Especially in summer, East Frisia and the East Frisian Islands on the German North Sea coast are very popular tourist destinations. With solely a total area of roughly five square kilometers and an official population of some 1,200 people, Wangerooge is the most Eastern inhabited spot of this group of islands. My wife and I had a day trip there. I take you to Wangerooge in my Pictured Story.
Wangerooge – Location & Transport
Wangerooge is located in the state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen). The closest city is Wilhelmshaven. There are two key options to get there. The vast majority of visitors and locals take the ferry. The harbor, however, is located on the very Southwest tip of the island. We took the FLN Frisia-Luftverkehr flight from Harle (EDXP) to Wangerooge Airfield (AGE). Harle Airfield and the mainland harbor are next to each other, so that you can mix the methods of transport easily. Especially in peak times, you should book the transport in advance, though.
Wangerooge is car-free. This also means that the ferry is a passenger ferry only. Only a few authorities like firefighters have petrol cars. The Wangerooger Inselbahn (Wangerooge Island Train) connects the harbor with the city center of Wangerooge. The 3.4 km ride is the only narrow-gauge rail operated by German national rail Deutsche Bahn. You can buy combined tickets for ferry and rail (24.60 EUR one-way adult, luggage extra). At the airport and the city train station, there are services, which bring your luggage to your hotel or rented apartment (for an additional fee). These services use hand carriages or electric vehicles. If you are athletic enough (and stand potential wind and rain), you can of course also walk to any destination on the small island.
Views of Wangerooge
As we arrived at Wangerooge Airfield (AGE), we kicked off our trip over the island there, which is rather at the East of Wangerooge city. Apart from the sculpture you see in the first picture, we initially walked through a typical residential are. The typical Northern German architecture is eye-catching. There are numerous services for tourists, which is the also the key driver of economy in this place. The beautiful city station of the island train is another place worth exploring. From there, it is just a short walk to city center.
Even though there are no cars, traffic on Wangerooge may be intense. Especially in summer, the central shopping and dining area can be overcrowded with walking and cycling tourists. Wangerooge has special laws which also allow you to do grocery shopping on Sundays, in contrast to the vast majority in mainland Germany. There are two supermarkets, a drugstore and several other services.
Beach Area and Promenade
The Northern shore of Wangerooge is the key touristic area. The short promenade is full of cafes and restaurants. Some of them are rather traditional, even though it is also a popular destination for families and younger people. Renting a Strandkorb, the characteristic canopied beach chair, which typically fits two people, at the beach and having some drinks on the beach is a typical way to relax. The area is really neat and cute.
Even though we haven’t been in East Frisia in key travel times, we did not really enjoy the masses of tourists on the weekend and slowly walked back to the airfield. Again, there are numerous picturesque buildings. If you love the impressions and want to buy a house or a flat, you have to state that prices are ridiculously high. However, if you leave the city area, you have the benefit of enjoying nature, doing bird watching or simply enjoy the smell of the sea.
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Flyctory.com in East Frisia
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