Plön: Lakes, Baltic Coast and Cycling Tours

Lake District and Baltic Coast

The Great Plön Lake covers 29 km², while Selent Lake covers 22 km². Large areas of the district lie within the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park. Covering 75,000 hectares, it offers opportunities to experience nature and spot rare animals. Watching white-tailed eagles soar above the Great Plön Lake is also considered an impressive experience.

Along the Baltic coast, there are places to swim from Mönkeberg to Sehlendorfer Strand. A variety of activities are available for watersports and excursions, including sailing, surfing, diving, boat trips, offshore sailing tours, fishing-boat trips and surf fishing. You can therefore focus your stay more on beach days, activities on the water or outings by boat.

You can also experience the water in a variety of ways inland. The Schwentine waterway can be explored by canoe in Plön District, and sailboats and excursion boats also travel on the lakes. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, the mix of Baltic coast, lakes and nature you want can be a useful starting point for planning your trip.

A special bathing spot is located on Prinzeninsel: there is a sandy beach about 100 metres wide with a gently sloping shoreline. You can reach it only on foot or by bicycle. This restriction is important to bear in mind when planning your day if you want to combine a visit to the beach with other activities.

Cycling and Outdoor Activities

Plön District has an 850 km signposted cycling network as well as developed Nordic walking trails. The landscape is gently hilly and offers suitable conditions for cycling and hiking tours. You can choose between a cycling trip and activities on foot, without needing to start from any particular location.

One specific option is the two-day cycling tour “Baltic Coast – Holstein Switzerland”. It starts in Kiel and leads via Plön and Lütjenburg to the Baltic coast; it is particularly suitable for e-bikes. If a multi-day route fits your plans, you can make it a focus of your trip. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can first consider whether you mainly want to use cycling routes or vary your activities from day to day.

Plön, Lütjenburg and Gut Panker

Plön Castle stands above the lake of the same name and is the district’s landmark. Audio-guided tours take you through Plön’s old town and the castle grounds, and you can access them free of charge on your smartphone. There are two tours, each lasting about 20 minutes. Groups can book customised combined guided tours that include Prinzenhaus, the castle park and the castle grounds.

Lütjenburg also offers a cultural attraction: the town in Plön District is known for its historic town centre. Gut Panker is more than 500 years old and is now open to visitors. The estate was formerly run by the Rantzau family. These destinations offer different experiences: Plön combines its castle and old town with audio-guided tours, while Gut Panker brings together its long history and its former management by the Rantzau family.

When choosing your holiday apartment, you can first decide what you want to focus on during your trip: the Baltic coast and watersports, lakes and nature, cycling and hiking tours, or cultural discoveries. The attractions in Plön District give you room to prioritise these interests in different ways.

For further orientation: Probsteierhagen, Martensrade, Höhndorf, Pohnsdorf, Kühren, Schlesen, Giekau, Brodersdorf, Plön, Lütjenburg, Probstei, Great Plön Lake, Preetz-Land, Selent-Schlesen, Bokhorst-Wankendorf, Fargau-Pratjau, Wahlstorf, Högsdorf, Stakendorf, Fiefbergen, Schwentinental, Bönebüttel, Helmstorf, Rastorf, Barmissen, Nettelsee, Löptin, Kletkamp, Ruhwinkel, Nehmten, Schrevenborn, Preetz and Passade.

For the broader travel overview: Schleswig-Holstein.