Norderney

Norderney was established as a sea bathing resort in 1797, the first on the German North Sea coast, and grew through the nineteenth century into a fashionable spa with a Kurhaus and promenade. It is about fourteen kilometres long and mostly dune, with a fourteen-kilometre beach on the seaward side and the Wadden Sea on the landward. The Wadden Sea, the largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats in the world, was UNESCO-listed in 2009; guided walks called Wattwanderungen cross the exposed flats at low tide, which must be done with a guide because the tide returns fast and channels fill.

What you actually see

• The 1797 resort - the first German North Sea bathing place, with its Kurhaus.
• The dune island - fourteen kilometres of dunes and beach.
• The Wadden Sea - UNESCO-listed tidal flats on the landward side.
• The mudflat walks - guided crossings of the exposed sea floor at low tide.

When to go

May to September for the beach; the island is quieter and starker in winter. Mudflat walks run to the tide table and must be booked with a guide.

Honest expectations

Crossing the flats without a guide is genuinely dangerous. Ferries run to tide-dependent timetables. The North Sea is cold and windy even in August.

Nearby

Juist lies west; Baltrum and Langeoog are east.