Schleswig-Holstein is Germany's northernmost state, wedged between two seas. On the North Sea side you'll find the Wadden Sea, which at about 4,400 square kilometers (1,700 square miles) is Germany's largest national park and a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, along with the beaches of Sylt and St. Peter-Ording and, far offshore, the island of Heligoland. The Baltic side has Lübeck and its UNESCO-listed old town, the Kiel Fjord and Flensburg, just short of the Danish border. In between, the Viking-age trading town of Hedeby (Haithabu) on the Schlei inlet is another World Heritage Site.
This page has our top 10 across the state, a one-day Lübeck plan, a weekend from the Schlei to the North Sea, tips on trains, the car shuttle and ferries, and every Schleswig-Holstein sight in the tripto.de catalog. Many places are seasonal, so check hours and prices on each place's page and with the operator. Lübeck's St. Mary's Church closes for restoration from November 2, 2026, probably until May 2027.
Our picks for a first visit — each with a short reason why.
Landmarks
Lübeck
The Holsten Gate (Holstentor) in Lübeck is the brick city gate that has become a symbol of northern Germany: two squat round towers with conical roofs flanking a stepped gable, completed in 1478. It guards the western entrance to Lübeck's…
1. Lübeck's 1478 city gate, its south tower visibly leaning. Inside, a museum covers the Hanseatic League over three floors; free under 18, otherwise €9.
Museums
Lübeck
The European Hansemuseum in Lübeck is considered the world's largest museum devoted to the Hanseatic League, the medieval trading network that once dominated northern Europe. Set at the northern tip of Lübeck's UNESCO-listed old town, it t…
2. 800 years of the Hanseatic League in walk-through, life-size scenes from Novgorod to London, plus a medieval friary next door. Open daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m., free under 18.
Coast & islands
Sylt
Sylt is Germany's largest North Sea island and its most famous beach destination, tucked against the Danish border in Schleswig-Holstein. Think nearly 40 kilometers of sandy beach facing the open sea, the glowing Red Cliff at Kampen, shift…
3. Almost 40 kilometers (25 miles) of sandy beach on the west coast, the Red Cliff at Kampen and thatched houses in Keitum. Trains have crossed the Hindenburg causeway since 1927.
Coast & islands
Sankt Peter-Ording
St. Peter-Ording on the Eiderstedt peninsula in Schleswig-Holstein has one of the most spectacular beaches in Germany: about 12 kilometers long and, at low tide, up to 2 kilometers wide in places. Wooden stilt houses rise from the sand, a…
4. About 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) of beach, up to 2 kilometers wide at low tide in places, stilt houses and a 1,095-meter boardwalk pier across the salt marshes.
Industrial heritage
Westerhever
The Westerheversand Lighthouse near the village of Westerhever is the icon of the Eiderstedt peninsula on Germany's North Sea coast and one of the country's most photographed lighthouses. Its red-and-white striped tower rises from a man-ma…
5. The red-and-white lighthouse on its mound in the salt marshes is the icon of the Eiderstedt peninsula. A 1.5-mile walk from the dike, 157 steps; open Easter to late October.
National parks
Tönning
The Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park is Germany's largest national park by far, covering about 4,400 square kilometers (1,700 square miles) of tidal flats, salt marshes and sandbanks along the North Sea coast. Part of the Wadden…
6. Germany's largest national park. Start at the Multimar Wattforum in Tönning, with a big aquarium and a life-size sperm whale model, open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. year-round.
Coast & islands
Helgoland
Heligoland (Helgoland) is Germany's only offshore island in the open North Sea, a tiny outcrop of red sandstone about 48 km (30 miles) from the mainland. Visitors come for the dramatic cliffs and the 47-meter Lange Anna sea stack, nesting…
7. Germany's only offshore island: red cliffs with the Lange Anna sea stack, gannets nesting on the bird rock and gray seals on the beaches of the Düne. Reachable only by boat, year-round from Cuxhaven.
