In my mission to visit every single country (and territory) in the world, my adventures sometimes see me traveling to some rather strange destinations that are very unlikely to be on most people's radars. So when I proposed a weekend getaway to Helgoland to my partner, one of two German autonomous regions (the other being Büsingen am Hochrhein), he had never heard of the place.
→ Check out all my other favourite islands to visit in Europe!
One of my favourite parts of my goal to see all the world's countries is exactly this: going to weird and wonderful destinations and experiencing things that other people may never even dream of.
Here is my complete guide to how we spent three days on Helgoland:
Before we get into the travel guide, it's worth explaining a little bit about what exactly Helgoland is.
Truthfully, Helgoland is a funky little place. It's technically made up of two islands: Helgoland and Düne, together making a total area of barely 4 square km. Less than 1500 people call Helgoland home; it's truly tiny!
In brief, Helgoland was historically part of Denmark before the United Kingdom invaded and took over from 1807 - something that Napoleon apparently was quite bitter about as he wanted the island for himself. The UK didn't do much with the island for the next 80-odd years; they mostly wanted it so that the French couldn't have it.
In the 1820s, the island became a popular tourist getaway offering upperclass spa and seaside retreats. Many writers, artists and scientists spent time on the island including Werner Heisenberg, the first to theorize on quantum mechanics. The 1889-90 edition of English Illustrated Magazine wrote this about Helgoland:
"No one should go there who cannot be content with the charms of brilliant light, of ever-changing atmospheric effects, of a land free from the countless discomforts of a large and busy population, and of an air that tastes like draughts of life itself."
Thanks to the lack of trees on the island, there is little to no pollen on Helgoland, which likely played in part in why it was such a popular wellness destination - those with allergies could finally breathe!
In 1890, it became part of Germany and, during the Second World War, played a critical part in Hitler's Nazi regime, where at one point ambitious plans to turn the entire thing into some super bunker were designed, started and never completed. It was bombed in 1939 and again in 1945.
At the end of the war, the island went back to the British who subsequently let off more than 6700 metric tons of explosives in "Operation Big Bang" intent on destroying any remnants of the Nazis. They destroyed a heck of a lot more than that in what is now considered one of the biggest single non-nuclear detonations in history. To this day, the island is half-destroyed with bomb craters visible across the landscape.
Following a German occupation led by two students in late 1950, Helgoland went back to Germany on 1 March 1952, now an annual holiday on the island.
These days, Helgoland has three main offerings: seaside tourism (predominantely German tourists and mostly because Helgoland enjoys the warm winds of the North Sea), tax-free shopping and bird studies, given how many birds migrate and mate on the island.
Helgoland
Düne with Helgoland in the distance
By ferry: The best and most popular way to get to Helgoland is by the high-speed "Halunder Jet" catamaran with FRS Helgoline. With pick-up available from Hamburg, Brunsbüttel or Cuxhaven, this is the smoothest and easiest way to reach the little island.
We boarded our catamaran in Hamburg on Friday morning from the St. Pauli Landungsbrücken ferry terminal. Just four hours later, we arrived at the scenic Helgoland harbour, lined with its iconic colourful houses. We returned to Hamburg on Sunday afternoon. The ferry runs once daily every morning from Hamburg, calling at Brunsbüttel and Cuxhaven, arriving at Helgoland at 12:45pm. It then hangs out for a few hours before making the returning trip about four hours later, returning the same way. There is food and drink available for purchase on board plus different outdoor decks to take in the scenery as you sail across the North Sea.
→ Check out the current sailing schedule and book your tickets.
There is parking available at an indoor parking garage just a few minutes walk from the St. Pauli ferry terminal.
By flight: Helgoland does have its own small airport on the island of Düne with flights coming in from mainland Germany with OFD from either Nordholz near Cuxhaven on the south side of the River Elbe or Heide/Büsum on the north side of the River Elbe.
You can also check Wingly which sometimes has flights available to, from or around Helgoland with private pilots.
Departing Hamburg
Crossing the North Sea
Arriving to Helgoland
First sighting of Helgoland
FRS Helgoline's Halunder Jet
Helgoland only has a few small vehicles such as taxis, trucks and tractors and so you can't bring your own car here! There are also no bicycles permitted on the island so really the only way to explore Helgoland is on foot.
A small ferry runs every half an hour between Helgoland and Düne and cost us just €6 each for a roundtrip at the time of writing. You can't buy tickets in advance; simply buy your ticket at the ticket office and then boarding is first-come, first-serve.
→ Check out the latest sailing time and prices for the Düne ferry.
Walking around the small streets of Helgoland
The Düne ferry
Tickets for the Düne ferry
With fewer than 1500 inhabitants, many people only come to visit Helgoland as a day trip from Hamburg. However, I can highly recommend booking at least a night if not two; I think a day trip would be exhausting as you'd be on the ferry for about eight hours to only get three hours on the island!
We chose to book two nights at the Rickmers' Insulaner, the very first hotel as you arrive to harbour making for just a two-minute walk from the catamaran to check-in. We had a spacious room on the top floor with views both forward over the North Sea and back toward the rest of Helgoland. We didn't like the breakfast spread available (and it was pricey) but otherwise, it was the perfect choice for our stay.
→ Book your stay at Rickmers' Insulaner.
→ Check out the other accommodation options on Helgoland including holiday apartments.
