Villas in Mecklenburgische Seenplatte

Waren suits boaters on the Müritz, Plau am See and Mirow suit families and paddlers, and Dargun is quieter still. Nearly everything here is a holiday house or flat rather than a villa, usually a short walk or drive from a lake. Expect lake swimming, canoes and cycle paths, not sightseeing, and bring insect repellent for summer evenings.

Where

Villas: 215
From, per week: £202
Cheapest month: November
Nearest airports: Berlin Brandenburg suits Waren, Mirow and the east, at around two hours by car. Hamburg is closer for Plau and Schwerin, at around an hour and a half to two hours. Flights from London take around an hour and a half to Hamburg and just under two hours to Berlin.

Where to stay in Mecklenburgische Seenplatte

Waren and the Müritz (Waren, Ludorf, Kargow)

Waren has the most of our houses in the region and is the only real town on the Müritz, the largest lake entirely inside Germany. There is a harbour with sightseeing boats, a small old town and the Müritzeum nature centre with its freshwater aquariums. Kargow sits at the edge of the national park, a few minutes east. Ludorf is a quiet village on the west shore. Berlin Brandenburg airport is around two hours by car.

Best for: First visits, boat trips and the Müritz National Park on the doorstep

Not for you if: You want a lake to yourself in August: Waren's harbour and promenade are the busiest spot in the region.

Plau am See, Krakow am See and Göhren-Lebbin (west)

Plau am See sits at the western tip of the Plauer See, where the Elde river runs out under an old lift bridge that still rises for boats. Krakow am See is smaller and greener, with its own lake and a beach by the town. Göhren-Lebbin is the base for the Fleesensee holiday resort and its golf courses, and Malchow, on an island reached by a swing bridge, is next door. Hamburg airport is around two hours away.

Best for: Families who want a small lakeside town and easy swimming spots

Not for you if: You need a big supermarket and restaurants on every corner: Krakow and the villages around Göhren-Lebbin are small.

Mirow, Wesenberg and the small lakes (south-east)

South of the Müritz the map breaks up into dozens of small lakes linked by canals and short portages, and canoe hire is easy to find in Mirow and Wesenberg. Mirow has a restored ducal palace on an island. Fleeth, Userin and Blankensee are villages in the woods nearby. Rheinsberg, over the border in Brandenburg, is around half an hour south. Berlin Brandenburg airport is around an hour and three quarters away.

Best for: Canoeists and anyone happy to paddle from lake to lake

Not for you if: You want one big open lake for sailing: these are small lakes joined by narrow channels.

Dargun, Verchen and the Kummerower See (north-east)

This corner, sometimes called Mecklenburg Switzerland, has rolling farmland rather than forest. Dargun has the ruins of a Cistercian monastery, later turned into a palace, beside its town lake. Verchen sits at the southern end of the Kummerower See, a large and little-used lake on the Peene river, which is popular with canoeists. Dahmen is on the Malchiner See nearby. Rostock is around an hour north and Berlin Brandenburg around two and a half hours.

Best for: Quiet stays, cycling and lower prices

Not for you if: You want lots of choice for eating out: villages here have one or two places, some shut midweek.

The Schwerin lakes (Flessenow, Raben Steinfeld, Godern, Dümmer)

The western edge of the lake country centres on the Schweriner See. Flessenow is on its quieter west shore, Raben Steinfeld at the southern tip, and Godern and Dümmer sit by smaller lakes a short drive from Schwerin. Schwerin's palace, on its own island in the lake, is the main day out, and the city has proper shops and restaurants. Hamburg airport is around an hour and a half away.

Best for: Combining lake days with a state capital and its island palace

Not for you if: You want to be near the Müritz National Park: it is around an hour and a half east.

When to go to Mecklenburgische Seenplatte

June to early September is the main season, when the lakes are warm enough to swim in and boat hire, campsite cafés and canoe rental are all running. German school holidays fill July and August, especially around Waren and Plau. Mosquitoes can be heavy near reeds on still summer evenings. May and September are quieter and suit cycling. From November to March most boat trips stop, many cafés close and days are short and grey, but the lakes freeze in some winters and houses are at their cheapest.