Borkum: North Sea, nature and maritime history

Island nature and its specially protected areas

Borkum’s North Beach is the last remaining breeding ground for the Kentish plover in Lower Saxony. In the sea west of the island lies Hohe Riff, an area of sand and tidal flats. The seal bank is part of it, in the southern section. Hohe Riff, including the seal bank, is strictly protected as a quiet zone within Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park; it is off limits year-round. If you are interested in the tidal landscape and its life forms, you can explore it with officially certified Borkum mudflat guides and learn from their expert knowledge.

The expansive landscape can also be explored via the network of trails: Borkum has around 130 kilometres of cycling and hiking routes, which are also suitable for jogging. One option for a longer bike tour is the Borkum section of the Dollard Route. It covers more than 22.2 kilometres, running from the harbour through natural areas, along the sea and through the island town before returning to the harbour. The route brings together a variety of landscapes, so you do not have to limit yourself to just one type of scenery.

Lighthouses, museums and activities

The New Lighthouse offers a striking viewpoint: 308 steps lead up to the viewing platform. From there, you can look out over the island town, the dune landscape, the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site and the open North Sea. Another landmark is the 27-metre-high Electric Lighthouse on the Randdüne south of the town centre. It can be reached on foot in about 15 minutes. Both towers can be visited as destinations in their own right: one offers views from a platform, while the other stands on the dune south of the town centre.

The Dykhus Local History Museum brings the island’s maritime past to life. Its exhibits and rooms tell the story of 300 years of maritime history and of Borkum. In the Whale Hall, you can see the 15-metre-long, 35-tonne skeleton of a sperm whale that ran aground on the Schleswig-Holstein coast in 1998. If you would rather discover marine life, the North Sea Aquarium Borkum has 16 themed tanks featuring animals from the sea around Borkum. The aquarium is fully accessible to wheelchair users and visitors with pushchairs.

Active pursuits also include eight signposted Nordic walking trails, marked blue, red or black according to their level of difficulty. Two local schools on Borkum offer kitesurfing courses for beginners and advanced participants, where you can earn an internationally recognised kitesurfing licence. The North Sea Climbing Park features a high ropes course with 60 stations and a 14-metre-high giant swing. These varied activities give families and other travellers ideas for spending their time on the island in a more sporty, nature-focused or history-focused way.

Getting there and choosing a convenient base

Borkum can be reached from the ferry ports of Emden and Eemshaven. From Borkum Reede ferry terminal, the historic narrow-gauge railway covers the seven-kilometre route to the town centre. If you would prefer to use the island town as a base when looking for a holiday apartment, you can take this connection and the location south of the town centre into account when planning your days. For trips along the Dollard Route, the harbour is the starting and finishing point of the section described above. The route, the town centre and the natural attractions therefore offer different reference points for planning your holiday, without requiring every activity to start from the same place.

You can also discover other island destinations: Langeoog, Juist, Norderney, Wangerooge, Baltrum and Spiekeroog.

For the main travel overview: East Frisian Islands.