Forget the Med: Europe’s new, surprising, summer holiday hotspot

By Sarah Marshall

May 4, 2024 — 3.00am

The restorative powers of sea air and sunshine have been championed for centuries. But long before a holiday in the Greek Islands became a staple of our European holiday calendars, aristocrats and members of royalty were busy discovering other European coastlines.

In fact, it’s easy to forget there are beaches in Europe beyond those fringing the Mediterranean Sea. Yet branching from the Atlantic Ocean and similarly surrounded by land, the Baltic Sea has more than 8000 kilometres of coastline and thousands of islands grouped in scenic archipelagos.

The stunning Hel Peninsula is a 35-kilometre long sandbar on the Baltic Sea in northern Poland. Credit: iStock

But a change in weather patterns is driving a shift in attitudes. While temperatures soaring into the 40s during the last northern summer made parts of southern Europe unbearable in high summer, many seaside resorts further north were enjoying a milder, more pleasant climate.

In August, the mercury hovers around the much more bearable mid-20s in Poland, Denmark and Germany, and the longer daylight hours in northern Europe give the sun more time to shine.

Beaches, so far, are less busy and it is still possible to stroll comfortably along the shore without scalding your feet on searingly hot sand.

Prices are more favourable, too, with Poland’s exclusive resorts costing a fraction of those in St Tropez, while dollars stretch further in Estonia and even in the famously pricey Sweden.

There’s a well-established resort culture here, too, one which dates back to the mid-1800s, when Russian tsars began to descend on the tiny Estonian town Haapsalu, drawn by the therapeutic properties of its sea mud.

Soon enough, houses and neoclassical villas also began springing up along the coastline of German island Usedom.

Majestic Usedom architecture.Credit: German National Tourism Board

Now, several of these historical buildings have been converted into guest houses and restaurants, and mud spas continue to operate – their appeal complemented by an abundance of natural beauty: sweeps of beach backed by forest, chalk cliffs towering above shorelines, and fine white sands.

Aside from Russia’s portion of the coastline – including the once-popular cruise port St Petersburg, which is now, of course, off limits – eight countries have splendid seafronts to explore. They were once associated with a harsh environment, but attitudes towards the Baltic are now rapidly warming. Welcome to Europe’s new, if unlikely, summer hotspot.

Sweden

Head for the rugged coastline of southern county Skane – best reached by flying to Copenhagen and crossing the bridge to Malmo – and you will be rewarded with Sandhammaren beach, a popular holiday haunt for Swedes with sand so blindingly white and silky-soft it could easily rival those in the Caribbean.

Further north, Bjare Peninsula has several cycle paths and hiking trails backed by farmlands and beechwood forests, while the Kullaberg Peninsula offers more dramatic scenery – and two of Sweden’s most controversial sculptures, which rise from granite boulders along a rocky shoreline reached only by boat (or a challenging 45-minute hike).

Artist Lars Vilks irked authorities with his self-declared micronation Ladonia, featuring illegal towers built from rusty nails and driftwood, but they are well worth a visit nonetheless.

Beyond the mainland, Sweden’s many islands and skerries benefit from warm weather and waters even when the first autumn leaves begin to fall. A two-week time lag known as The Magic Season occurs in early September, when crowds disperse, calm returns and the contrast between glorious warm days and cooler nights creates an ethereal morning mist.

Some of Sweden’s most beautiful beaches are in the southern county of Skane.

Back on the mainland, experience the phenomenon in Stockholm’s archipelago, easily accessible from the capital by ferries that run like public buses (waxholmsbolaget.se). Of the 30,000 islands, less than 1 per cent are inhabited – among the loveliest of which are Grinda, for art nouveau architecture; lively Sandhamm for sunset cocktails; and Arholma for its iconic listed lighthouse.