Historic sites & memorials
Busdorf
Hedeby (Haithabu in German), near Schleswig in northern Germany, was one of the great trading towns of the Viking Age and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the shore of the Haddeby Noor, a quiet inlet of the Schlei, merchants from ac…
8. A Viking trading town and World Heritage Site, with a longship wreck in the museum and seven reconstructed houses. The houses are only open in season, through October 31.
Old towns & squares
Flensburg
Flensburg Harbor and the old town around it are the maritime heart of Flensburg, Germany's border city on the Baltic Sea just south of Denmark. At the head of the Flensburg Fjord, historic sailing ships, the steamship Alexandra and old mer…
9. A museum harbor full of traditional sailing ships, the 1908 steamer Alexandra and a rum trail through old merchant courtyards. Harbor and old town are free to explore.
Monuments
Laboe
The Laboe Naval Memorial (Marine-Ehrenmal Laboe) is a memorial to sailors of all nations lost at sea and, with its 72-meter (236-foot) brick tower, the landmark of the Kiel Fjord. From the viewing platform you look out over the Baltic Sea,…
10. Views over the Kiel Fjord from 85 meters (279 feet) up and the U 995 submarine on the beach. The tower has been under restoration since fall 2025, and parts of the exhibition are closed.
From Lübeck's main station it's only a few minutes' walk to the Holstentor. The museum inside opens daily at 10 a.m.; allow just under an hour.
Places: Holsten Gate
Cross the Trave River into the old town to see St. Mary's Church, with the world's tallest brick vault and the bells that crashed down in 1942. Heads-up: from November 2, 2026, the church is expected to stay closed until May 2027.
Places: St. Mary's Church, Lübeck
At the north end of the old town, walk through the staged scenes of Hanseatic history, then on into the medieval friary. Plan two to three hours and book a time slot ahead during school vacations.
Places: European Hansemuseum
Stroll back along the riverfront toward the Holstentor. Regional trains run back to Hamburg regularly.
Start in the Viking Museum, then walk about 20 minutes to the reconstructed houses. Allow three to four hours for both.
Places: Hedeby
The palace itself is closed for restoration, but the museum island with the 4th-century Nydam boat stays open. The Gottorf Globe and baroque garden are only open through November 1, 2026.
Places: Gottorf Castle
About 35 kilometers (22 miles) north: the harbor head, the narrow Oluf-Samson-Gang lane and the rum trail.
Places: Flensburg Harbor and Old Town
A great introduction to the Wadden Sea, open daily from 10 a.m. all year. Parking is free.
Walk the pier out to the stilt houses and onto the beach. Check the tide table first, because the water comes back fast at high tide.
Places: St. Peter-Ording
About 45 minutes on foot through the salt marshes; the light is best in the late afternoon. The tower is closed Tuesdays, open only through late October, and kids under 8 can't climb it.
Places: Westerheversand Lighthouse
By air: For most destinations, Hamburg Airport is the gateway. Sylt Airport in Tinnum is served mostly by seasonal flights.
By train: Regional trains run regularly from Hamburg to Lübeck, and Flensburg is about two hours away. For Sylt, the Marsh Railway runs without a change from Hamburg across the Hindenburg causeway to Westerland. For St. Peter-Ording, change in Husum for the hourly branch line. The Deutschland-Ticket (€63 a month) covers all regional trains, but not ICE or IC.
By car: The A7 highway leads to Schleswig and Flensburg; the A23 and B5 take you to Eiderstedt. Sylt has no road link: cars ride the car-shuttle train from Niebüll, or take the ferry from Rømø in Denmark to List.
By boat: The MS Helgoland sails to Heligoland year-round from Cuxhaven, and from March to early November the Halunder Jet catamaran also runs from Hamburg (just under four hours). From mid-March, the fjord ferry from Kiel reaches Laboe in about an hour.
June through September is swimming season on both coasts, though the North Sea stays chilly. Swim only at lifeguarded beaches and watch the tides on the North Sea. For hiking, cycling and empty beaches, May, June and September are ideal.
