better their health through long walks and the salty sea air.

Even today, after much development, about 75% of prevailing winds in Kühlungsborn blow in straight off the sea, promising nothing but fresh air. And with the town owning as much green space as it has built-up areas, pure oxygen here is anyway never in a dearth. So whether you’re interested in a pampering spa experience or not (as was the case with me) all the fresh air that Kühlungsborn has to offer, will involuntarily detoxify your body.

Exploring The City Center

A fusion of three former towns called Brunshaupten, Arendsee, and Fulgen, Kühlungsborn, as a town owns the title of “seaside resort”. With over 2000 hotels and holiday apartments, and over 200 commercial establishments lined alongside a living boulevard, next to the sea, the town promises a refreshing time.

Where during the day Kühlungsborn offers a rich shopping scene, in the evening, the whole city transforms itself into gastronomy heaven. A number of restaurants and street-pubs come alive, most of which can be found on the parallel street right to the beach.

A Romantic Narrow Gauge Railway Ride

Take a romantic steam train ride in the world’s oldest narrow-gauge railway systems in the world. Named as ‘Molli’, the train has its interiors carefully restored as they were back in time, giving you a distinctive flair of steam train nostalgia. Covering a total distance of 15.4 km, Molli operates between the towns of Kühlungsborn West and Bad Doberan.

Where To Stay In Kühlungsborn

Kühlungsborn is no short of accommodation. From luxury seaside resorts to private apartments, there are over 2000 tourist homes or hotel properties all across the town. We stayed at a four-star Upstalsboom Hotelresidenz & SPA hotel, popular for its Turkish bath and Sauna Nights, with almost all their rooms speaking highly of a refreshing view over the Baltics and the surrounding green spaces. I had a room facing the colorful boulevard, with the Baltic sea right behind it.

And since Kühlungsborn is basically a pretty small town, it doesn’t really matter which part of the town you decided to stay. Almost everything here is any way at a stone’s throw away. Walk 2 minutes in any direction, and you will either end up in a lively marketplace with cosy coffee shops lined across the streets, or perhaps a comparatively more surreal sight of the Baltics. No wonder, Kühlungsborn is one of the best places to visit in the Baltics in Germany in Germany.

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Disclaimer: I wrote this post during my blog trip with Germany Tourism. Though my trip was hosted, all suggestions and endorsements are solely personal. I only recommend what I personally like, and experience.