Part of the southern outer archipelago, a 3½-hour boat ride from the city centre, Uto is perhaps the loveliest spot in all of Sweden if you are hoping to get away from it all. Here, you will swim from the smooth granite boulders at Ravstavik, gaze longingly at romantic wooden summer cottages snapped up by local creatives, and learn about a mining industry started by the Vikings.

A longer ferry ride into the Baltic connects Stockholm with the Aland Islands – a Swedish-speaking, Finnish-governed archipelago with an identity all of its own. Walk through avenues of linden trees and stop for a fika break in the cosy cafes of Mariehamn – one of 60 inhabited islands. Afterwards, take a ferry ride through a maze of skerries to reach the ruins of an abandoned Franciscan monastery on Kokar. See visitsweden.com

Denmark

Colourful beach huts of Tisvildeleje Strand.Credit: Daniel Overbeck / Visit Nordsjælland

Mandated by the government in the 1930s, holiday time is precious in Denmark – and a visit that only allows time for the capital need not mean missing out on the Danes’ preferred sandy spots.

Various delightful beaches are within easy reach of Copenhagen, perhaps the loveliest being the much-loved Bellevue Strand, favoured for its art deco architecture and views across the shimmering water to Sweden.

Danish architect Arne Jacobsen designed a series of striped watchtowers leading to the sea, and was also responsible for the neighbouring theatre.

If you have time to head north, you will find dozens of dainty seaside towns and wild beaches fringing the coast of Sealand, a stretch declared the Danish Riviera in the 1930s. Monitored by a team of voluntary lifeguards, the area is excellent for families.

Close to Hundested, Trekanten beach has fine sands; kayaks and stand-up paddleboards can be rented at Lynaes; and bohemian Tisvildeleje is the place to try a traditional wooden badehotel (bathing hotel).

Denmark’s traditional seaside inns, badehotels.Credit: Helenekilde Badehotel

Boasting a breadbasket as bountiful as the fertile regions of southern Italy, Spain and Portugal, Bornholm has temperatures favourable enough to plant vines and allow figs to ripen on the stem.

A 35-minute flight from Copenhagen, this favourite foraging ground for gourmet chefs also has a strong beach culture – and although steep drop-offs make it challenging to swim in some areas, grassy dune-backed Dueodde Beach in the south has plenty of shallow sandbars and secluded spots where you won’t see another soul. See visitdenmark.com

Germany

There are no races to lay down towels on sun loungers at Timmendorfer Strand, a sandy stretch that is just two hours by train from Hamburg.

Instead, visitors set their sights on strandkorbs: odd-looking but surprisingly comfy wicker sofas with canvas hoods, invented by a German in 1882. Renting one for the day (about $20) and, in vintage comfort, inhaling the salty sea air that earned this area spa resort status in the 1950s.

If you prefer something a little more wild and windswept, take a 2½-drive east to Usedom, a sand-wrapped island divided between Germany and Poland. Also famous for its mineral-rich waters and spa centres, its trump cards are more hours of sunshine than the mainland and Europe’s longest stretch of beach, which runs for 42 kilometres.

Prussian royals came here to revel in the kaiserbader (imperial spas) of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin, villages connected by a promenade and cycle path, lined with grand Wilhelmian villas and their manicured grounds, giving the impression of a Baltic Nantucket.

Located about 200 kilometres north of the capital, the sea and its hinterland of lagoons have since become known as badewanne Berlins (Berlin’s bathtub) – but with more than 400 kilometres of hiking paths, it is still easy to dodge the crowds.

For quaint belle epoque architecture, head for Germany’s largest island, Rugen, where the Baltic beach trend was born.

During the 19th century, wealthy aristocrats sought relief from smoggy industrialising cities by visiting the towering chalk cliffs and sleepy fishing villages of the Pomeranian getaway, connected by bridge to the mainland. Years later, Adolf Hitler commissioned a sprawling holiday camp.

