Holiday in Darß

What makes Darß special as a destination?

Darß is the central part of the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula and one of the wildest and most pristine coastal landscapes in Germany. The Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park protects a unique combination of primeval coastal forest, spectacular cliffs, and the famous Weststrand, which is regularly voted one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. Darß is not a place for mass tourism – nature reigns here, and that is precisely what gives it its irresistible charm. The Weststrand of Darß is legendary: a wild, unpaved sandy beach stretches for kilometers, where the Baltic Sea constantly gnaws at the shore, and gnarled, wind-bent trees stand in bizarre shapes along the beach. These so-called windbreakers are the quintessential photo motif and symbol of Darß. There are no beach chairs, no snack stalls, no infrastructure – just nature in its purest form. The Weststrand can only be reached on foot or by bicycle through the Darßwald, which protects it from overcrowding. The Darßwald itself is a magical place: an ancient beech and oak forest crisscrossed by hiking trails and bike paths, home to deer, wild boars, and sea eagles. At Darßer Ort, the northern tip of the peninsula, there is a lighthouse that houses a museum about coastal ecology called Natureum. In autumn, Darß becomes the stage for one of the largest natural spectacles in Europe: up to 60,000 cranes rest on the surrounding Bodden meadows on their way south. The charming towns of Prerow, Born, and Wieck in Darß impress with their colorful Darßer doors – hand-carved, colorful artworks that make each house unique.