Heiligenhafen, Germany - A Travel Guide

Every few months we make our way down to Germany from Sweden for a day of shopping and exploration. Our most recent trek landed us in the delightful seaside village of Heiligenhafen. This hidden gem sits on the Baltic sea in northern Germany and just tickled me to death to have found it. Heiligenhafen isn't as well advertised as Fehmarn, but it is every bit as fun. Perhaps even more fun due to it being one of Germany's lesser known destinations. It isn't yet over-run with other tourists.

On the outskirts of Heiligenhafen are a ton of booze stores. This is due to the high prices on alcohol in places like Sweden. A big part of the economy in these northern German towns is income from places like this. Swedes come and stock up on the cheap wine, beer, and booze... and yes, this is legal. You just can't bring it back to sell.

Keep going past all of those shops, though, and take a right at the huge Sailboat sculpture in the roundabout. This will take you to the heart and soul of Heiligenhafen. The place is just jam-packed full of boats and ships of varying size and make. What a sight that is when you walk down the street and the docks come into view. Wow. During the warm summer months, water sports are very big here. Lots of folks keep their boats docked in Heiligenhafen year-round, and there are many places for renting a myriad of water-sport vehicles such as jet skis and wind surfing thingies. The folks here do love to have fun. If you just want to relax and soak up some sun, they have a wonderful sandy beach on which to do so.

Being a water-based village, many of the numerous shops sell all manner of nautical souvenirs. We picked up quite a bit here for not very much money. Our Sunroom is done in a nautical theme so my husband buys a big toy boat every place that offers them. Ok... I call them toys, he calls them ummmm 'his collection.' No matter what you call them, we had bought a ship of similar size and craftsmanship last year in Galveston, Texas; The one we bought in Heiligenhafen was half the price.

Aside from the touristy junk shops are a lot of boutiques and restaurants. The shopping is better in nearby Luebeck and Fehmarn, but that does not mean it is bad in Heiligenhafen. There are plenty of great stores here to suit any budget. Also, along the back docks is some wonderful open-air shopping kind of flea market style. Everything imaginable is set up on tables next to the water and prices are very negotiable. This is a joy not found in the other two cities I mentioned and makes the trip to Heiligenhafen worth it on its own. I was in heaven.

For food, let's just say you will not go hungry. You won't find a McDonald's here, but there are plenty of kabob, pizza, and other kiosk places, along with an array of sit-down restaurants. We chose to eat at Restaurant Klabaurtermann and were not disappointed at all. The schnitzel there was to die for, and not over-priced at all.

And oh the architecture! Many of the buildings in Heiligenhafen are of the old German design that I love so much. Brick with the wood cross beams. Even if you aren't into shopping, you can spend an entire day just admiring the buildings.

If you are planning a summer trip, check their website for special events. Each July for 10 days they have what they call the Harbour Festival and it is quite the party. Germany's biggest fishing event of the year is the Cod Festival in June in Heiligenhafen, and in August you can watch the biggest catamaran event Germany has to offer: The Fehmarn-Rund Race. Like I said, they are very big on water fun in Heiligenhafen.

All in all, I have to say that as much as I adore Fehmarn and Luebeck, Heiligenhafen displaced them from the top spot in my mind as far as seaside get-aways are concerned. The town just has so much personality and charm, and less madness from tourists due to it not being hyped as much as the other two places. If you are planning a trip to Germany, do stop in to Heiligenhafen... just don't tell anyone else how great it is. We wouldn't want to ruin it, now would we?