Camping in the Holsteinische Schweiz
The Holsteinische Schweiz owes its name to a hotel. The merchant Johannes Janus opened it on May 20, 1885 on the Kellersee in Malente, and the name spread from there first to the train station and then to the whole landscape between Lübeck and Kiel. Geographically there is real relief behind the name: the Bungsberg near Schönwalde reaches about 168 meters and is the highest point in Schleswig-Holstein, piled up by the glaciers of the Weichselian ice age roughly 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. Around it lie about 200 lakes, ranging from the Großer Plöner See, 30 square kilometers and up to 58 meters deep with more than 20 islands, down to small forest ponds. A managing association has run the 750 square kilometer region since 1986, spanning 27 municipalities in the districts of Ostholstein, Plön, and Segeberg, among them Plön, Eutin, Malente, and Preetz. Paddling by canoe from Eutin to Kiel today means crossing sixteen of these lakes in sequence along about 50 river kilometers of the Schwentine.
The year in this region
September: Eurasian otters at dusk
The Eurasian otter has been documented since 2001 at several lakes in the nature park, including the Behler See, Suhrer See, Vierer See, Großer and Kleiner Plöner See, Seedorfer See, and Warder See. It is crepuscular and nocturnal, leaving its den at nightfall, which in September already comes early in the evening.
In the middle of the month the sun rises at 6:50 AM and sets at 7:36 PM. That leaves 12 hours and 46 minutes of daylight.
Water and air: Open-Meteo, measured averages. How busy: share of school holidays 2027 across all sixteen federal states. Nature dates: German Weather Service, phenological observations 2014 to 2026 at 43 stations in the region, typical day.
Tours in this region
Marked tours that fit into a day from a site, and one multi day tour per kind.
- Hiking
Naturparkweg
A yellow arrow with a green border leads from Brokstedt to Bad Segeberg, the southern section of the Naturparkwanderweg. Heidmühlen and Groß Rönnau lie along the way, and at the end the Großer Segeberger See and the Kalkberg. Villages and wide fields fill the space between. The ground is firm for most of it. You make good progress.
71 kmMulti day tour
- Hiking
Schusteracht
Two loops cross in Preetz, once a town of shoemakers, and together they form a lying figure of eight. The northern one passes the Pohnsdorfer Stauung and Gut Rastorf, the southern one the Lanker See and the Kührener Teich. In between stand Knicks again and again, the old hedgebanks that swallow the view. The Schwentine keeps both halves company for a while.
72 kmMulti day tour
- Hiking
Der Holsteinische Schweiz Weg
From Plön to Eutin, right through the nature park, almost always along lakes and small streams. A green and blue wave marks the way. Partway it crosses the Bungsberg, at 168 metres the highest point in Schleswig-Holstein, and carries on through beech woods and open fields to Schönwalde and Kasseedorf.
52.8 km
- Hiking
Kellersee Rundweg
The Kellersee lies between Malente and Eutin, and the path keeps almost entirely to the shore, under broadleaf and mixed woodland. There is hardly any climbing. Fissau sits on the southern shore, Sielbeck in the east, and the excursion boats call at several points in between. The Schwentine flows into the lake and out again.
14.8 kmLoop tour
- Cycling
Holsteinische-Schweiz-Radtour
The route takes the ice-age moraine landscape at full width, from the Großer Plöner See up to the Bungsberg and on to the Baltic. Between the lakes it is constantly up and down. Manor houses and estates stand along the way, together with the castles at Plön and Eutin, and woodland alternates with open farmland.
204.7 kmMulti day tour
- Cycling
Plöner-See-Tour
Once around the Großer Plöner See, the largest lake in Schleswig-Holstein, mostly near the shore and on quiet farm roads. Above Plön the white castle stands on its hill, and in Bosau the small twelfth-century Petrikirche sits close to the water. Between Ascheberg and Plön the going is tarmac. The Prinzeninsel reaches two kilometres into the lake and is worth the detour.
