East Frisia: island hopping

Island hopping in East Frisia

Sand, dunes, beaches and the ocean are waiting for you on three very different islands. Discover Borkum with its offshore climate, the glamorous island of Norderney and Langeoog, car-free and rich of sand dunes. This roundtrip will also show you the beauty of East Friesland’s harbor town Emden, the cozy atmosphere of the fishermen’s harbor of Greetsiel, and the unique flair of Norden and Aurich. And as all that fresh air will surely make you hungry, you will then have the chance to experience the delicious East Frisian cuisine!

1. day Emden arrival

You will receive some important information and your bikes in the afternooon (meeting usually at 5 pm at the reception of your hotel). There will be enough time to visit Emden with its harbor, the art hall and the Ottohaus. Just go around the center of Emden and smell the typical fishy and salty air of the Northern Sea.

2. day Short trip to Borkum

Before even getting on your bikes for the first time, a boat takes you the the biggest island of East Friesland in two hours: to Borkum. The fresh offshore-climate and the island’s whale hunting tradition will surely impress you. Discover the island on its 130 km of bike trails or on 28 km along the white beaches. You will reach Emden again in the afternoon.

3. day Emden - Norden/area approx. 55 km

The picturesque fishermen’s village of Greetsiel is your first destination today. You will find there the largest shrimp boat harbor of the Weser-Ems region. You should thus absolutely taste a portion of these really fresh shrimps! Passing the Leybucht, where you might get to throw a glance at the seals, you will arrive in Norden, where the waterpark “Ocean Wave” awaits you.

4. day Short trip to Norderney

Here you go setting sails once again! Within one hour, a boat takes you from Norddeich to Norderney. The oldest seaside resort of East Friesland’s islands with 14km of sandy beach and impressing dunes is today’s highlight. Discover the sights of the island: The historical spa hotel, the lighthouse, the observatory, the lifeboat shed. In the late afternoon you will get back to Norden.

5. day Norden/ area - Bensersiel - Langeoog approx. 35 km

This interesting route takes you past a number of castles, so-called former „Häuptlingsburgen“ to the regions most beautiful moated castle in Dornum Crossing the wide marsh area, you will then reach Bensersiel. A boat takes you to Langeoog, the car-free island. You will spend two nights here.

6. day One day on Langeoog

What a beautiful day lies ahead of you! Experience the sights of the island which was the home of the singer Lale Andersen (Lili Marleen). The dunes of more than 20 metres of hight are unique! Enjoy the flair of the island, the healthy air and relax on your bike trip to the easternmost point of the island as well as during worthwhile breaks and stops to visit museums.

7. day Langeoog - Emden 65 km

Goodbye Langeoog! With the sun in your hair and the wind in your back you will bike to Aurich, the former capital of East Friesland. Marvel at the historical castle, from where the Eastern Frisian counts used to reign, take a walk around the historical Old Town and let the local mill impress you, it is one of the region’s biggest wind mills. Do not miss climbing the gallery in 17 m of height; from there you will have a phantastic view over Aurich and the surrounding moorlands! The last kilometres will be guided by the Ems-Jade-canal, leading your way to the town centre of Emden almost without meeting any cars.

8. day Emden Departure

It is possible to book additional nights.

Worth knowing about Island Hopping East Frisia

Please find more information about the tour Island Hopping East Frisia below. If you have any further questions feel free to contact us by phone: 0049-(0)6421-886890.

Arrival by train

Emden is easily accessible from all major cities in Germany by train. We recommend to take a taxi from the station to get to our partner hotels in Emden. Current schedule information and price information can be found at: www.bahn.de.

Train schedule information

Parking facilities at the hotel

You can park your car in public parking garage in Emden (garage at the Wasserturm approx. 35,00 EUR). There is free parking in side streets of the hotel. Detailed information on parking, you will receive together with the detailed travel documents two weeks prior to departure.

Condition of cycle paths

You cycle on asphalted or paved rural roads or side roads. The route is well signposted.

Available rental bikes

There are unisex bikes with 7-speed gear shift and coaster brake available or unisex 21-speed gear shift and freewheel bikes. Electric bikes are available on request.

Extra costs which are not included in the price

A possibly applicable city tax is not part of the travel price and therefore has to be paid at the hotel locally.

