For our project "From the North Sea to the Baltic Sea", we are taking a whole week. The idea behind this cycle tour is: no rushing, lots of enjoyment. And enjoyment for the eyes - by simply keeping them away from computer screens, road noise or similar turbulence for a week and spoiling them with visual treats instead.
The poet behind the dyke
Our journey begins in the small harbour town of Husum on the Wadden Sea National Park. Here you can't miss the most famous man from Husum, the lawyer and poet Theodor Storm and his probably most famous novel, The White Horse Rider. The dramatic story of life behind the dyke occupied him his whole life, but he only completed it in 1888, shortly before his death. With his second wife and the seven children from his first marriage, he moved into the former merchant's house in Wasserreihe, which now houses a museum.
A tour of the museum makes it clear how topical the themes of failed lives and failed love still are today. Reading Storm's poems and letting them reverberate in your head on the bike is like meditation. It also works so well because there isn't much going on here - divine! The views over the next few hours of small historic farms, beautifully landscaped properties and cute farm shops do the rest.
We lie on the dyke, picnic and enjoy the incredibly relaxing expanse with thoughts of Storm's lament. You realise you're travelling in North Friesland when you encounter more sheep than people throughout the day.
The North Sea coastal cycle path takes us along the Eider peninsula to the most famous lighthouse in Germany: Westerheversand. On the way there, we can walk for kilometres towards the sea at low tide.
Holland feeling in Schleswig-Holstein: Canals, gabled houses and boats
We cycle on, now really eastwards: we follow the course of the Eider, past the imposing Eider barrage, to the harbour town of Tönning. The Viking-Friesian Cycle Route takes us to Friedrichstadt. With its canals, straight streets, bridges and narrow houses with stepped gables, this town in Schleswig-Holstein brings back strong memories of the Netherlands. We reach Little Amsterdam in the rain. But the very next day we are greeted by blazing sunshine: perfect for a discovery tour of the house stamps scattered around the city, which have a long tradition here. These are skilfully handcrafted property signs that tell us something about the current or former inhabitants of the house. The colourful, lovingly hand-carved stone reliefs often feature symbolic objects or animals that indicate the name or profession of the homeowner.
Duke Friedrich III of Schleswig-Gottorf was the founder and namesake of the extremely attractive Dutch town in the north: at the beginning of the 17th century, he brought religiously persecuted Dutchmen, the Remonstrants, to the remote corner of his duchy and granted them religious freedom. In return, he had a town built in the Dutch style. The Remonstrants not only built the tolerant city founder a new city in a chequerboard pattern with brick houses and churches, but also with canals connecting the sieves between the Eider and Treene rivers. For this reason, the city is particularly easy to discover from the water.
River landscape and wild moor
Our cycle tour takes us through the secluded river landscape of the Treene and the Wildes Moor nature reserve, a seemingly endless paradise for birds and other moor dwellers. What a pleasure this vastness is! Today we say hello to cows instead of sheep on a route that takes us along fields, mostly away from the roads, until we arrive in Schleswig. Our destination: the enchanting fishing village of Holm. We enjoy the rest of the day here, simply relaxing by the water and letting our legs dangle in the sun-glistening waters of the Schlei.
The cycle tour from sea to sea takes us to the Vikings
We learn something new every day on this tour. For example, that the Vikings lived here in the region around Schleswig: Their settlement of Haithabu and the Danewerk defence wall are unique testimonies to the Viking Age and have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2018. But Haithabu was more than just a small Gallic village - in the 10th century it was a huge trading metropolis with its harbour. The Vikings did business with every country known at the time. The location was strategically clever: The Schlei estuary connected Haithabu to the Baltic Sea, while the Danewerk and the River Treene led westwards to the North Sea. Important long-distance trade routes also met here. Up to 2000 people lived here.
We spend much more time than planned in a reconstructed settlement in the outdoor area, where several houses from the Viking settlement have been recreated. Birgit and Jochen Dopp, who have been bringing the settlement to life three times a year for 20 years with up to 12 people, explain to us in an extremely striking and lively way that the Vikings were extremely skilful craftsmen and made cloth, combs and tools, among other things. We can't help but be amazed when we learn from the inspiring couple how smart they were at dyeing fabrics with natural materials or "needlebinding" with needles made of bone and horn - a kind of knitting or crochet technique. During excavations, delicate rock crystal or hollow beads were found inside. "The Vikings invested a lot of time in art," explains Birgit Dopp.
From the Baltic Sea fjord and the smallest town in Germany
The Baltic Sea fjord, the Schlei, stretches deep into the land and is sometimes as narrow as a river, then as wide as a large lake. We fall in love with the charm of Arnis, the smallest town in Germany, during an extended chat with two women from Arnis and would love to settle down here. We leave Kappeln with its museum harbour behind us, as well as the largest Gallerieholländer windmill in Schleswig-Holstein. Of course, we popped into the Lindauhof, which many of you may recognise from the ZDF series "Der Landarzt". You feel very welcome everywhere here - and so we constantly fall in love with the little things that you come across on the journey: the garage with the lovingly organised ceramics on display for sale. The stand with the herbs by the roadside. In all the delicacies that sweeten the journey. When you stop off, it often feels "like the old days", as if you've been invited to a coffee klatch.
We reach the destination of our cycle tour - the sea without a dyke
The moment we reach the Baltic coast at the Baltic seaside resort of Damp feels almost triumphant. The second sea has been reached - without a dyke! Even if the charm of the seaside resort built in the 1960s and 70s is not immediately apparent, a visit to the long sandy beach is more than worthwhile.
