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Introducing Baltrum
With only two villages and around 500 people calling this island home, Baltrum offers a compact coastal escape. You’ll find this five-kilometre-long stretch of sand, sea air and solitude in the middle of the East Frisian Islands, just off Germany’s north-west coast. But don’t let its peaceful character fool you, there’s still plenty to get stuck in to here. Think long walks on windswept beaches, nature-packed hikes in the UNESCO-listed mudflats and a spa scene that’s punching well above its weight, considering the square footage of the island. Baltrum’s tight-knit, seafaring community has gradually opened its arms to welcome tourists, while retaining some of its distinctive island roots, like having no street names, just houses numbered by the date they were built, and keeping this tiny tide-washed retreat car-free.
Top three things to do in Baltrum
1. Take a mud hike
One of the island’s most distinctive features is that it’s surrounded by a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Wadden Sea retreats dramatically at low tide to reveal mudflats that stetch for eight kilometres between Baltrum and Neßmersiel on the mainland. You can take a guided hike across them, spotting signs of their wildlife, like crabs, cockles and algae, plus look out for sunbathing seals on the sandbanks. And after all that walking, try out the mud’s therapeutic properties at one of the local spas.
2. Get to know the island’s history
For an unfiltered focus on island life, the Old Customs House Museum, known as Altes Zollhaus Museum, is the place to go. As the name suggests, the building was originally a Customs House in 1855, but over the years it’s served as a midwife station, dental practice, community office and bank, before becoming the treasure chest of Baltrum’s heritage that it is today. You’ll find out about the island’s seafaring past, including shipwrecks, storms and personal stories, as well as learning more about how daily life here has evolved over the years.
3. Catch a festival
Every July, the Sleeping Beauty Rocks Festival injects a burst of energy into the island, with live performances from local and even national bands. The usually tranquil island is known locally as Sleeping Beauty, so the festival shakes things up with a celebration of music and community spirit, hosted at rustic social hotspot, Skipper’s Inn.
Baltrum