Hohwacht: Beach, Nature and Culture

Hohwacht combines white sandy beaches with wooded cliffs. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay on the Baltic Sea, your planned holiday activities may be the deciding factor: Would you mainly like to explore the coast, observe nature or also experience culture? Trails, viewpoints and cultural attractions each offer a different focus.

Coast, cliffs and views

At Hohwacht beach, the shore slopes gently down to the Baltic Sea. Right beside the main bathing beach is the Hohwachter Flunder: its sea platform has 370 square metres of oak planking and a steel pylon about 24 metres high. A striking feature of the newly redesigned promenade and a popular photo spot, it is a special highlight on the beach. The Hohwachter Ausguck offers a view across the entire bay. It can be reached via the path above the wooded cliffs behind the beach promenade.

The Kurpromenade also connects the coastal landscape with a specific route: a hiking trail runs above the 13-metre-high cliff and is also accessible to people with disabilities. The Kronswarder nature reserve includes spit and beach-ridge habitats between Großer Binnensee, Hohwacht and the Baltic Sea. The crane-watching tower in Hohwacht, opened in November 2024, is intended for observing cranes without disturbing them.

Trails for nature and the coast

The Hohwachter Bucht nature experience trail is a 10-kilometre circular route with visitor guidance and informative signs. It passes through the municipalities of Hohwacht and Blekendorf and can be explored on foot or by bike. The trail is designed for families, children and school classes, and provides background information about nature. It is therefore a clearly defined way to combine exercise with nature topics.

The Leuchtturmrunde W2 offers a choice between two sections of the route: it starts at the Seestraße car park in Hohwacht, follows the promenade westwards and then continues through the dune landscape or along the beach to Lippe marina. Route W1 from Hohwacht to Weissenhaus Castle starts at the Buchholz car park and leads, among other places, into the Sehlendorfer Binnensee nature reserve. The options therefore differ in focus: nature information on the circular trail, beach or dunes on W2, and a section through the nature reserve on W1.

Culture and special places

Historic beach huts from the 1950s can be visited in the dunes by the main beach. In St. Jürgen Church, semicircular rows of pews face the open altar area; this interior design is well suited to concerts and other events. The church is also home to the votive ship Norske Loeve.

A special New Year’s tradition is Strandleuchten, which has welcomed the new year in Hohwacht for more than 15 years. The torchlight procession goes from Alt-Hohwacht along the cliffs and beach to the Flunder pier. If you would like to plan your trip specifically around it, check the latest event dates. Hohwachter Piratenlager is also home to the large shipwreck Seetiger, which can be reached by cable car, bridge or slide.

Water sports and other activities

The sheltered bay of Alt-Hohwacht offers conditions for trying water sports for the first time in its sheltered shallow-water area. The surf and sailing school in Alt-Hohwacht offers courses in all categories; the range of courses may change. SUPs and kayaks are available for hire at the pier, though availability may also change. If these activities influence your travel decision, you can check what is on offer before your visit.

Discover more destinations: Hohenfelde, Sehlendorf, Panker, Blekendorf, Behrensdorf, Tröndel, Schwartbuck, Futterkamp.

For the regional travel overview: Lütjenburg.