Looking to visit one of the best beaches in Germany? The adorable German town of Ahrenshoop sits perched over the Baltic Sea, a 3 hour drive north of Berlin.
The popular Baltic resort is located in northern Germany’s Mecklenburg-Vorpommer region. Plan a holiday in Ahrenshoop and you’ll find sandy beaches, luxurious seaside resorts, art galleries, smoked seafood restaurants and plenty of family-friendly outdoor activities.
Looking to enjoy sand dunes, chalk cliffs, beach volleyball and national parks along the Baltic coast? Read on!
Save this story to Pinterest so you can look at it later!
Best Hotels & Resorts in Ahrenshoop
The best hotels and resorts in Ahrenshoop are located on the north west side of the German beach resort. Stare out at the Baltic Sea from your balcony and you can photograph romantic sunsets that spread across the coast of Denmark.
Most tourists in Ahrenshoop borrow bikes from their hotel and peddle around the tiny town. Ahrenshoop is one of our favourite beaches in Germany because the Baltic resort is easy to get around, on foot or by bike.
We’ve included helpful links to the best hotel booking sites so you can compare prices and availability.
- The Grand Ahrenshoop 5 STARS: Ahrenshoop’s most luxurious hotel features a full-service spa, indoor pool, fine dining restaurant, rooftop bar and chic suites.
Expedia | TripAdvisor | Booking.com | Agoda | HotelsCombined | Hotels.com
- Hotel Künstlerquartier Seezeichen 4 STARS: this 4-star boutique hotel features contemporary suites, 24-hour fitness centre and garden.
Expedia | TripAdvisor | Booking.com | Agoda | HotelsCombined | Hotels.com
- Strandhaus Ahrenshoop 3 STARS: this 3-star hotel offers a complimentary breakfast, modern white washed rooms and terrace.
Expedia | TripAdvisor | Booking.com | Agoda | HotelsCombined | Hotels.com
Visit One of the Best Beaches in Germany
Ranked as one of the best beaches in Germany, Ahrenshoop is most popular during the warm summer months. Since it is only a 2-3 hour drive from Hamburg and Berlin, the Baltic resort offers a relaxing weekend getaway.
Many years ago Ahrenshoop was a small fishing village, but today it’s considered one of the most romantic beaches in Germany. The small village on the Baltic Sea reminds us of Niagara on the Lake, Prince Edward County, Muskoka and Cape Cod.
Of all the beaches in Germany, Ahrenshoop is known as a hippy enclave. It was back in 1889 when German painters Paul Muller-Kaempff and Oskar Frenzel first “discovered” the village. So impressed with the landscape, the duo started an artist colony, which became popular with the likes of Marianne Werefkin, Erich Heckel and Gerhard Marcks.
In 1894 Ahreshoop counted just 150 tourists, its nature loving visitors growing exponentially to over 2150 by 1928. Today, the beautiful Baltic beach resort is known as an “artist spa,” a popular holiday destination for German artists and celebrities.
Hop on a bicycle and you can easily visit Ahreshoop’s top attractions in a day. Then spend the rest of your German beach holiday dining at local seafood restaurants, sailing the Baltic Sea and soaking up the sun.
For those keen to visit one of the best natural beaches in Germany, enjoy a day trip to Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park.
Schifferkirche Ahrenshoop
Paetowweg 4, 49-38220-80104
The village’s landmark church was designed and built by architect Hardt-Waltherr Hamer in 1950.
Schifferkirche Ahrenshoop consists of seven truss joints made of wood with steel straps. Perfectly pointed arches give onlookers a Gothic impression. The wooden ribs are visible from the interior and lead from the thatched roof into the foundation.
Step inside Schifferkirche and you’ll find a floor paved with bricks and walls and ceilings crafted with wooden planks. South of Schifferkirche, on a stone pedestal, stands a wooden belfry with three bells. They are tuned to the notes D, F and A. The western facade of Ahrenshoop’s historic church bears a cross on the roof ridge. Above the front door is the Christ monogram displaying the Greek letters Alpha and Omega.
Because the architect had limited financial resources, he improvised with many of the interior elements. For instance, the marble slab of the original altar was his father’s desk and the baptismal bowl was brought from Russia by his mother.
Schifferkirche Ahrenshoop’s most celebrated design element is the four model ships that hang from the ceiling. The nod to the nautical symbolize faith, love, hope and peace.
Bunte Stube
Dorfstraße 24, 49-38220-238
Looking to enjoy a shopping spree while visiting one of the most artistic beaches in Germany?
The Bunte Stube was founded by Martha Wegscheider and painter Hans Brass in 1922. Ahrenshoop’s most famous shop features a distinctive red-white design by Bauhaus architect Walter Butzek.
Bunte Stube is located in the heart of Ahrenshoop village and is a must-see for tourists looking to purchase local crafts and art. Skip inside the popular gift shop and you’ll find a selection of German books, handicrafts, jewellery, fashion, natural beauty products. postcards and a small art gallery.
You May Also Enjoy Reading…
- Best Day Trips From Berlin
- Hotel Oderberger Berlin: Luxury Accommodation in Prenzlauer Berg
- 2019 Berlin Food Guide: Michelin Dining to Street-side Dishes
- The Grand Ahrenshoop: Best Hotel on Germany’s Baltic Coast
- Gay Hamburg: A Weekend of Boys, Burgers, Beer and LGBT Bars
- Spreewald Therme in Burg is the Best German Spa Getaway
- Freilandmuseum Lehde: Open-Air Museum in Spreewald
- Gay Potsdam Getaway: Sanssouci Palace to Museum Barberini
- What To Do in Gay Dresden on a Weekend
- What To Do in Gay Leipzig on a Weekend
- Furstenhof Hotel: Luxury Accommodation in Leipzig
- How to Live Like a King in Germany
- Things To See and Do in Dusseldorf
- Things To See and Do in Cologne
- Cruising from Koblenz to Rudesheim, Germany
Fischkaten
Grenzweg 17B, 49-38220-66277
Our favourite reason to holiday at beaches in Germany is to feast on fresh seafood from the Baltic Sea. Stroll through the town of Ahrenshoop and you’ll find many restaurants specializing in local fish and smoked seafood dishes.