The partially renovated structure still looms behind Prora, regarded as the island’s best beach thanks to its broad bay. Hop by ferry to neighbouring Hiddensee, a tiny car-free island dominated by a photogenic lighthouse. See germany.travel

Poland

Western Pomerania is the home of Baltic gold – technically the nickname for the region’s historic amber-mining industry, though it might just as easily apply to the glittering beaches along the Polish Riviera’s coastline.

Connected to the UK by various budget airlines, port city Gdansk makes a practical entry point – and a great place to learn about the maritime days of the Middle Ages, or to dive into the pastel-hued bars and subterranean restaurants of main drag Dlugi Targ.

For better beach action, great value resort Sopot is a 20-minute drive north. Although it is possible to find snow on the sand during winter, temperatures can soar into the high 20s in July and August, which attracts a yachting crowd.

Hanko, on Finland’s southern coast, is a summer staple for family holidays.

A haunt for high-fliers in the 1930s, the resort’s casinos have since been replaced by family apartments but Sopot is still a place to show off designer labels on a sunset stroll.

A further 10-minute train ride north will take you to Gdynia, a former fishing village transformed into a harbour in the 1920s and the final resting place for several finely restored vessels. Walk along the promenade to find ORP Blyskawica, a 1930s destroyer built on the Isle of Wight, and the elegant tall ship, Gift of Pomerania.

Further east, sails billow along the heavenly beaches of the Hel Peninsula, where strong winds and a shallow, sandy seabed make it ideal for watersports. Resort town Jurata is a scenic two-hour train ride from Gdynia along the 35-kilometre sandbar and forms part of the EuroVelo 10 cycle trail. See poland.travel

Finland

Baltic Sea landscapes along the Turku archipelago cycling trail.Credit: Visit Finland

Splintered into more than 40,000 islands and skerries, Finland’s archipelago is the largest in the world. As a result, finding the perfect beach can be a pleasurably infinite mission, but a cycle trip along the Turku archipelago trail is a good place to start.

The 250-kilometre circular seven-day route connects Finland’s oldest city with the cluster of islands in the country’s south-western corner, joining the dots with (mostly free) ferry rides.

Open from May to September, the route’s highlights include a limestone mine on Pargas, the nature trails of Nagu and nostalgic boathouses on Inio. Start in Turku and end in Naantali, both two hours from Helsinki.

Nowhere does the sun shine brighter than in Hanko, a spa town at the southernmost tip of the country where every Finn has spent a childhood summer.

Embrace 19th-century nostalgia at Spa Park’s decorative wooden villas converted into guest houses and restaurants; circle around the tallest lighthouse in the Nordics on a cruise of Bengtskar island; and take a lift to the top of Hanko’s water tower for a view stretching across the cape. See finland.com

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Spa luxury in Padaste Manor, Muhu Island.

Less than two hours from Estonia’s charming capital, Tallinn, by car or public bus, the time-warp Estonian spa resort of Haapsalu was once the go-to for Russian tsars eager to remedy their ills.

These days, visitors can follow in their footsteps, with a medicinal mud and peat massage ($53 for 30 minutes) and clay tea at the Hestia Hotel Haapsalu Spa (hestiahotels.com), followed by fine dining at ornate seaside house Kuursaal, the former 18th-century town hall.

If you are serious about spas, however, you will want to head to Kuressaare on Saaremaa Island, connected by a causeway to neighbouring Muhu Island (a 25-minute ferry ride from the port of Virtsu on the mainland), where the country’s highest concentration of spas adds up to a ratio of one for every 10 inhabitants.

Once you have been scrubbed and pummelled, explore juniper forests, wildflower meadows and dolomite cliffs, or stroll through idyllic fishing villages with doorways decorated in abstract murals.

An abundance of herbs and vegetables also makes the island an ideal foraging ground for the Alexander restaurant at Padaste Manor hotel, one of the best dining spots in the country.

