Experience the Müritz: Top 5 on Germany’s Largest Inland Lake
“The little sea” is what the Slavs called the Müritz – and anyone standing on its shore for the first time immediately understands why. The opposite shore blurs into the horizon, sails drift like white dots across the water, and the sky here just seems a size bigger. At around 112 square kilometers, the Müritz is the largest lake that lies entirely within Germany – only the shared Bodensee is larger. But the best thing about the Müritz is this: it’s only the beginning. Via the chain of lakes made up of the Kölpinsee, Fleesensee and Plauer See, one big lake becomes an entire watery realm that you can explore for weeks. Here are the five experiences that are part of it. No wonder: the Müritz is by far the largest inland lake in Germany.
Top 5: What You Must Have Experienced at the Müritz
1. Head Out Across the Lake by Boat
Looking at the Müritz from the shore is lovely – experiencing it from the water is a whole different league. Only out on the lake do you grasp the scale of this body of water: nothing but water, wind and open space all around. The most comfortable option is a round trip on one of the excursion boats from Waren or Röbel. You’ll be more independent with a rental boat: motorboats up to 15 hp can be operated entirely without a boating license – get a quick briefing, cast off, let yourself drift. And if you prefer things quiet, take a canoe or SUP and follow the belt of reeds, home to great crested grebes and kingfishers.
2. Sunrise on the East Shore in the National Park
The entire east shore of the Müritz belongs to the Müritz National Park – making it one of the few large-lake shores in Germany where nothing has been built and nothing ever will be. If you set your alarm just once and stand at the observation blinds near Federow or Boek at sunrise, you’ll be rewarded: mist hangs over the reeds, cranes call from the moors, and with a bit of luck a white-tailed eagle glides across the water in the first light. Moments like these are the reason so many guests come back year after year.
3. Discover the Chain of Lakes
From the Müritz the route leads via the Kölpinsee and the Fleesensee all the way to the Plauer See – and if you like, you can theoretically continue across the Mecklenburg waterways as far as Berlin or the Baltic Sea. The Müritz chain of lakes is one of the most beautiful water-touring regions in Europe: houseboats putter leisurely from dock to dock, sailors cross the large basins, paddlers vanish into quiet canals. Each lake has its own character – the Kölpinsee, for example, is noticeably calmer than the great Müritz and all the more unspoiled for it. And it’s right there, at the transition, that Jabel is located.
4. Fish Sandwiches and Harbor Flair in Waren
A Müritz day wouldn’t be complete without a stop on the north shore: Waren (Müritz), a health resort, is the liveliest spot on the lake with its town harbor, its promenade and its half-timbered old town. Here you’ll find the obligatory fish sandwich on the harbor wall, coffee with a view of the boats coming in, and, with the Müritzeum, a first-class nature discovery center for rainy days. We’ve written up everything you can get up to in Waren in a separate post about the sights in Waren (Müritz).
5. Cycle All the Way Around the Müritz
The roughly 90-kilometer Müritz Loop leads all the way around the lake – through the national park, past Röbel with its colorful half-timbered houses, through forests and along tree-lined avenues. Sporty riders can manage the loop in a day; a more relaxed approach is two stages with swimming and refreshment breaks. The region is flat and the paths are well developed – ideal for occasional cyclists too. You’ll find all the routes, map tips and our favorite loops from Jabel in the post about the cycle paths at the Müritz.
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Nature and Wildlife: Safari, Mecklenburg-Style
There’s a moment that almost every Müritz vacationer experiences sooner or later: you’re sitting in a boat or lying on the beach, someone points up – and there, sure enough, a white-tailed eagle is circling, a two-and-a-half-meter wingspan, utterly unfazed by its audience. Around the Müritz these birds breed at a density found almost nowhere else in Central Europe. What would be a sensation elsewhere is almost everyday here. Almost.
Then there’s the osprey, the most spectacular hunter in the area: it hovers over the water, folds its wings and strikes in a dive – once you’ve seen it, you never forget it. In spring and fall the bird migration transforms the region: cranes and wild geese rest by the tens of thousands in the moors and on the fields along the east shore, and in the evening their calls carry for miles across the water.
Our advice for anyone who wants to see more of it: get up early, pack your binoculars, set off silently by canoe. From the water you get closest to nature without disturbing it – the animals take a paddle boat remarkably calmly. In the quiet bays the glowing blue of the kingfisher flashes again and again, and where old trees along the shore bear gnaw marks, the beaver isn’t far.