The Baltic Sea Coast Cycle Route runs through gently undulating countryside, past historic manor houses and impressive country estates, quiet villages to Eckernförde on the Baltic Sea. Over the wooded cliffs by the sea, past colourful beach chairs in the sand and finally, with a final, breathtaking sunset, across the Kiel Canal to Kiel.
The cycle tour: 6 cycle stages from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea
- The Eider peninsula, from Husum to Sankt Peter-Ording, 55 km
- The Dutch town, from Sankt Peter-Ording to Friedrichstadt, 57 km
- River landscapes and Vikings, from Friedrichsstadt to Schleswig, 62 km
- The Schlei, from Schleswig to Kappeln, 47 km
- Baltic Sea beaches, from Kappeln to Eckernförde, 46 km
- Danish Wohld, from Eckernförde to Kiel, 51 km
Tour route and GPS data
You can download the GPS data for the cycle tour from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea download here for free or find them in the MYBIKE-Collection on komoot
Accommodation tips on the cycle tour from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea
Best Western Hotel Theodor Storm , Neustadt 60-68, 25813 Husum
StrandGut Resort, Am Kurbad 2, 25826 Sankt Peter-Ording, highly recommended restaurant; excellent breakfast buffet, also for vegans and vegetarians
Hotel-Restaurant-Aquarium, Am Mittelburgwall 2-8, 25840 Friedrichsstadt
Hotel Seelust, Preußerstraße 3, 24340 Eckernförde
Directly on the sandy beach of Eckernförde Bay, beautiful sunset, extremely good service into the night with a beer in the free hotel beach chairs overlooking the water, supplied with blankets, mobile phone charging cable etc.
Hotel Birch, Martenshofweg 8, 24109 Kiel
Quiet location on the edge of the forest, extremely attentive and courteous staff, with Fischers Fritz restaurant, cosy chat by the fireplace, terrace with typical North German beach chair
Sights along the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts
Theodor Storm House
Wasserreihe 31, 25813 Husum
Tue.-Fri., Sun. 2-5 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Admission: from 4 Euro p. P.
Westerhever lighthouse
Embedded in a salt marsh landscape, the tower was erected in 1906 on a 4 metre high mound. It stands up to a height of 41.5 metres above mean high tide. There are nine storeys inside the tower. The beacon was put into operation in 1908. When visibility is good, the beacon reaches 50 kilometres at night. The last lighthouse keeper left the tower in 1979. Today: a favourite place to say "I do".
Viking Museum Haithabu
Am Haddebyer Noor 3, 24866 Busdorf
Museum opening hours: 9-17 hrs, admission from 9 euros
Gottorf Castle
Castle Island 1, 24837 Schleswig
Museum opening hours: Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm
The baroque Gottorf Castle is idyllically situated on an island. It can look back on around 800 years of eventful history: under Duke Friedrich III, Gottorf developed into one of the most important royal courts and cultural centres in northern Europe. The famous Gottorf Giant Globe, considered to be the first planetarium in history, and an impressive baroque garden on the Museum Island date from this period. Today, the palace is home to the Museum of Art and Cultural History and the Museum of Archaeology.
Picturesque fishing village of Holm
Holm was created around the year 1,000 and was separated from the mainland by Holmer Noor (sic!) until the 20th century. All the houses were built directly on the water to ensure optimum fish processing. Today, Holm is a district of the city of Schleswig and is connected to the mainland. The central part of the neighbourhood is now a small cemetery with its own chapel, around which the individual fishermen's cottages are grouped.
Café Sand Am Meer
Hauptstraße 13, 24404 Maasholm
Tel.: 0 46 42 - 96 99 63, Mon.-Thurs. 12-18 h, Fri.-Sun. 9-18 h, closed on Wednesdays
How nice to sit outside in the garden with coffee and delicious cake in the sun.
Café Kuchenhaus in Brodersby
Missunder Fährstrasse 24, Tel.: 04622 9839323Country house café furnished in Danish style. Great, young, extremely friendly team
Café Lindauhof
Lindauhof 4, 24392 Boren, Tel. 04641 3710
If you think you've seen the romantic farm ensemble before, you've probably watched the popular ZDF series "The Country Doctor". Where for 26 years patients waited to be called into the treatment room of Dr Matthiesen, Dr Teschner or Dr Bergmann, Sonja Karberg now welcomes her guests with freshly baked cakes and various drink specialities. The centrepiece, however, is the homemade cakes, which are baked and decorated with great passion.
Museum harbour Kappeln
Hospitalstr. 2, 24376 Kappeln
Ludwigsburg Estate
Ludwigsburg 1, 24369 Kleinwaabs
Recommendation: Visit the manor house from 1740, as it is one of the most beautiful baroque buildings in Schleswig Holstein. The courtyard and garden area at Ludwigsburg Manor are largely accessible to visitors, and there is a café and farm shop in the farmyard.
Eckernförde
Eckernförde is partly located on the Schwansen and Dänischer Wohld peninsulas. The town lies directly on the Eckernförde Bay, which is the connection to the Baltic Sea.
The Old Town with its narrow alleyways and restored fishermen's cottages lies between the harbour and the beach. The town hall market, the cultural centre of the town, has been largely preserved in its building fabric since the Second World War and provides a historic backdrop for the weekly market. Over the last 20 years, Eckernförde has developed from a tranquil harbour town into a tourist centre on the Baltic coast.
Package deal for the cycle tour
The cycle tour from coast to coast can also be booked as a package as an individual cycle tour with the organiser The Landpartie incl. luggage transport, hire bike with panniers and a detailed itinerary with all route details and overnight stays in the hotels.
