Discover Amt Rostocker Heide

When looking for accommodation in Amt Rostocker Heide, it helps to first clarify what you want to focus on during your trip. In the broader context of Rostock, landscapes and outdoor activities sit alongside city history, museums and experiences on the water. Gelbensande offers a specific cultural destination in the form of the hunting lodge. You can therefore plan according to whether you would prefer to focus on time outdoors, cultural discoveries or both.

Forest and outdoor activities in the Rostock area

The Rostocker Heide is a 6,000-hectare coastal forest stretching along the Baltic Sea coast between Markgrafenheide and Graal-Müritz. Beech and pine forests, wetlands and coastal sands shape this landscape. Its varied features give the Rostocker Heide more than a single natural focus: you can consider forest, wetlands and coastal scenery as distinct interests when planning your trip.

The Rostocker Heide has an extensive network of routes for independent hiking, cycling and horse riding. This includes around 87 kilometres of cycling and hiking trails, as well as 60 kilometres of bridleways. The figures refer to different activities: the approximately 87 kilometres cover cycling and hiking trails combined, while the 60 kilometres are for bridleways. This can help you decide which activity to focus on. Check current route conditions before setting out on a specific trip.

Gelbensande Hunting Lodge as a cultural destination

Gelbensande is home to Gelbensande Hunting Lodge, a former grand ducal summer residence dating from the late 19th century. The main floor has been operated as a museum since 1995, and the museum association also organises cultural events. Its former role as a residence and its use as a museum offer a different perspective from the trails and landscapes of the Rostocker Heide. If you would also like to include culture in your trip plans, the lodge is a specific place to start. Check the visitor arrangements before your visit.

Rostock: city history, museums and water

Rostock has a history spanning more than 800 years and is one of the Baltic coast’s historic Hanseatic cities. The city was once an important trading centre in northern Germany. A walk through the historic centre takes you past, among other places, Universitätsplatz, the Monastery of the Holy Cross and Kröpeliner Straße, as well as Neuer Markt and St. Mary’s Church. The walk offers insights into architecture, urban development and Hanseatic traditions. When planning, you can choose between landscape experiences and a focus on city history.

Rostock’s Museum of Cultural History displays historical furniture, old paintings, city maps and finds from trade and crafts across around 2,000 square metres. The viewpoints also differ in how you reach them: you can get to the viewing level of St. Peter’s Church by lift or by climbing 197 steps. The platform at Warnemünde Lighthouse is accessible via a spiral staircase and offers wide-ranging views over the Baltic Sea, harbour and seaside resort. Rostock’s beaches stretch along the Baltic coast from Warnemünde and Diedrichshagen to Hohe Düne and Markgrafenheide.

You can experience Rostock from a distinctive perspective on the water with motor-free urban paddling. Participants get to know the Warnow biotope while enjoying physical activity. An independent cycling tour leads from the city harbour along the Warnow to Warnemünde, passing the Neptun shipyard and going through the Marienehe freight and fishing harbour as well as the residential areas of Schmarl and Groß Klein. These different ways of exploring—on foot, by bicycle or from the water—give you several options for discovering Rostock according to your interests.

Another nature-focused attraction in the Rostock area is the “Biological Diversity” circular trail in the Rostocker Heide. It is 2.8 kilometres long, has step-free sections and includes 10 stations; the start and finish are at the Forst- und Köhlerhof Wiethagen. Its length, accessible design and stations are useful points of reference if you would like to include this trail in your plans. Check current route conditions before setting out.

This decision can help you determine which places you would like to explore further. That way, your accommodation search can reflect your travel group’s interests rather than a one-size-fits-all idea of a holiday.

Discover towns and other destinations

Towns in this destination include Rövershagen, Bentwisch, Blankenhagen, Mönchhagen and Gelbensande.

Discover more destinations: Amt Schwaan, Amt Warnow-West, Satow.

Back to the main travel overview: Rostock.