Sahlenburg between beach, heath and Wadden Sea
Accommodation in Sahlenburg
Sahlenburg brings together sandy beaches, dunes, coastal heath and forest in a coastal landscape. The Wadden Sea is part of it, too. Shaped during the Ice Age, the dune terrain slopes gently in some places and steeply in others, as a geest cliff down to the salt marsh and thus to the Wadden Sea. As you explore the area, you encounter the transitions between heath, forest, salt marsh and Wadden Sea.
Heath, forest and Wadden Sea
The Cuxhaven Wadden Sea Visitor Centre is located right on Sahlenburg Beach, between the heath and the Wadden Sea. Its exhibition, spread across three floors, focuses on the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site and the Cuxhaven coastal heaths. Nature tours at the visitor centre let you experience the Wadden Sea, salt marsh, geest cliff and coastal heath. The exhibition and tours offer different ways to explore these landscapes: one through the exhibition, the other on a guided tour in nature.
From Sahlenburg, you can reach hiking trails through the coastal heaths by way of Wernerwald forest. The riding trails also run through coastal heath and Wernerwald forest, extending into the Wadden Sea in the direction of Neuwerk. For water sports, Sahlenburg is Cuxhaven’s largest area for surfing and kitesurfing. Cuxhaven Climbing Park is located right on Sahlenburg Beach, at Wernerwaldstraße 2. It has seven courses and 72 activities.
Neuwerk and different ways to get there
Sahlenburg is a starting point for guided mudflat walks to Neuwerk. Depending on the water level, the island can also be reached from Cuxhaven-Sahlenburg by traditional horse-drawn mudflat carriage. The connection usually runs once a day, either across the mudflats or by water. This distinction is important when planning: the mudflat carriage service is explicitly dependent on the water level; mudflat walks also start in Sahlenburg but are a separate activity that takes you to Neuwerk.
The focus is therefore on a range of options: a guided exploration of the landscape, hiking trails through the coastal heaths, riding trails through heath and forest, and routes to Neuwerk. If you are interested in water sports, Sahlenburg has Cuxhaven’s largest surfing and kitesurfing area. The area thus offers concrete options for different interests throughout the day, without every activity centring on the same landscape or way of getting around.
Getting to the visitor centre
The Cuxhaven Wadden Sea Visitor Centre can be reached from Cuxhaven railway station on bus route 1002 towards “Sahlenburg Am Strand”. From Duhnen, bus route 1009 also runs towards “Sahlenburg Am Strand”. The dune railway, described as a tourist attraction, also runs between Duhnen and Sahlenburg.
Cuxhaven as a wider travel destination
In the wider Cuxhaven travel destination, the coastal heaths between the districts of Duhnen and Berensch meet the Wadden Sea directly. Around 900 hectares of the Cuxhaven coastal heaths have been designated a nature reserve since December 2004. Their ecosystem provides a habitat for more than 200 plant and animal species that are classified as endangered on the Red Lists of Lower Saxony or Germany. The Wadden Sea near Cuxhaven has also been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009 and is part of Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park.
If you would like to include other destinations in the wider Cuxhaven travel destination, add them to your travel plans and tailor your search to your entire stay.
Discover more destinations
Hechthausen, Mittelstenahe, Wurster North Sea Coast, Hagen im Bremischen, Odisheim, Bad Bederkesa, Steinau, Oberndorf
Back to the main travel overview: Cuxhaven.
