Hohwacht combines white sandy beaches with wooded cliffs and offers a variety of trails, views and cultural attractions. When planning your visit, you can choose between circular routes, paths along the promenade and individual nature or culture-themed options. This lets you tailor your stay to your interests without trying to fit every destination into one fixed route.

Trails with Different Destinations

The Hohwachter Bucht nature trail is a ten-kilometre circular route through the municipalities of Hohwacht and Blekendorf. It can be explored on foot or by bike; visitor guidance and informative signage are part of the route. The nature and discovery trail is designed for families, children and school classes, and provides background information about nature. If you want to combine exercise with nature-themed activities, you can enjoy both on this designated circular route.

The two hiking routes described here focus on different things. W2, the Lighthouse Loop, starts at the Seestraße car park and heads west along the promenade. It then continues either through the dune landscape or along the beach to Lippe Marina. W1 starts at the Buchholz car park and leads from Hohwacht to Weissenhaus Castle; along the way, it passes through the Sehlendorfer Binnensee nature reserve, among other places. The main difference is in the routes and destinations: W2 includes the beach or dunes, while W1 is linked to Weissenhaus Castle and the nature reserve.

Coast, Views and Protected Landscapes

A hiking trail, also accessible to people with disabilities, runs along the Kurpromenade above the 13-metre-high cliff. The Hohwacht lookout offers views across the entire bay. It can be reached via the path above the wooded cliffs behind the beach promenade. This gives visitors a choice between a route along the promenade and a viewpoint overlooking the bay, depending on what they are looking for.

The landscape around Hohwacht also includes protected areas. The Kronswarder nature reserve includes spits and beach-ridge habitats between the Großer Binnensee, Hohwacht and the Baltic Sea. The beach shows another side of the coast: historic bathing huts from the 1950s can be seen in the dunes at the main bathing beach. The white sandy coastline and wooded cliffs are two of the area’s distinctive landscape features.

Beach and Water Sports

The beach at Hohwacht slopes gently down to the Baltic Sea. The Hohwachter Flunder is located right next to the main bathing beach. Its sea platform consists of 370 square metres of oak planks and supports a steel pylon around 24 metres high. As a striking feature of the newly redesigned promenade, it is also a popular photo spot.

The sheltered shallow-water area in the protected bay of Alt-Hohwacht offers good conditions for trying water sports for the first time. The surf and sailing school in Alt-Hohwacht offers courses in all categories; the course selection may change, so check in advance. SUPs and kayaks are available to rent at the pier. As rental availability can vary, it is a good idea to enquire before your visit.

Culture and Other Experiences

At St. Jürgen Church in Hohwacht, semicircular rows of pews face the open altar area. This interior layout lends itself to concerts and other events. The church also houses the votive ship “Norske Loeve”. Both details offer a concrete glimpse into the building’s furnishings and cultural use.

Golfers can choose from a varied 18-hole course, a compact 9-hole course and the modern “Golfodrom” at the Hohwacht golf facility. The different course sizes make the options easy to distinguish, without implying any particular playing time.

For over 15 years, the traditional Strandleuchten event has welcomed the New Year with a torchlight walk. It leads from Alt-Hohwacht along the cliffs and beach to the “Flunder” pier. Another destination is the Hohwacht Pirate Camp, home to the large shipwreck “Seetiger”, which can be reached by cableway, bridge or slide. These experiences complement the trails and nature-themed options with culture, golf and special beachside attractions.

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

For the main travel overview: Lütjenburg.