Binz is Rügen's largest seaside resort, and the most photogenic of its Wilhelmine-era spas. The seafront is a procession of white-painted villas with wraparound verandas, balconies, and the wedding-cake spa architecture that Germans call Bäderarchitektur. The pier, restored, runs out into the Baltic with a small restaurant at the end.
The wide sand beach stretches for kilometres in both directions. Strandkörbe — the hooded beach baskets — line up in summer, and the promenade behind is lined with cafes, ice-cream stands, and shops. It can feel busy at the height of summer, but the scale of the beach absorbs the crowds. Out of season the place quiets down dramatically and is one of the better autumn walks on the German coast.