Experience Lake Müritz: Top 5 on Germany’s Largest Inland Lake
“The little sea” is what the Slavs called Lake Müritz – and anyone standing on its shore for the first time immediately understands why. The opposite shore blurs into the horizon, sails drift across the water like white dots, and the sky here simply seems a size bigger. Covering around 112 square kilometers, the Müritz is the largest lake lying entirely within Germany – only Lake Constance, which Germany shares with its neighbors, is bigger. But the best thing about the Müritz is this: it’s only the beginning. Via the chain of lakes formed by the Kölpinsee, Fleesensee and Plauer See, one large lake becomes an entire water kingdom that you can explore for weeks. Here are the five experiences that belong on your list. No wonder: Lake Müritz is by far Germany’s largest inland lake.
Top 5: What you simply have to experience on Lake Müritz
1. Take a boat out across the lake
Looking at the Müritz from the shore is lovely – experiencing it from the water is in a whole different league. Only out on the lake do you grasp the sheer size of it: nothing but water, wind and wide-open space all around. The most comfortable option is a round trip on one of the excursion boats from Waren or Röbel. You’re more independent with a rental boat: you can drive motorboats of up to 15 hp without any boating license – get a quick briefing, cast off, let yourself drift. And if you prefer it quiet, take a canoe or SUP and follow the reed belt, 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 – which makes it one of the few shores of a large lake in Germany where nothing has been built and nothing ever will be. If you set your alarm just once and stand at the observation points 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 sweeps across the water in the first light. Moments like these are why 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 in theory, if you wanted to, you could carry on across the Mecklenburg waterways as far as Berlin or the Baltic Sea. The Müritz chain of lakes is one of the most beautiful boating and paddling regions in Europe: houseboats putter leisurely from landing to landing, sailors tack across the large lake basins, paddlers disappear into quiet canals. Each lake has its own character – the Kölpinsee, for example, is much calmer than the great Müritz and all the more unspoiled for it. And that’s exactly where, at the transition, you’ll find Jabel.
4. Fish sandwiches and harbor flair in Waren
A day on the Müritz isn’t complete without a stop on the north shore: with its town harbor, promenade and half-timbered old town, the health resort of Waren (Müritz) is the liveliest place on the lake. This is where you get the obligatory fish sandwich on the harbor wall, coffee with a view of the incoming boats and, in the Müritzeum, a first-class nature discovery center for rainy days. We’ve written up everything you can do in Waren in a separate post about the sights in Waren (Müritz).
5. Cycle all the way around Lake Müritz
The roughly 90-kilometer Müritz circular trail takes you 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 do the loop in a day; two stages with breaks for swimming and a bite to eat are more relaxed. 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 our post on the bike paths around Lake Müritz.
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Nature and wildlife: safari, Mecklenburg-style
There’s a moment almost every Lake Müritz vacationer experiences sooner or later: you’re sitting in a boat or lying on the beach, someone points up – and sure enough, there’s a white-tailed eagle circling, with a wingspan of two and a half meters, completely unfazed by its audience. Around Lake Müritz these birds breed at a density found almost nowhere else in Central Europe. What would be a sensation elsewhere is almost an everyday sight here. Almost.
Then there’s the osprey, the most spectacular hunter in the area: it hovers above the water, folds its wings and strikes in a steep dive – once you’ve seen it, you’ll never forget it. In spring and fall, bird migration transforms the region: tens of thousands of cranes and wild geese rest 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 this: get up early, pack your binoculars and set off silently by canoe. On the water you get closest to nature without disturbing it – the animals are remarkably relaxed about a paddle boat. In the quiet bays, the brilliant blue of a kingfisher flashes by again and again, and wherever old trees along the shore show gnaw marks, the beaver isn’t far away.
The best time for a Mecklenburg safari is twilight – morning and evening alike. That’s when the lake grows calm, otters go hunting and the great show of light and mist begins above the reeds. Bring a thermos and simply sit quietly for an hour. That’s really all it takes.
The insider tip: experience Lake Müritz from Jabel
Now, an honest word: right on Lake Müritz, things can get crowded in high summer. The front-row pitches are booked up early, the well-known beaches are towel to towel, and along the harbor promenade in Waren, the crowds shuffle along at walking pace. None of that is a big deal – but there is another way.
The alternative is the second row: the small village of Jabel lies on the Jabelscher See, which is connected by a canal directly to the Kölpinsee and therefore to the entire Müritz chain of lakes. So on the water you’re right in the middle of it all – in the morning a half-hour paddle takes you into the Kölpinsee, and by motorboat you’re out on the great Müritz in no time. On land, by contrast: forest, a long natural beach and a peace and quiet you’d search for in vain at the hotspots.
At Genuss-Ferien you stay right on the shore. At our nature and beach campsite, some campers are so close to the water that they could cast a fishing line from the breakfast table. If you arrive with your own boat, you can moor in our marina with over 47 berths – power and water at the jetty included. And for everyone else, holiday apartments and holiday homes in Jabel and Nossentin are ready and waiting.
SUPs, canoes and license-free motorboats are waiting for you at our jetty, Waren and Malchow are just a quarter of an hour away – and in the evening, the sunset over the lake is all yours. Once you’ve experienced the quiet side of the Müritz region, you’ll never choose the front row again.
Our restaurant: good food with a lake view
Linger on our beautiful terrace with 120 seats and a direct view over the Jabelscher See and the Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heide Nature Park. We offer an appealing selection of drinks, various café specialties, small fresh dishes and a choice of different pizzas. We also serve cakes and tortes.
120 seats with a lake view
Terrace, lounge chairs
Campfire corner
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Regional, seasonal, nothing from a packet
Coffee, homemade cakes
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This is what we're proud of:
Right in the heart of the Müritz region – without the crowds
From the Jabelscher See, a canal leads directly into the Kölpinsee and on into the great Müritz chain of lakes: at Genuss-Ferien you start right in the middle of it all – your boat is moored in our own marina, and SUPs and canoes are waiting at the jetty.
On land, by contrast: forest, a natural beach and peace and quiet. Exactly the mix that makes a Lake Müritz vacation perfect.
- 1.5 hrs
- from Berlin
- 2 hrs
- from Hamburg
- Right
- on the Jabelscher See
Frequently asked questions about Lake Müritz
More questions?
Covering around 112 km², Lake Müritz is the largest lake lying 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. The villages in the second row are quieter and very idyllic – for example Jabel on the Jabelscher See, from where you can head straight into the heart of the lake region via the canal.
A boat trip across the lake, a sunrise on the national park shore, a fish sandwich in Waren harbor and a bike ride all the way around – you’ll find the complete top 5 list above in this post.
The Müritz circular trail is around 90 kilometers long. Sporty cyclists can do it in one day; two stages are more leisurely. Hikers should allow four to five days on foot.
Yes – motorboats of up to 15 hp are license-free on Lake Müritz and the entire chain of lakes. After a short briefing, you simply cast off; rental boats are available from our water sports rental in Jabel.
There are many swimming spots and beaches around the lake, for example in Waren, Röbel or Klink. Families love the shallow, quiet natural beaches of neighboring lakes such as the Jabelscher See – where you often have a whole stretch of shore to yourself.
Pike, perch, zander, eel and the famous Müritz whitefish (Maräne). Fishing permits are available online and locally – the most beautiful 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 expanse of Lake Müritz opens up before you. By car, you’re in Waren in about 15 minutes.