Discover Tönning on the Eider Estuary

Tönning lies on the Eider Estuary on the North Sea. The harbor, historic buildings and Katinger Watt each offer a different focus for planning your trip. You can get to know the town along its harbor promenade, explore its history or set aside time to experience the natural landscape. When looking for a hotel in Tönning, this gives you a practical starting point: consider which of these sides of the town you want to shape your stay.

Harbor promenade and regional cuisine

Along the harbor promenade, you’ll find buildings and restaurants where you can dine while looking out over the historic harbor. Cafés and restaurants along the promenade and the Eider serve seasonal and regional specialties. KFT – Krabben und Fisch Tönning has a direct connection to fish and shrimp: the company supplies local restaurants with freshly caught fish and shrimp. Here at the harbor, views of the water meet regional cuisine and products from the local fishing industry.

There are also several distinct sights to take in around the harbor: the Skipperhuset, the white Waterways and Shipping Authority building, a small wooden shipyard and the Packhaus. Each building makes its own impression, while the view of the historic harbor remains in focus.

Church and local history

St. Lawrence’s Church is a medieval hall church whose construction began around 1180. Its 62-meter-high tower is one of the tallest in Schleswig-Holstein. Inside is a black marble baptismal font that is more than 450 years old. The church offers a vivid record of different eras through its construction, tower and baptismal font: its long building history and ancient font stand alongside its towering landmark.

The Packhaus, built in 1783, houses an exhibition on local history, with exhibits from Tönning’s past. It is also home to a small museum run by the Society for Tönning’s Local History. The building is used for events throughout the year. It thus brings together several connections to the town’s history, while the church, with its medieval architecture, offers a different perspective.

Experience nature in Katinger Watt

Katinger Watt is a bird sanctuary at the mouth of the Eider. Meadows, woods and paths define the natural landscape, and the paths are suitable for hiking and enjoying nature. If you’d like to experience the area beyond simply walking, you can borrow binoculars or a spotting scope at the NABU Centre. Five planned hiking routes lead through Katinger Watt. This gives you different ways to explore: get out on foot or observe the birdlife with optical equipment.

Swimming and an excursion on the water

A bathing beach with sandy and grassy areas lies by the Eider dike. A heated seawater outdoor pool is right next to it.

Another way to get to know the Wadden Sea is on an excursion aboard the MS Adler II. The trip includes a catch: you can see animals from the Wadden Sea and hear expert explanations about the area and the catch. Observing the animals and learning about the catch complement each other as two parts of the same excursion.

Cycling on Eiderstedt

The wider Eiderstedt peninsula also makes a great setting for cycling trips: six themed routes connect sights with characteristic landscape features. One is the Waterways Tour, which follows the Eider from Tönning to Friedrichstadt. Its riverside route and named destination set it apart from a general circuit of sights and landscapes. If cycling is part of your travel plans, this specific route offers a useful starting point for further planning; the other themed tours also connect special places with the landscape of Eiderstedt.

Discover more destinations: Vollerwiek, Nordstrand, Poppenbüll, Wisch, Bohmstedt, Tetenbüll, Koldenbüttel, Emmelsbüll-Horsbüll.

Go to the regional travel overview: North Frisia.