Borkum Island Germany
Frequently Asked Questions
At the harbour on the southeastern tip of the island, where expedition ships and small coastal cruise vessels call. The town lies seven and a half kilometres further on: you do not land in the middle of the resort.
By narrow-gauge train, and that is an experience in itself. The Borkumer Kleinbahn has run since 1888, crossing salt meadows and dunes to the town. It is the oldest island railway still operating in Germany, and its brightly painted carriages give the arrival the air of a cheerful expedition.
In the North Sea, between the Ems estuary and the Dutch coast. It is the largest of the East Frisian Islands. Ferries take about two hours from Emden in Germany, or sail from Eemshaven in the Netherlands.
Because of how far out to sea it lies, which gives it high-sea air low in pollen. The reputation dates from the 19th century: people come here to breathe as much as to bathe.
Two, and they tell the island's story. The old one is a squat 16th-century tower that guided sailors long before electricity. The new one, slender and striped, built in 1879, can be climbed and opens a full panorama over the island, the sandbanks and the passing freighters. In clear weather the view reaches the Dutch coast.
Yes. The sandbanks that emerge at low tide around the island are haul-out sites for grey and harbour seals. Boat trips let you approach without disturbing them; sometimes you spot them from shore, a round head between two waves.
One of the largest tidal systems on the planet, a UNESCO World Heritage site, whose northern edge the island borders. It explains the area's exceptional birdlife and the sandbanks that appear at every low tide.
The hooded wicker beach chairs typical of German shores, lined up like sentries facing the waves on the main beach. They shelter you from the wind, which blows here in every season, and are part of the scenery on any North Sea beach.
Windproof clothing, useful in any season: the wind shapes the dunes and islanders call their seafront walk a natural spa treatment. Bring euros in cash too, since German is the working language and not every small island shop takes cards.
Frisian tea, served with its cloud of cream and rock sugar that cracks under the spoon, in the town's tea rooms. In summer, baskets of shrimp round out the picture, best taken on a terrace facing the open sea.