In neighbouring Latvia, the 32-kilometre Blue Flag Jurmala beach – a cheap, 40-minute train ride from the capital, Riga – is ideally suited to families with young children searching for shallow waters for paddling.

Take a hike in nature through Latvia’s Kemeri National Park.Credit: iStock

And once the novelty of buckets and spades has worn off? The aquatic amusement attractions and spa complex at Livu Akvaparks – where you can fly down slides or sink into the pools, salt chambers and underwater massage facilities – are a 10-minute drive away.

Those who prefer the restorative powers of nature can hike along boardwalks through the forests and mires of nearby Kemeri National Park. Bogs might not sound much like the Mediterranean, but as the mists rise at dawn and dusk, you will find otherworldly drama that is hard to beat.

Although Lithuania’s slice of the Baltic coast is the shortest, it has access to one of the region’s highlights. Shared with Russian exclave Kaliningrad, the Curonian Spit is a 100-kilometre narrow peninsula of dunes awarded UNESCO status.

The windswept dunes of the Curonian Spit in Lithuania. Credit: iStock

Once a favourite hang-out for artists, Nida beach retains bohemian charm; find beanbags scattered in beach bars, fairytale cottage gardens and fishing from the pier. See visitestonia.com, latvia.travel and lithuania.travel

The Telegraph, UK

Five best ways to do the Baltic

By Brian Johnston

Cruise in luxury between Copenhagen and Hamburg
Ramp up your Baltic holiday to impressive luxury levels on a 12-day cruise aboard Silversea’s small ship Silver Shadow, which has spacious suites and four elegant fine-dining restaurants. You’ll visit the Baltic capitals of Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga, but interesting small island destinations Mariehamn and Visby, too. The latter, a former Viking stronghold and medieval trading port, is perhaps Sweden’s prettiest town. Departs July 10, 2025. From $19,500 a person. See silversea.com

Aerial view of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and St Mary’s Cathedral in Tallinn, Estonia. Credit: iStock

Explore the wonders of the Baltic on land and sea
Insight Vacations takes you to eight countries and 10 cities on this comprehensive, 14-day near -circumnavigation of the Baltic by land and ferry between Berlin and Warsaw. Urban delights such as Copenhagen and Stockholm apart, you’ll spend a pleasant day in the Finnish countryside at an organic farm, followed by time in Porvoo, a decidedly charming old market town. Five departures June-September, 2024. From $6588 a person. See insightvacations.com

Feel right at home on a Viking Homelands cruise
Viking, the cruise line with Norwegian heritage, sails you from Stockholm to Bergen on a 15-day cruise that takes in some of the great medieval trading posts of the Baltic: Tallinn, Gdansk and cheerful Ronne on Danish island Bornholm, which has wild landscapes dotted with glacial boulders. Warnemunde is a jaunty German seaside town. As a bonus, you see southern Norway, too. Viking’s ships have stylish Nordic design perfectly suited to the destination. Multiple departures April-September 2025. From $10,995 a person. See vikingcruises.com.au

Add a pinch of salt to this Baltics odyssey
Widen your European horizons by taking Bunnik Tours’ 22-day odyssey that covers Baltic highlights such as Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius (all with two-night stays) before venturing into Poland and Czechia. Bialowieza Forest, home to European bison, and Wieliczka Salt Mine are quirky alternative sights. Spare time is allocated to allow independent exploration in places such as Warsaw and Krakow. Five departures May-September, 2025. From $13,595 a person. See bunniktours.com.au

… and one for the younger ones
A lively eight-day Contiki tour between Tallinn and Vilnius – for ages 18 to 35 – concentrates on Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which combine gnarly historical cities with buzzing contemporary energy in places such as university town Tartu, which has a notable street-art scene and rollicking nightlife. Several castles, a Latvian brewery and the Lithuanian pilgrim site Hill of Crosses are among the many sights. Multiple departures May-September, 2025. From $2804 a person. See contiki.com

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