Spring and fall bring the great bird migrations over the Wadden Sea; Heligoland's bird festival starts October 22, 2026, and in late summer and fall the seals return in large groups to the Düne beaches. Many seasonal sights close around the end of October: the Westerheversand lighthouse is open only from Easter through late October, the Gottorf Globe and baroque garden through November 1, 2026, and the Hedeby Viking houses close from November 2 until spring 2027. In St. Peter-Ording, the beach parking areas closed for winter on October 10, 2026. In winter, the Holstentor, the Hansemuseum and the Multimar Wattforum stay open, and the coast puts on a show of storms and surf.
The North Sea has big tides, mudflat hikes and very wide beaches such as St. Peter-Ording. The Baltic side has Hanseatic towns like Lübeck and Flensburg and fjord resorts like Laboe. You can easily combine both in a weekend.
Take the regional train via Niebüll and the Hindenburg causeway to Westerland; from Hamburg there's no need to change trains. The Deutschland-Ticket is valid. On the island, buses and bikes get you everywhere.
Yes, if the weather cooperates. Depending on the boat, you get three to seven hours on the island, enough for the cliff path to the Lange Anna and the little ferry to the seal beaches. Crossings can be rough in wind, and schedules can change with the weather.
Guided mudflat hikes, seals at the Friedrichskoog seal station or on Heligoland's Düne, the Viking village at Hedeby, the U 995 submarine at Laboe and the aquarium at the Multimar Wattforum. Kids and teens get in free at the Holstentor and the Hansemuseum.
Through November 1, 2026, yes. From November 2, 2026, it's closed for restoration, probably until May 2027; according to the parish, guided tower and vault tours continue.
One day is enough for Lübeck. A weekend covers the Schlei with Hedeby plus a North Sea day on Eiderstedt. Plan a separate day, or a whole island vacation, for Sylt or Heligoland.
Landmarks
Lübeck
The Holsten Gate (Holstentor) in Lübeck is the brick city gate that has become a symbol of northern Germany: two squat round towers with conical roofs flanking a stepped gable, completed in 1478. It guards the western entrance to Lübeck's…
National parks
Tönning
The Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park is Germany's largest national park by far, covering about 4,400 square kilometers (1,700 square miles) of tidal flats, salt marshes and sandbanks along the North Sea coast. Part of the Wadden…
Coast & islands
Helgoland
Heligoland (Helgoland) is Germany's only offshore island in the open North Sea, a tiny outcrop of red sandstone about 48 km (30 miles) from the mainland. Visitors come for the dramatic cliffs and the 47-meter Lange Anna sea stack, nesting…
Old towns & squares
Friedrichstadt
Stepped gables of small bricks, canals with rowing boats, bridges over still water: stroll through Friedrichstadt and you might think you were in North Holland. In fact this small town lies between the Eider and Treene rivers in North Fris…
Coast & islands
Wittdün auf Amrum
Amrum is one of the three large North Frisian islands and is famous for the Kniepsand, a sand beach up to 1.5 kilometers wide. Behind the beach rise dunes, heath and pine forest, and inland lie thatched-roof Frisian villages. The island is…
Museums
Lübeck
The European Hansemuseum in Lübeck is considered the world's largest museum devoted to the Hanseatic League, the medieval trading network that once dominated northern Europe. Set at the northern tip of Lübeck's UNESCO-listed old town, it t…
Palaces
Eutin
Eutin Castle (Eutiner Schloss) is a four-winged brick palace on a moated island in the Großer Eutiner See in Schleswig-Holstein, in the region known as Holstein Switzerland. Once a residence of the prince-bishops of Lübeck and later a summ…
Industrial heritage
Fehmarn
The Fehmarn Sound Bridge (Fehmarnsundbrücke) links the Baltic island of Fehmarn with the mainland near Großenbrode and is nicknamed the "coat hanger" for its steel arch. Opened in 1963 and protected as a monument, the combined road and rai…
Old towns & squares
Flensburg
