St Peter-Ording

The beach at St Peter-Ording runs about twelve kilometres and is up to two kilometres wide when the tide is out, one of the largest sand beaches in Europe. Because the sand floods twice a day, the beach buildings are Pfahlbauten, restaurants and lifeguard stations raised on wooden piles several metres above the sand, reached by long walkways from the dunes; they are the town's emblem. Steady wind and the wide flat sand made the beach a centre for kite buggying, land sailing and kitesurfing. A sulphur spring found in 1957 supports a spa. The sand is separated from the dunes by a belt of salt marsh.

What you actually see

• The stilt buildings - restaurants on piles standing out on the sand.
• The two-kilometre width - beach exposed at low tide across a huge area.
• The wind sports - kite buggying and land sailing on the flat sand.
• The salt marsh - a belt between dunes and beach crossed by walkways.

When to go

May to September; walks from the dunes to the water can take twenty minutes each way at low tide. Wind is constant, which suits sport more than sunbathing.

Honest expectations

Reaching the water is a long walk across sand. Parking is paid and distant. The wind is relentless and the North Sea cold.

Nearby

Husum lies east; the Halligen are north.