Rickmers' Insulaner
The view from our room over the North Sea
Helgoland is mostly popular with German tourists so you'll find quite a few German restaurants serving up beer, meat and seafood... none of which I eat! Trying to find vegetarian food proved a challenge but I think we did really well and found some yummy spots for dinner I'd happily recommend:
Thai food at Lung Wai
Mexican food at Catrina Restaurante
Pasta at Restaurant Nordstern
Many people visit Helgoland just as a day trip but I truly think you should spend at least one night on the island to fully experience everything there is to do on this funky little island. We spent two nights here and here is everything we got up to:
Wander the historical streets
As you wander the streets of Helgoland - since no bikes and hardly any cars are permitted on the island - you'll feel like you're stepping back in time. You kind of are: the homes on Helgoland were all rebuilt in the 60s and 70s after the Second World War and Operation Big Bang and they basically haven't changed since. You get to feel what living in 1960s-70s Germany was like!
Walk up to Aussichtspunkt am Berliner Bär
The viewpoint at the Berlin Bear is one of the best on the island. Just a short walk up the Wobautreppe brings you here with a sweeping view of the lower part of Helgoland with its colourful houses overlooking the North Sea.
Go duty-free shopping
One of the main reasons many German tourists come to Helgoland is for the tax-free shopping. It's a bit random but when the British took over Helgoland in 1807 so that Napoleon couldn't have it, they implemented a tax-free haven there so that they could have direct access to the mainland European market. When Helgoland went back to the Germans in 1952, they decided to keep this tax-free status, exempt from the rules of both Germany and the EU's VAT rules.
Most shops sell liquor, tobacco, colognes and skincare, not really our scene, but interesting to scope it out nonetheless!
Watch the sunset over the cliffs
The bulk of Helgoland is greenery, much of it being a wildlife reserve for the many birds that migrate and mate here. Take a stroll along the Klippenrandweg - especially beautiful at sunset overlooking the fascinating red cliffs that cut dramatically away from the island.
Catch a summer concert
For such a small island, there always seemed to be something on! We stumbled across a fun outdoor summer concert outside the island's Rathaus.
See the colourful houses of the harbour
Probably the most famous view on Helgoland is the row of colourful houses lining the harbour, best seen as you arrive by ferry. Known as the Hummerbuden, some are open as art galleries, shops and restaurants.
Visit Düne
The secondary smaller island of Helgoland is called Düne, likely because most of it is made of sand. It is also where Helgoland's airport is based. There are no permanent residents on Düne however it's a popular long-term camping spot for German holidaymakers!
The best thing to do on Düne is to spot seals, especially pups, which are usually in abundance hanging out on the beaches; unfortunately we didn't get lucky and only spotted one very tiny head out at sea!
Go bird-watching
Nowadays, Helgoland is considered one of the best places to view migrating and mating seabirds who like to nest on the island's red cliffs. Depending on the time of year you visit, you can mostly see gannets, guillemotes, kittiwakes, razorbills and fulmars, although the World Bird Database lists more than 400 types of birds who have dropped by the island!
Walk to Lange Anna
Standing 47 metres high, Lange Anna is one of the most striking landmarks of Helgoland. Situated at the far northern tip of the island, it is a bright red colour thanks to the sandstone it is made of. Originally part of a sea bridge, the rock has stood alone since the bridge collapsed in 1860. A protective wall was built in the early 1900s and Lange Anna has been considered a natural monument since 1969.
See the crater of the 5000kg bomb
Dropped during Operation Big Bang, this crater brings home just how massive the detonations were after the Second World War that destroyed much of the island.
Take in the view from the Treppe "Jägerstieg"
On the western side of Helgoland, as part of the Klippenrandweg, you can walk down the Jägerstieg steps with the coolest view overlooking the island's football pitch and out across Nordstrand.
We liked it so much, we came back the next morning!
Ehemalige Lorenbahn
Walk along Nordstrand
This pretty beach features white sand, striking red sandstone cliffs and the Ehemalige Lorenbahn, a half-completed trolley railway from the Nazi regime.
Visit the Helgoland Museum
This sweet little two-room museum does a nice job of showing the history of Helgoland and features rotating exhibitions from local artists. We also liked the outdoor miniature Hummerbuden houses.
→ Check out the current exhibitions, opening times and latest ticket prices.
Walk through the underground tunnels
We found out about the Bunkerstollen after a visit to Helgoland's visitor centre and are glad we did! You can walk through some of the 14km of tunnels that were built for protection starting in 1890 and continued during the Second World War. Much was destroyed during Operation Big Bang including the depots, storerooms, kitchens, soldiers' quarters, toilets and medical rooms.
The exhibit is unfortuantely only in German so those who can't speak the language might want to skip this one, but we found it fascinating and equally a bit creepy to walk through the dark, damp tunnels!
We returned to Hamburg with FRS Helgoline with drop-offs available in Cuxhaven, Brunsbüttel or Hamburg. The ferry runs once per day, leaving Helgoland each afternoon. There is food and drink available for purchase on board plus different outdoor decks to take in the scenery as you sail across the North Sea back through the River Elbe.
Last view of Helgoland
Entering the River Elbe
Hamburg
Sailing past the famous Hamburg harbour
Returning to St. Pauli ferry terminal
Spot Hamburg's iconic Elbphilharmonie
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
