AWCH Fehmarn: the Sunshine Island

Only one and a half hours’ drive north of Hamburg is Germany’s sunniest spot! It’s true - the Baltic Sea island, Fehmarn, records the most sun in a year. Whenever I cross the small bridge over to the island, I always think that there must be a hole in the sky above Fehmarn because it can be raining in Hamburg and sunny only 160 km away! The island is easily reached on the A1 Bundesautobahn past Lübeck in the direction of Puttgarten. Puttgarten is where the ferryboats leave for Denmark and other parts of Scandinavia. It can also be a fun short excursion to take a round trip ride on a ferryboat – buy duty free and have a drink.

Fehmarn has one main town, Burg auf Fehmarn, a township since the 1400s. It makes for a nice break from the beach to walk around the cobblestone streets and look at pretty architecture, sit outside at a café and eat an Italian ice cream or enjoy the fresh fish. If you are staying longer than a day, you need to go to the cutest cinema in Germany (films in German only). You sit at tables in upholstered chairs and have a buzzer on your table to ring a waitress! But, the main attraction is the beach and water. From Burg auf Fehmarn, you get to the biggest beach, Südstrand (south beach). There are wide beaches great for long walks or just sitting in one of the many Strandkörbe to rent and looking at the sea, piers to walk out onto and slides in the water you can swim out to. The water is a refreshing 18°C (65°F) on average and is said to contain no pollution and healthy minerals. Lots of folks come here to swim in the healing waters! There is a newly renovated promenade on the other side of the dunes which takes you from one end of the Südstrand through cafés, restaurants, an indoor wave pool and the main hotel area to the other end of the beach where you do not have to pay a Kurtaxe (fee of about EUR 1,50 for everyone over 18).

There are other small towns and villages on the island with well-known fish restaurants and interesting shops or an antique fair. Fehmarn has just around 12,000 inhabitants and is still mostly farmland so bring or rent bikes and ride forever through the pretty country lanes. We stumbled upon a volunteer fireman’s fair in a small town once and stayed all day! Go in May or June and see the splendor of the golden fields of Raps (rape seed used to make canola oil). For rainy days, there is Germany’s largest Meereszentrum (aquarium) with the attraction of a glass tunnel filled with very large sharks swimming over your head.

If you want to take a vacation and not go far from Hamburg, the island has a lot to offer in addition to the Baltic Sea – horse riding, sailing, wind surfing, boat trips, camping, a great golf course or just take it easy and drive to the nearest small fishing hamlet and have a sundowner.

Prices for overnight stays are very reasonable. High season apartments cost EUR 40 a day, low season only EUR 25. The high-rise hotel costs from EUR 60 to EUR 110 a day in high season. Many rooms are rented in private houses and there are opportunities to stay on in a farmhouse. For information on places to stay, call (04371) 86 86 86 or surf through www.fehmarn-info.de.