Family vacation on Usedom

Die Sommerferien sind mehr als nur ein paar Wochen ohne Schule – es sind Erinnerungen an Eisbecher mit bunten Streuseln und die Wellen der Ostsee, an lange Tage am Strand und kleine Abenteuer im Hinterland. Zum Beispiel beim Badeurlaub in den Ostseebädern Trassenheide und Karlshagen auf Usedom.

Josi has grabbed her new green air mattress and is letting the Baltic Sea rock her. Every now and then she rows her arms a little to compensate for the gentle swell. Her little sister Luna calls out to her. She is building a sandcastle with several towers and could use some help. Because Josi would like to stay in the water, her dad helps this time. He has been sitting in the beach chair reading until just now, while the mother of the two girls takes a little walk on the beach.

A blue strip of the Baltic Sea, a four-kilometer-long, light-colored strip of sand and behind it a cozy place between forest and meadows - this is how the Baltic resort Trassenheide looks from the air. Trassenheide is characterized by vacation homes, some hotels and a camping site - there is a favorite accommodation for everyone. And there are also plenty of attractions: a wide variety of events start regularly in the concert shell on the beach promenade. The little ones can let off steam on a huge adventure playground. In addition, Trassenheide has a butterfly farm and the house where the world is upside down. Sounds mysterious? It is ...

At the end of the beach day, Josi and Luna are usually allowed to get an ice cream - there's already the first stand right at the beach entrance in Trassenheide - but they already know all the other ice cream parlors here and in neighboring Karlshagen. Because Usedom is the island of beach chairs, there is also a mobile tourist information center on the promenade in Trassenheide during the high season - in a converted giant beach chair. Otherwise, the central point of contact for questions is the Haus des Gastes. In addition to information on places of interest, there is also a playroom for the little ones and a library - in case the weather isn't so great. 

Josi und Lunas Eltern genießen die Zeit am Meer, aber sie machen auch Ausflüge mit den beiden Kindern – fahren zum Beispiel zum Yachthafen in Karlshagen, um dort Fischbrötchen zu essen. Der Yachthafen liegt drei Kilometer vom feinen Strand entfernt und direkt am Peenestrom. Ein schönes Kontrastprogramm zum feinen Sand – hier erlebt die Familie viel maritimes Flair. Der Hafen gehört zu den größten Anlegeplätzen der Insel und ist auch ein toller Angelplatz. Die Kinder wählen Brötchen mit Backfisch und kommen beim Essen auch gleich mit einem echten Fischer ins Gespräch. Von dem erfahren die beiden, dass der Ort sogar eine eigene Kinderkurdirektorin hat, die 12-jährige Amelie. Die setzt sich dafür ein, dass der Badeort noch familienfreundlicher wird. Und manchmal hat sie sogar Sprechstunde … Josi würde da gerne mal hin.

Josi's parents book a spa day for the whole family at the Travel Charme Hotel in Bansin. It is located directly on the beach, offers its guests 4-star superior comfort and is a hotel where all generations feel at home. Special feature: In the beauty area, small guests are also very welcome. And so the two daughters try out a face mask with cucumber slices and have their nails painted according to all the rules of the art. It's clear that they feel pretty grown-up when they relax afterwards on the super comfortable loungers with their bathrobes and towels around their heads. 

On the penultimate day, there is another big surprise for Josi and Luna: their parents have planned a canoe trip through the Achterwasser, the Bodden waters of the island of Usedom. For this, the family drives to the nearby Forsthaus Damerow in Koserow. There are lots of things to do there, such as playing miniature golf or volleyball. Or they can rent canoes - and the four of them do just that. Josi and Luna put on an orange life jacket for safety, even though they already know how to swim, of course. Better safe than sorry. Then they get a quick explanation of how to properly dip the paddles into the water. And off they go - through a fabulously green landscape with reeds on the shore and small sandy bays. "Mama, Mama," calls Luna, "can we stop? I want to see if there are any little fish in the shallows." Josi, on the other hand, wants another round of miniature golf after the tour. The parents laugh and nod. There's plenty of time on vacation on Usedom. All wishes can be fulfilled.

By train comfortably and without traffic jams to Usedom: Plan arrival.

Cover photo: In Trassenheide, the Baltic Sea is not much more than an air mattress distance from the village © TMV/Tiemann