The most beautiful time for the Mecklenburg safari is twilight – morning and evening alike. That’s when the lake settles down, otters go hunting, and above the reeds the great spectacle of light and mist begins. Take a thermos with you and simply sit still for an hour. That’s really all you have to do.
The Insider Tip: Experience the Müritz from Jabel
Now for an honest word: right on the Müritz it can get crowded in high summer. The front-row pitches sell out early, at the well-known beaches it’s towel to towel, and in the harbor of Waren the promenade inches forward at a walking pace. None of that is a big deal – but there is another way.
The alternative is called the second row: the small village of Jabel lies on the Jabelscher See, which is connected via a canal directly to the Kölpinsee and thus to the entire Müritz chain of lakes. So on the water you’re right in the middle of it all – a half-hour paddle to the Kölpinsee in the morning, a quick trip by motorboat onto the great Müritz. On land, by contrast: forest, a long natural beach, and a peace and quiet you’d have to search a long time for at the hotspots.
At Genuss-Ferien you’ll stay right on the shore. Campers stand on the nature and beach campsite sometimes so close to the water that they could cast a fishing line from the breakfast table. Anyone arriving with their own boat moors in our harbor with over 47 berths – power and water at the dock included. And for everyone else, vacation apartments and vacation homes in Jabel and Nossentin are ready and waiting.
SUPs, canoes and license-free motorboats are waiting for you at our dock, Waren and Malchow are reached in fifteen minutes – and in the evening the sunset over the lake is all yours. Anyone who has experienced what the Müritz region feels like from the quiet side never willingly books the front row again.
Our Restaurant: Enjoyment with a Lake View
Linger on our lovely terrace with 120 seats and a direct view over the Jabelscher See as well as the Nossentiner Schwinzer Heide Nature Park. We offer you an appealing selection of drinks, various café specialties, plus small fresh dishes and a choice of different pizzas. We also offer you cakes and gateaux.
120 seats with a lake view
Terrace, loungers
Campfire corner
Fresh cuisine & pizza
Regional, seasonal, nothing from a packet
Coffee, homemade gateaux
What Guests Say
This is what we're proud of:
Right in the Middle of the Müritz Region – Without the Hustle
From the Jabelscher See a canal leads directly into the Kölpinsee and on into the great Müritz chain of lakes: so at Genuss-Ferien you start right in the middle of it all – your boat lies in our own harbor, SUPs and canoes wait at the dock.
On land, by contrast: forest, natural beach and quiet. Exactly the mix that makes a Müritz vacation perfect.
- 1.5 hrs
- from Berlin
- 2 hrs
- from Hamburg
- Directly
- on the Jabelscher See
Frequently Asked Questions About the Müritz
More Questions?
At around 112 km², the Müritz is the largest lake that lies entirely within Germany. Its entire east shore belongs to the Müritz National Park – this combination of a large lake and protected wilderness is a real rarity in Europe.
The best known is Waren (Müritz) with its old town, harbor and Müritzeum. Quieter and very idyllic are the places in the second row – for example Jabel on the Jabelscher See, from where you can set off via the canal straight into the great region.
A boat trip across the lake, a sunrise on the national park shore, a fish sandwich in the harbor of Waren and once around by bike – you’ll find the complete top-5 list above in the post.
The Müritz Loop is around 90 kilometers long. By bike, sporty riders can manage it in a day; a more leisurely approach is two stages. On foot, hikers should plan for four to five days.
Yes – motorboats up to 15 hp are license-free on the Müritz and the entire chain of lakes. After a short briefing you simply cast off; rental boats are available at our water sports rental in Jabel.
Around the lake there are many swimming spots and beaches, for example in Waren, Röbel or Klink. Families appreciate the shallow, quiet natural beaches of the neighboring lakes such as the Jabelscher See – there you often have a whole stretch of shore to yourself.
Pike, perch, zander, eel and the famous Müritz whitefish. Fishing permits are available online and on-site – the finest fishing is from a rowboat at dusk, when the lake grows calm.
By boat via the canal from the Jabelscher See into the Kölpinsee and on through the chain of lakes – after a short trip the great Müritz opens up. By car you’re in Waren in about 15 minutes.