- Hamburg Airport is the gateway, with Lübeck under an hour away by train
- Sylt is Germany's most famous island resort, reached by car train or passenger train over a causeway
- Baltic beaches are calmer, North Sea beaches wilder
- Kiel Week in late June is one of the world's biggest sailing events
- Airports
- Hamburg (HAM)
- Best time to go
- June-September
- Type
- Region
Schleswig-Holstein is Germany's most northerly state, a flat, breezy land between the North Sea and the Baltic that borders Denmark. Germans come here for beach holidays, sailing and cycling, and the coastline offers two very different seas: the tidal North Sea, with mudflats and dunes, and the gentler Baltic, with sheltered bays and seaside resorts.
There is history too, from the Viking trading town of Haithabu to the Hanseatic grandeur of Lübeck. For more on the country, see our Germany guide.
Things to do
- Lübeck – the "Queen of the Hanseatic League" has a UNESCO-listed old town on an island, the Holstentor gate and famous marzipan. Read our Lübeck guide.
- Sylt – a long, slim North Sea island with vast beaches, thatched villages such as Keitum and Kampen, and a smart reputation. See our Sylt guide.
- Baltic resorts – Travemünde, Timmendorfer Strand and Scharbeutz on the Bay of Lübeck have sandy beaches lined with hooded wicker beach chairs.
- Kiel – the state capital watches ships pass in and out of the Kiel Canal, and its Kiel Week festival in late June draws sailors from around the world.
- Haithabu and Schleswig – a reconstructed Viking settlement and museum, part of a UNESCO-listed Viking-age site, near the cathedral town of Schleswig.
- Holstein Switzerland – rolling hills and lakes around Plön and Eutin, good for canoeing, cycling and boat trips.
- Flensburg – a historic harbour town near Denmark, with rum-trading history and lanes of old merchants' courtyards.
- The North Sea islands and Halligen – Amrum and Föhr have wide beaches, and the tiny Halligen islands, which flood at high tide, can be visited by boat.
Where to stay
- Lübeck – the best city base, with easy trips to the Baltic beaches.
- Travemünde or Timmendorfer Strand – classic Baltic seaside resorts.
- Westerland or Keitum, Sylt – island beach stays, livelier in Westerland and quieter in Keitum.
- Plön – lakes and countryside in Holstein Switzerland.
- Flensburg – a characterful harbour base close to Denmark.
Getting there
Fly to Hamburg, which has direct flights from many UK airports. Lübeck is about 45 minutes from Hamburg by regional train, and Kiel roughly an hour and a quarter. For Sylt, direct trains from Hamburg cross the Hindenburgdamm causeway to Westerland in about three hours; drivers load their cars onto the Sylt car train at Niebüll.
By rail from London, travel via Brussels and Cologne to Hamburg. Drivers can take the Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry and continue for roughly six to seven hours.
Best time to visit
June to September is the beach season, with the warmest weather in July and August, when German school holidays also fill the resorts. May and September are quieter and good for cycling. Lübeck's Christmas market is one of the north's most atmospheric.
Many beaches charge a small daily spa tax in summer, and the hooded beach chairs (Strandkörbe) can be rented by the day or week.
Top attractions in Schleswig-Holstein
LandmarkBrandenburg Gate
Berlin's neoclassical city gate, crowned by the Quadriga, once trapped behind the Wall and now the symbol of a reunited…
LandmarkEast Side Gallery
The longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall, painted in 1990 by artists from around the world and now an open-air…
LandmarkNeuschwanstein Castle
King Ludwig II's fairy-tale castle on a crag in the Bavarian Alps, the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Schleswig-Holstein on the map
Frequently asked questions
North Sea or Baltic coast?
The North Sea has huge tides, dunes, mudflats and islands like Sylt. The Baltic has almost no tide, calmer water and more traditional resorts, which suits families with young children.
Is Lübeck a good day trip from Hamburg?
Yes. Frequent regional trains take around 45 minutes, and the compact old town is easy to explore on foot in a day.
Can I get to Sylt without a car?
Yes. Direct trains run from Hamburg to Westerland, and buses and bikes are good for getting around the island.
Written by
Thomas Ski, mountains & expeditions editor
Thomas is happiest above the tree line or below the Antarctic Circle. He writes our ski, mountain and polar expedition guides.
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