Fischkaten is an affordable restaurant popular with locals. It’s a traditional seafood market that doubles as a rustic restaurant. It’s here you’ll find a variety of fresh fish, smoked seafood, sandwiches and soups.
If you’re looking for a quick snack, walk up to the glass display counter and order the chef’s seafood dish of the day. Pair your smoked fish sandwich with a glass of German beer and join friendly locals who stand around tables to devour their meal al fresco.
Fischkaten Ahrenshoop is also an ideal restaurant to purchase a picnic lunch. Feasting on petite sardines is a great way to authentically taste the culinary culture of the beaches in Germany.
Kunstmuseum
Weg zum Hohen Ufer 36, 49-38220-66790
Ahrenshoop stands out as one of the best beaches in Germany for its unique art culture. The Baltic resort became increasingly popular due to its promotion as an artist colony and today features many studios and galleries.
For a tiny beach town in Germany we were amazed to find Ahrenshoop had its very own fine arts museum. Opened in August 2013, Kunstmuseum Ahrenshoop is a private art gallery that reflects the regions artistic development starting in the 19th-century.
Visit the Kunstmuseum Ahrenshoop and you’ll be greeted by a bronze horse sculpture, which stands in front of two modern buildings. It currently houses more than 800 paintings, graphic collections and sculptures by artists who lived or worked in Ahrenshoop or nearby beaches in Germany.
The collection includes works by the founding generation of the artists’ colony, classical modernism and positions of figurative art from the 1920s to the 1940s. You’ll also find work that dates back to the GDR times, mainly by artists who, like Hans Kinder and Edmund Kesting, were part of the artistic resistance.
Hafen Ahrenshoop
Located on the north western shore, Ahrenshoop’s harbour may just be one of the most scenic of all of the beaches in Germany.
The tiny harbour was extensively renovated in 2001 and features a smoked seafood restaurant, craft brewery and dock where tourists line up for sail boat tours of the Baltic Sea.
Enjoy an afternoon sail on a sunny day in a historic Zeesenboot, a 10-metre long, wide-hulled sail boat that was once used by local fishermen. The historic 15th-century sail boats are made of oak and fixed with a square sail. They are specifically designed to navigate the shallow waters along the shores of the Baltic beaches in Germany.
Sailing tours run from May to October and include facts about local fishing history, scenic views of the Baltic Sea, smoked fish platter and a selection of beer and wine.
Raucherhaus
Hafenweg 6, 49-38220-6946
Raucherhaus is a popular restaurant specializing in house-smoked seafood and is located in the village’s scenic harbour. Ranked as one of the best restaurants in town, it offers a sun-soaked patio featuring idyllic views over the Baltic Sea.
Located a stones throw from the restaurant is Ahrenshoop’s only craft brewery, Fischland Brauerei. Opened in the Spring of 2017, Fischland Brauerei produces three local beers: Pilsner, Amber Lager and Dunkel.
While the small microbrewery itself is not open to the public, you can sample its small-batch beer on tap at the Raucherhaus restaurant bar. Quench your thirst on aromatic hops while feasting on a fine smoked seafood feast!
Wellenbrecher
If you’re looking to enjoy the best beaches in Germany, plan to spend a full day tanning in the sun at Ahrenshoop’s Wellenbrecher. Located on the south western most tip of Ahrenshoop’s beach, Wellenbrecher is the perfect place to rest and relax on the Baltic Sea.
Tan fans arrive to Wellenbrecher on a breezy hill, which offers panoramic views of nearby cliffs and a parade of Strandkorb below. These hooded beach chairs are a classic fixture for summer holidays on the Baltic Sea and found at all of the best beaches in Germany.
The traditional German beach furniture is made of wicker, wood panels and canvas. They are designed to seat two people and feature reclining backrests. Strandkorb are yet another ingenious German design, built to provide comfort and shelter from wind, rain, sand gusts and sunburn.
The water is usually calm at Wellenbrecher thanks to the many breakwaters that jut out along the beach. It’s perfectly safe to swim here, the calm waters making it a perfect beach for young families looking to swim.
End your unforgettable holiday on the Baltic Sea at sunset with a long, romantic walk on the beach. Grab your flip flops, and dance along the shore from Wellenbrecher and the way back to your luxury hotel in Ahrenshoop.
Review Our Travel Checklist When Planning Your Next Adventure!
Find the best flights on Skyscanner
Never travel without insurance! We suggest World Nomads comprehensive coverage as it includes over 250 adventure activities such as scuba diving, bungee jumping and surfing.
If you’re planning a road trip make sure to compare the best local car rental options.
Looking to book a tour or VIP experience on holiday? Book the best local tours on Viator.
Be sure to check your travel destinations electrical plug requirements in advance. If you travel often be sure to purchase a multi-region adaptor.
Whether you’re marching through a city or exploring a rugged rural landscape, it’s important to ensure you’re traveling with comfortable footwear. We suggest these comfortable walking shoes for urban adventures or these waterproof hiking boots when embarking on a hike holiday.
Capture your holiday on a quality camera. We suggest the pocket-sized Canon Powershot G7 or professional SLR we shoot with Canon EOS 6D.
Some of the links in this story use affiliate links. This means that if you book your accommodation through our site, Dobbernationloves will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us to produce comprehensive content.
