Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany: Towns to Explore on Foot

The best things to do in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are connected by water: explore the Baltic coast, visit islands and Hanseatic towns, and discover the lakes of the Mecklenburg Lake District. This north-eastern German state combines beaches, lagoons, historic cities and protected natural landscapes. Neywo offers free audio guides for 3 cities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with 128 narrated places in total.

What to see and do in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Explore the Baltic coast, islands and lagoons

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania meets the Baltic Sea along a coastline of about 2,000 kilometres. The shore is shaped by islands, peninsulas and sheltered lagoons known as Bodden or Haff, rather than forming one continuous line.

Rügen and Usedom are the region’s best-known islands, while smaller islands such as Hiddensee and Poel add to the variety of the coast. This combination of open sea, sheltered water and island landscapes is one of the defining features of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Discover the Mecklenburg Lake District

Further inland, the landscape changes into the Mecklenburg Lake District, a region of lakes and unspoilt nature. Lake Müritz is the largest lake in Germany. Lake Schwerin, Plauer See and Lake Kummerow are other major bodies of water.

The region is often called the land of a thousand lakes. National parks, nature reserves and landscape reserves protect large parts of the state, making its inland waters an important part of any Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania travel guide.

Visit the region’s Hanseatic cities

Rostock, Stralsund, Greifswald and Wismar share a Hanseatic architectural character found across northern Germany and around the Baltic Sea. Their historic urban traditions reflect the region’s long connection with trade, seafaring and the wider Baltic world.

Today, Rostock is one of the places where you can explore this heritage with Neywo. Its audio guide includes 76 narrated places, among them Bahnhofsbrücke Warnemünde, Palais und Barocksaal and the Stasi Dokumentations- und Gedenkstätte Rostock.

See Schwerin’s historic landmarks

Schwerin is another important city to visit in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Neywo’s guide covers 46 narrated places, including Schwerin Cathedral, Schwerin Castle, Staatliches Museum Schwerin and Altes Palais Schwerin.

The city also gives its name to Lake Schwerin, one of the region’s major waters. It brings together the state’s cultural and natural sides: historic architecture in the city and a landscape defined by lakes beyond it. The Schwerin city guide provides an audio introduction to its main narrated places.

Spend time in Binz and on Rügen

Binz is a useful base for discovering Rügen, one of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s major islands. Neywo’s guide includes 6 narrated places in the town and surrounding area, with Prora, Granitz Hunting Lodge and Oldtimer Museum Rügen among them.

The island’s inclusion in the region’s audio-guide network makes Binz one of the places to explore when combining the Baltic coast with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s cultural sights.

Follow the region’s history and language

The modern state brings together two historic regions: Mecklenburg and Western Pomerania. It was established in 1945, when the Soviet military administration merged historic Mecklenburg with Prussian Western Pomerania. The state later became part of the German Democratic Republic, was dissolved during administrative reforms, and was re-established after German reunification in 1990.

The name also reflects the region’s geography. Western Pomerania is Vorpommern in German, while the name Pomerania derives from West Slavic words meaning “land at the sea”. The German prefix in Vorpommern identifies it as the nearer part of Pomerania from a German point of view.

Regional culture is also connected with Low German, known as Plattdeutsch or Niederdeutsch. Standard German is spoken by the vast majority of people today, but Low German remains part of the region’s cultural memory. The universities of Rostock and Greifswald add another layer to this history: founded in 1419 and 1456 respectively, they are the two oldest universities in the Baltic Sea region and among the oldest in Europe.

Explore Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with Neywo

Neywo has free audio guides for 3 cities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, covering 128 narrated places in total across 7 walking tours. Narration is available in 11 languages.

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Choose a city, walk through its streets and let the guide connect the sights with the history and culture of the region.

You can start with Germany, then explore the available city guides for Binz, Rostock or Schwerin.