37.3 km
- Canoeing
Wasserwanderweg Schwentine
The Schwentine strings the lakes of the Holsteinische Schweiz together and carries them down to the Kieler Förde. You paddle across wide open water and then along narrow river stretches between alders and reeds. At several mills the boat has to be carried. On the big lakes the wind matters more than the current.
53.9 km
Tours: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Lengths computed from the mapped course, as of September 12, 2026.
Animals you can meet here
January to JulyWhite-tailed eagle
Several pairs hunt over the Großer Plöner See and its more than 20 islands, and the white-tailed eagle is best seen from the public observation stations in Rathjensdorf, Barsbek and Gleschendorf. The large bird of prey is easy to identify by its broad, plank-like wings and white tail. The pairs stay in their territory all year round and repair their nests from January to March, with courtship flights on sunny, windy days over the lake.
June to AugustCommon crane
In the wet meadows and alder groves of the Kreis Plön, common crane pairs raise their young, a sight that has become regular again only since the birds were reintroduced from 1990 onward. With its grey plumage and red crown patch, the common crane is unmistakable. Once the chicks can fly at around ten weeks old, the families appear together in the meadows and fields of the nature park.
April to JuneEuropean tree frog
The main range of the species in the nature park lies in the small ponds east of the Großer Plöner See toward Ahrensbök. The small, bright green frog is best recognised by its loud call, produced by the males with a large vocal sac. From late April to late June the calling choruses can be heard, peaking in May, when several synchronised males carry the sound up to a kilometre.
September to FebruaryOtter
The Eurasian otter has been documented at the Behler See, Suhrer See and Großer Plöner See since 2001, and with a little luck it can be seen along the shore at dusk. Its slender, dark brown body and webbed feet set it apart from martens. It leaves its shelter only after dark, which in autumn and winter falls early in the evening.
Pictures: Freepik
Getting there
- 0 h 45 minKiel
- 1 h 15 minHamburg
- 3 h 45 minBerlin
- 5 h 15 minKöln
- 6 h 00 minFrankfurt am Main
- 8 h 45 minMünchen
Good to know
No fire in forest or heath
In Schleswig-Holstein the state fire protection ordinance for forests, moors and heaths bans fire and open flame on those areas and within 100 meters of them. Permanent, marked barbecue installations are exempt. Many lake shores in the Naturpark sit in woodland. From 1 March to 31 October a smoking ban applies too.
Leash requirement in protected areas
In the nature reserves of the nature park, dogs must be kept on a leash so that ground-nesting birds and other wildlife are not disturbed. This applies explicitly, for instance, in the Altarm der Schwentine reserve, an old side channel of the Schwentine river, along with the rule not to leave the marked trails.
Keeping distance from the bird islands
The many islands in the lakes, especially in the Großer Plöner See, are important undisturbed breeding grounds and must not be entered. White-tailed eagles already react sensitively at a distance of about 400 meters, so larger gatherings of waterbirds should be given a wide berth.
Landing only at designated spots
On the lakes and the Schwentine, paddlers and rowers should land only at the designated rest areas and avoid sensitive reed zones. Private shoreline properties are always off limits.
Portage points on the Schwentine
The canoe route on the Schwentine passes several weirs that are bypassed using a roller ramp or boat chute, for instance at the Ölmühle, the Gremsmühle in Bad Malente, the Fisch-Kanu-Pass near Spitzenort (a combined fish ladder and canoe chute), and the Alte Schwentinebrücke in Kiel-Wellingdorf. Anyone planning the route should factor in these points and the time needed to portage around them.
Campsites instead of wild camping
Wild camping is not allowed in Schleswig-Holstein, including with a motorhome. Instead, the nature park offers numerous designated motorhome sites and campgrounds directly on the lakes, ranging from close to town centers to right in the middle of nature.
Protected landscapes
- Nature park
- Holsteinische Schweiz
Names and boundaries: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
About this region
The Holsteinische Schweiz lies between Lübeck and Kiel, shaped by around 200 lakes around the Großer Plöner See and the Bungsberg, the highest point in Schleswig-Holstein. Campsites and motorhome pitches often sit right on the water.
Summer is the busiest season, when paddlers take the Schwentine river route. When a site is open is shown in each listing's calendar.
