Ostseeküsten-Radweg: which way and when to ride
The best month for Ostseeküsten-Radweg is September: 78% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Flensburg → Swinemünde meant an average tailwind of 2.0 km/h (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2% | 25% | 62 | 4 °C | 0% | 96% | 7.9 † |
| February | 4% | 21% | 48 | 4 °C | 0% | 95% | 9.7 † |
| March | 19% | 20% | 43 | 7 °C | 0% | 77% | 11.7 |
| April | 54% | 22% | 41 | 12 °C | 0% | 37% | 14.0 |
| May | 73% | 24% | 58 | 16 °C | 0% | 5% | 16.0 |
| June | 75% | 25% | 66 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 17.2 |
| July | 69% | 29% | 77 | 22 °C | 2% | 0% | 16.7 |
| August | 71% | 28% | 73 | 21 °C | 1% | 0% | 14.9 |
| September | 78% | 22% | 56 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 67% | 24% | 67 | 13 °C | 0% | 13% | 10.4 † |
| November | 23% | 22% | 56 | 8 °C | 0% | 69% | 8.4 † |
| December | 5% | 23% | 61 | 5 °C | 0% | 92% | 7.3 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Flensburg → Swinemünde, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Flensburg → Swinemünde | Headwind > 15 km/h, Swinemünde → Flensburg | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +2.9 | 14% | 23% | Flensburg → Swinemünde |
| February | +1.9 | 15% | 22% | either |
| March | +2.2 | 14% | 21% | Flensburg → Swinemünde |
| April | +1.4 | 12% | 18% | either |
| May | +1.5 | 12% | 17% | either |
| June | +3.0 | 8% | 19% | Flensburg → Swinemünde |
| July | +3.8 | 8% | 21% | Flensburg → Swinemünde |
| August | +2.8 | 8% | 18% | Flensburg → Swinemünde |
| September | +2.0 | 12% | 19% | Flensburg → Swinemünde |
| October | +1.6 | 13% | 20% | either |
| November | +1.7 | 13% | 19% | either |
| December | +3.0 | 12% | 23% | Flensburg → Swinemünde |
Stages
The route is split into 7 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Flensburg → Swinemünde in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Flensburg → Eckernförde | 118 | September | +0.4 |
| 2. Eckernförde → Oldenburg in Holstein | 122 | September | +2.6 |
| 3. Oldenburg in Holstein → Grossenbrode | 103 | September | +1.7 |
| 4. Grossenbrode → Wismar | 138 | September | −0.7 |
| 5. Wismar → Zingst | 135 | September | +5.3 |
| 6. Zingst → Universitäts- und Hansestadt Greifswald | 96 | September | +2.2 |
| 7. Universitäts- und Hansestadt Greifswald → Swinemünde | 89 | September | +2.8 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.