7 day hotline service

Just in case the bike chain breaks, flooding makes it impossible to continue your tour or any other nasty surprise: You can reach us seven days a week and we will do anything to help you as fast as possible.

Passport and visa requirements

For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.

Travel insurance

The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.

Dat Otto Hus

Dat Otto Huus shows the carriere of the comedian Otto who was born in Emden. In this museum you will find some pictures and films of Otto.

Dat Otto Hus

Kunsthalle Emden

The nationally famous Emden Kunsthalle art gallery made its name with works of classical modernity and special exhibitions by famous artists. The attached school of painting undertakes projects for all age groups.

Kunsthalle Emden

Borkum

It is difficult to find a Borkumer who is not descended from a whaler. Stories and relics from that time are accordingly easy to discover. You meet one on the North Sea island of Borkum on every corner. If you are new to the island, your jaws drop when you turn into Wilhelm-Bakker-Straße for the first time. There is the house of the whaling commander Roloef Gerritsz Meyer - surrounded by a fence made of whale pine. But the history of Borkum begins long before the early whalers.

Borkum

Museum Deichhaus Borkum

Dat "Dykhus" (Deichhaus) is located on a so-called Warft at the bottom of the first dike on Borkum. In the museum you find a lot of interesting things and stories about the life on the island. In the center of one room there is a skeleton of a whale which has been found at a beach at the North Sea a few years ago.

Museum Deichhaus

Greetsiel

Whoever comes to Greetsiel is captured by the magical sight of a doll's house with historic gabled houses from the 17th century, the over 600 year old fishing port with its impressive fleet of shrimp cutters, the famous Greetsiel twin mills and picturesque alleys. Nowhere is East Frisia more rustic and typical than here: Gulf yards, windmills, chieftain's castles, the tallest and one of the smallest and most famous lighthouses in Germany - the Pilsum lighthouse - and the vastness of the landscape.

Greetsiel

Tea Museum Norden

Tea is much more than just a drink! A journey begins in the historic old town hall of the city of Norden, on which you will learn everything about tea:
Based on the East Frisian tea culture, the East Frisian Tea Museum offers fascinating insights into the world of tea: from the cultivation areas that offer, to the processing and production of the famous East Frisian blend, to the decors of the East Frisian tea sets. Through the historical long-distance trade through the Asian steppes and the oceans past the Cape of Good Hope, the arc spans to the customs of tea all over the world. Different rituals have developed in different countries and different rituals related to tea have developed in different countries. With its tea culture, East Frisia is of particular importance - a cup of tea at any time.

Teemuseum Norden

Seal Station Norddeich

The Wadden Sea on the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony has been protected as a national park since 1986, as a biosphere reserve since 1993 and as a World Heritage Site since 2009. Proof of how something trend-setting can emerge from an idea. At the end of the 1960s, two northern hunters were planning a rearing station for orphaned seals. The goal: to research the animals and their habitat and to protect the declining population. In 1971 the first seal sanctuary was built with great personal commitment. The National Park House seal station in Norddeich developed from these beginnings. Welcome!

Seehundstation Norddeich

Lighthouse Norderney

The lighthouse of Norderney is located in the middle of the island on a 10 m high dune. The lighthouse has been built in the 1970s and it is an active navigation mark at the coast of Lower Saxonia. The lighthouse is 60 m high and with this it is the highest building of the island.

Leuchtturm Norderney

Langeoog

As one of the most beautiful North Sea Islands, Langeoog has simply everything to offer, which is every holiday maker's dream come true.
Langeoog has a beautiful 14 km long sandy beach and a spectacular dune landscape. The island is known as a North Sea health resort. The sun shines over 1500 hours of the year on Langeoog. Whether light breeze or heavy gale, each cloud is gone as fast as it arrives. 

Langeoog

Aurich

The history of Aurich can be traced back to the 13th century. The original settlement of Aurechove is mentioned for the first time in a Frisian legal record from 1276, the Brokmerbrief. The oldest trace of settlement in the Aurich core city (fragments of vessels) dates from the 9th century and was discovered during excavations in 2009. It was located around the Lambertikirche, which was donated by Count Moritz von Oldenburg and consecrated to Saint Lambertus, the bishop of Maastricht who was killed in 703. Its massive church tower, which has appeared in its current form since 1662, is one of the city's landmarks.

Aurich