Our round trip through Germany took us from Hamburg directly to the North Sea. Never before had we traveled further north in our home country. St. Peter Ording was to be our destination. From Hamburg Altona, we took the train to Husum and then on to Bad St. Peter Ording. The total journey took just under 2.5 hours. We bought the Schleswig-Holstein ticket for €31 in advance, because we wanted to continue on to Flensburg that day.
Why St. Peter Ording? We simply wanted to go to the sea and spend a relaxing day at the beach. My mother was always raving about this little place. 16 years ago, she simply drove to the North Sea by car, without a navigation device back then. Houses on stilts, a kilometer-long beach, stunning dune landscapes, sand yachts, surfers, the Wadden Sea, fish sandwiches – it could only be good. St. Peter Ording is also known from numerous TV films and early evening series (at least our mothers are).
- Arrival in St. Peter Ording
- Our first time at the North Sea
- Beach bar at 54° North with a great view
- Dikes, thatched roofs & Co.
- More activities in St. Peter Ording
- Wellness vacation in St. Peter Ording
Arrival in St. Peter Ording
After arriving at the train station, we made our way to the spa town. With our backpacks on our backs, we hoped someone could stow our luggage. Unfortunately, the tourist information office couldn’t help us. So we went straight to a hotel and politely asked if it would be possible to leave our backpacks there for 4 to 5 hours. After some initial back and forth, we were allowed to leave our things in a small room next to the reception. Lucky for us! Freed from our “ballast,” we strolled directly toward the sea.
St. Peter Ording isn’t particularly large, so you can easily explore the area on foot. Alternatively, there’s also the local bus, which runs between various stops. Many people rent bikes anyway to be mobile and free. We wanted to explore the town on foot. Before we reached the long jetty, however, we were asked to pay. Since we weren’t staying in a hotel, we had to pay a €3 tourist tax (the tourist tax is usually included in hotel bookings).
Our First Time at the North Sea
The term “vastness” takes on a whole new meaning up here by the sea. We’ve never seen such a wide beach before. A full 2 kilometers wide and 12 kilometers long – crazy, right? Even the long pier (1000 meters) down to the sea is magical. The colors, the vastness, the air – simply incredible! Although the sun didn’t want to come out that day, it didn’t dampen our spirits at all. Even from a distance, we could see the numerous beach chairs and some houses on stilts. The “Noah’s Ark,” a famous stilt-built restaurant, is also located here.
Marco immediately took off his shoes and could hardly believe his eyes, and especially his feet. This sand was as soft as that in the Sahara. With sand between our toes, sea air around our ears, and endless expanse, we strolled along the water.
Fortunately, there weren’t many visitors that day, so we felt completely unfettered and free. There are five bathing spots on the beach, which are the most suitable in terms of their conditions. Protected areas have also been established in the dunes, which are off-limits. Here, the flora and fauna can thrive undisturbed.
Beach bar 54° North with a great view
After about half an hour, we reached the Beach bar 54° North. This pile-dwelling restaurant is located east of the spa town with fantastic views over the sea. This stilt house has existed on this site since 1911, although not in this size or with this kind of amenities. The interior is chic and maritime, with great attention to detail. The best thing about this bar, however, is the terrace. Directly above the water, with lounge chairs and a view of the beach, the surfers, and the sea.
We order a delicious latte and a fresh, warm waffle. The bar also offers other warm snacks, cakes, salads, and various drinks. At high tide, you sit in the middle of the North Sea, and at low tide, directly in the Wadden Sea – absolutely fantastic! Luckily, we weren’t there during peak season, otherwise we probably wouldn’t have gotten a seat.
We would have loved to lie down in the deck chairs, close our eyes, and completely switch off for a moment. But since fresh sea air is known to make you tired, we didn’t want to take any risks. We probably would have fallen asleep for several hours.
Dikes, thatched roofs & Co.
We slowly had to move on. We would have loved to We stayed in St. Peter Ording for a few days. Unfortunately, the accommodations were fully booked and some were simply too expensive for us. But we are sure that we want to have a really great wellness vacation here.
We strolled along the jetty back toward the spa center. On the way, we discovered a few beautiful houses with thatched roofs. Thatch grows on banks and in marshy areas and is a type of reed. When dried, it is used as roofing. Such houses are also called Reethus or thatched-roof houses. And even in South Africa, we saw many such roofs back then. seen.
We then passed by “Das Strandhaus.” It’s actually a hotel, but it also has a cozy vintage café and a cool shop for browsing and shopping. A double room in this hotel costs around €100 in the off-season. Prices vary, of course. But even a coffee and a slice of cake are worth a visit.
Back in the small spa town, we walked up and down the small promenade. Of course, we couldn’t pass by the “Nordsee Bär” without snacking on a few gummy bears. They sell delicious fruit gum products made to their own recipe. As soon as we walked in, we were served some fruit gums to try. Yam, yam, yam! There are also a few boutiques, outdoor shops, restaurants, cafés, bakeries, bike rentals, a bookstore, and even banks on the street. Small but perfectly formed! That’s St. Peter Ording.
More activities in St. Peter Ording
- Surfing, windsurfing and SUP
- Eating fish at GOSCH
- Sipping coffee at “Die Insel“
- Relaxation and fun at the “Dünentherme” water park
- Wadden-flat hikes in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park
- Visiting the Westerheversand lighthouse
- Visiting the Böhler lighthouse
- Riding horses along the sea
- Swimming, beach volleyball, nudist beach and dog beach
- Guided tour of the Salt marshes
Wellness vacation in St. Peter Ording
There are several chic hotels and resorts in the area with that certain “something” and “comfort.” While good weather is usually great, we think a wellness vacation is only truly enjoyable when it’s truly terrible outside.
Popular hotels in St. Peter Ording are: the Strandgut Resort*, the Beach Motel St. Peter Ording*, the Ambassador Hotel & Spa*, and the Aalernhüs Hotel & Spa*. Of course, this luxury comes at a price. On average, you can expect to pay at least €150–€250 per night for a double room.
We originally wanted to stay at the cool Beach Motel*. Through our jobs, this hotel is no stranger to us; it was even recommended to us by our readers. The design of the bright rooms and the entire complex revolves around the theme of surfing—right up our alley! Unfortunately, we were too late, and all the rooms were booked.
If you’re not exactly flush with cash, you can also get 2.5 hours of access to the Dünentherme for just under €10. Then it’s time for sauna, thermal baths, swimming, relaxation, and recuperation!
Although we only made a day trip to St. Peter Ording, every single minute was worth it. This endless expanse, this peace, the air, the sea, the atmosphere – perfect for a short relaxing break. We will definitely come back for another really cool and relaxing wellness break. See you very soon, St. Peter Ording!