Breakfast on the balcony overlooking the sea, a walk over the dunes to the beach and then some serious lounging in the sand — at a beach hotel in Germany, you’re always both on the right sea and right on the sea. For sprawling beaches & steep cliffs: try the island of Rügen. For water sports & long boardwalks: check out the Baltic Sea. For Germany’s favorite coast and suite of islands: find your dream beach hotel on the North Sea. Germany’s northern coast beams with the history of thousands of years, fascinating culture, and is understood as a place of total relaxation.
Where to stay at a beach hotel in Germany? Germany’s northern coast at a glance:
The Baltic Sea: Natural wonders & pretty waterfronts
© Aparthotel Ostseeperle Glowe The Baltic Sea is situated on the northeastern coast of Germany, filled with pretty nature and relaxing beaches. With opportunities to rent a Strandkorb, or ‘hooded beach chair’, right near the water, or try your hand in sailing, waterskiing, surfing or rafting, there’s plenty of great ways to spend the day in the sun. The sprawling coast, filled with both rocky & sandy beaches, charming towns & uncrowded boardwalks, has become an icon for East Germany, once the major vacation spot for those living in the GDR. The Baltic Coast is divided into two states, the northernmost, Schleswig-Holstein, shares a border with Denmark and is long revered for its beaches, cliffs, rolling hills — the perfect location for biking, kiting, surfing, or simply hanging out with a Pilsner in the sun. The capital and most populous city of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, is said to have been founded as early as 1242. This inlet of the Baltic Sea is now home to pretty waterfronts, lots of great shopping & eating, and even the largest annual sailing event in the world. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, one of Germany’s least populous states, discover the calm beauty of the Baltic from cool cliffy beaches to green marshlands, to St. Nicholas’s Church, a late-Gothic church in Stralsund with a history spanning back to 1381.
The North Sea: Sprawling beaches & maritime history
© Hafenhotel Meereszeiten The North Sea is located at the northwestern border of the country, and connects Germany to the Atlantic Ocean via the English Channel. Boasting a cool history of maritime industry & a long list of unique geographical sites, the North Sea strikes the perfect balance between seaside bliss & fascinating culture. In recent days, a major hub for fossil fuel, wind, and wave power production, the North Sea was once the center of the Viking Age. Sankt Peter-Ording, an oft frequented town on the coast, is the only German seaside resort with a sulphur spring and boasts particularly clean seawater and air. At a beach hotel on the coast near Cuxhaven, where the river Elbe and the North Sea meet, beaches are primed for fun with the family, equipped with plenty of Standkorbs to rent and even the chance to walk to a nearby island during low tide. In gorgeous interiors, luxury amenities and the crisp, clean seawater always brushing against your toes, ask any German — a beach hotel on the North Sea is the way to vacation.
Germany’s Islands: Peace & quiet with panoramic views
© Hotel AM MEER & Spa The islands off the coast of the North Sea are some of Germany’s most prized vacations hotspots. The Queen of the North Sea, Sylt, is the largest of the North Frisian islands, located off the western coast of Schleswig-Holstein and is a favorite for the world’s elite sunbathers. Sylt is known for its 40 kilometers of sandy beach, the locals’ involvement in health & wellness, and the region’s amazing cuisine. On Rügen, enjoy world famous views on an island that was once a sacred place for the West Slavic Rani. The island is now home to large number of national parks, historic towns, and sandy Baltic Sea beaches as well as bodden beaches — sandy beaches that surround briny lagoons, a phenomenon unique to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Off the northern coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Rügen’s cities of Sellin and Binz promise posh resorts, cool architecture, and iconic sites — like the legendary Seebrücke, “sea bridge’ or the Sellin Pier, which stretches out from the coast far into the sea and even has a diving gondola attached. In trendy & comfy beach hotels on islands Juist and Langeoog, outstanding natural beauty appears in sand dunes, coastal wetlands, and the blissful balance between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. These islands are referred to as “the magic land”, as cars are forbidden onshore — one must bike or take a horse-drawn carriage to get around.
Favorite Beach Hotels in Germany
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