Sylt Island
Among the most famous and popular is the island of Sylt. Sylt is known as a favorite vacation spot for celebrities and the wealthy, but that doesn't mean others are barred from entry.
The western sandy beach of this North Frisian island stretches for forty kilometers. Everyone can find a spot here to suit their taste and preferences. Last year, almost 870,000 vacationers visited Sylt. Each of them spent an average of about seven days here.
Rügen Island
Rügen is the largest German island, receiving more than a million guests annually. Vacationers began coming here two hundred years ago, when the first resorts were established near poor fishing villages, primarily for the nobility and affluent public from Berlin. Characteristic attributes of Rügen and other German beaches are wicker baskets – Strandkörbe.
The main architectural symbol of Rügen is the seaside pier in the resort town of Sellin – Seebrücke Sellin, rebuilt in 1997. It extends into the sea for a full four hundred meters. The most popular on Rügen are the multi-kilometer beaches in Binz and on the Schaabe spit.
Hiddensee Island
From Rügen, you can quickly cross by ferry to one of the most romantic German islands – Hiddensee. Here, the movement of vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines is prohibited. The island's length does not exceed 17 kilometers, and its width is significantly less. People travel around the island by horse-drawn carts, electric cars, and bicycles, but it is even more pleasant to walk.
Hiddensee gained wide fame at the beginning of the last century, thanks to the German Nobel Prize winner in literature Gerhart Hauptmann, who gladly spent the summer months here at his cozy and hospitable dacha. Another famous German writer, Thomas Mann, also vacationed here with his family.
Juist Island
Juist Island. Another German island without cars. Its length is 17 kilometers. The maximum width does not exceed one kilometer, and the minimum is 500 meters. Only one and a half thousand people live here, but about 95 thousand tourists stay in its hotels and guesthouses each year.
Several years ago, the public-service television channel NDR called Juist the most laid-back and most beautiful island in Northern Germany.
Borkum Island
Borkum is part of the East Frisian Islands. It received the status of a health resort as early as 1830, thanks to the sea air heavily saturated with salt ions and a climate especially favorable for allergy sufferers. The shallow waters adjacent to the island are part of the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park.
The island has not only sandy beaches but also routes for hiking and horseback riding. At the special Youth Beach (Jugendbad), loud music and fun are welcome, and you can also play volleyball, football, and fly kites.
Sankt Peter-Ording
The resort of Sankt Peter-Ording is located on the coast of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is popular among those who love kite surfing. It features one of the longest sandy beaches on Germany's west coast. Moreover, Sankt Peter-Ording is the only German seaside resort with a bathing area offering hydrogen sulfide baths.
On fine summer days, this beach is packed, which once again confirms its popularity. During low tide, the water recedes almost 200 meters. Annually, 250,000 people spend their holidays here. Plus, several hundred thousand more come for a day trip without an overnight stay.
Usedom Island
Usedom Island is located in the Baltic Sea near the mouth of the Oder River and is divided between Germany and Poland. The well-known resorts of Ahlbeck, Bansin, and Heringsdorf are located here.
Tourism began to develop here at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Guests included Thomas Mann, Theodor Fontane, and Kurt Tucholsky.
The pier in Ahlbeck is the oldest in Germany. The beach stretches for more than 40 kilometers. This island also has the longest coastal promenade in Europe, extending almost 8.5 kilometers. The island is popular among cyclists. The annual number of visitors to the German part of Usedom approaches the one million mark.
Amrum Island
On the island of Amrum in the North Sea is one of the widest sandy beaches in Germany – Kniepsand. Its width is 1.5 kilometers, and its length is 16 kilometers. Amrum is also famous for its nature and is home to many endangered and rare species of animals and plants.
During low tide, you can walk barefoot across the wet seabed from here to the neighboring island of Föhr with a guide. Note that without professional guidance, such walks are extremely dangerous, as the tide in the Wadden Sea comes in quickly and can cut off latecomers from the shore.
Timmendorfer Strand
If you fear the wind, don't go to the Baltic. So do not be surprised by a storm while strolling along the beach of Timmendorfer Strand in Schleswig-Holstein. This beach is located 15 kilometers from the Hanseatic city of Lübeck. The shore here is gentle, and the depth increases gradually, making it especially suitable for a family vacation with children.
The seaside health resort status of Timmendorfer Strand was granted in 1951. At the same time, new hotels and other resort buildings were erected. Every year, more than 180,000 people come here to vacation, and the number of overnight stays exceeds 1.2 million. There are many private coastal villas and houses nearby.
Prerow
We will end our walk at the North Beach of the Baltic resort of Prerow (Prerower Nordstrand) in Western Pomerania – on the peninsula between Rostock and Stralsund. Its importance should not be underestimated, and many vacationers actually consider this five-kilometer beach the most beautiful in Germany. Part of this beach has been set aside for nudists, and that was half a century ago already.
In addition to the beach, you can visit the 400-meter marine pile pier, take a stroll along the coastal boulevard, or check out the center of the former fishing village that turned into a seaside resort over a century ago.