Flensburg Harbor and the old town around it are the maritime heart of Flensburg, Germany's border city on the Baltic Sea just south of Denmark. At the head of the Flensburg Fjord, historic sailing ships, the steamship Alexandra and old mer…
Coast & islands
Wyk auf Föhr
Föhr is Germany's largest island that can only be reached by boat or plane, and its mild climate has earned it the nickname "Frisian Caribbean". This green North Sea island offers a long sandy beach at Wyk, thatched Frisian villages, medie…
Historic sites & memorials
Busdorf
Hedeby (Haithabu in German), near Schleswig in northern Germany, was one of the great trading towns of the Viking Age and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the shore of the Haddeby Noor, a quiet inlet of the Schlei, merchants from ac…
Coast & islands
Hooge
On Hallig Hooge, people live on mounds. Because this flat marsh island in the Wadden Sea has no high sea wall, its houses stand on ten artificial dwelling mounds called Warften. Several times a year a storm tide floods the meadows, leaving…
Theme parks
Sierksdorf
Hansa-Park in Sierksdorf, on the Bay of Lübeck in northern Germany, calls itself the country's only theme park by the sea, and from several rides you can look straight out over the Baltic. Its roughly 46 hectares (114 acres) are split into…
Coast & islands
Helgoland
The Lange Anna ("Long Anna") is a free-standing sea stack of red sandstone off the northwest tip of Helgoland, Germany's only high-sea island, and the island's best-known landmark. At roughly 47 meters tall, it is one of the most photograp…
Industrial heritage
Westerhever
The Westerheversand Lighthouse near the village of Westerhever is the icon of the Eiderstedt peninsula on Germany's North Sea coast and one of the country's most photographed lighthouses. Its red-and-white striped tower rises from a man-ma…
Churches & monasteries
Lübeck
At the southern tip of Lübeck's old town island, between the Trave and the Mühlenteich pond, stands the city's oldest church. Lübeck Cathedral was founded by Henry the Lion in 1173, making it one of the duke's four "lion cathedrals". At al…
Landmarks
Lübeck
Lübeck Town Hall on the city's market square is one of the largest medieval town halls in Germany and a showpiece of the Brick Gothic style that defined the Baltic trading cities. From here the merchants of the "Queen of the Hanseatic Leag…
Monuments
Laboe
The Laboe Naval Memorial (Marine-Ehrenmal Laboe) is a memorial to sailors of all nations lost at sea and, with its 72-meter (236-foot) brick tower, the landmark of the Kiel Fjord. From the viewing platform you look out over the Baltic Sea,…
Museums
Lübeck
Thomas Mann in marzipan, life-size: the Niederegger Marzipan Museum shows twelve famous figures modelled in almond paste, all of them fans of Lübeck marzipan. The small museum is on the second floor of Niederegger's flagship house on Breit…
Churches & monasteries
Ratzeburg
Ratzeburg Cathedral (Ratzeburger Dom) stands on the cathedral island in the town of Ratzeburg and is one of the best preserved Romanesque brick churches in northern Germany. It is the oldest of the four "Lion Cathedrals" founded by Henry t…
Coast & islands
Kampen (Sylt)
The Red Cliff (Rotes Kliff) near Kampen on the island of Sylt is the most striking cliff on Germany's North Sea coast and one of the island's best-known photo spots. Along roughly four kilometers between Kampen and Wenningstedt, rust-red g…
Churches & monasteries
Schleswig
Schleswig Cathedral (St. Petri-Dom) is the landmark of the town of Schleswig and one of the most important historic churches in Schleswig-Holstein. Its tall neo-Gothic tower rises above the Schlei inlet, and inside you will find the Bordes…
Palaces
Ahrensburg
Ahrensburg Palace (Schloss Ahrensburg) is a white Renaissance moated palace in the Hunnau valley near Hamburg and one of the best-known manor houses in Schleswig-Holstein. Completed in 1585, it mirrors its green-capped turrets in the surro…
Castles
Glücksburg
Like a white cube, Glücksburg Castle seems to rise straight out of the water. The Renaissance castle on the Flensburg Fjord stands on a 2.5-metre granite base in a pond that once swallowed an entire monastery. It is the ancestral seat of t…