Hotels and holiday apartments on Borkum

Which area suits you

Borkum is the largest of the East Frisian Islands. Almost all accommodation is in the town in the west, about seven kilometres from the ferry pier. The island has three areas:

• Town centre and promenade: Most of the hotels, holiday apartments and guesthouses are here, along with the main swimming beach and Gezeitenland. From the station it is only a few hundred metres to the beach.
• Reede: The harbour in the south-east, with the ferry pier and the youth hostel. Handy if you have an early ferry, but a long way from town.
• Ostland: Quiet, with meadows and national park, and a campsite. You need a bike to get into town.

How the ferry runs from Emden and Eemshaven is covered on the page for the Ferry to Borkum.

Hotels

Most hotels stand on the beach promenade or a few steps behind it. A few examples:

• Hotel Miramar at the Westkaap, right by the main swimming beach behind the dunes, with a seawater pool. Dogs are welcome if you let the hotel know in advance.
• Nordsee-Hotel on the upper promenade on the front line, with its own thermal spa.
• Seehotel Borkum by the New Lighthouse, about 150 metres from the main beach, dog-friendly.
• Inselhof on Strandstraße with 48 rooms and a small sauna, dogs on request.
• Hotel Bloemfontein with a main building and guest houses, family rooms and saunas.

If you are bringing a car over, you need a parking space at the hotel, and not every hotel has one. In the centre, a driving ban applies in season.

Holiday apartments and guesthouses

Holiday apartments and holiday homes are the most common type of accommodation. Minimum stay and arrival days vary from one landlord to the next. With many of the offers arranged through tourist information, bed linen, towels and final cleaning are included in the price. The offer spells this out. Unless agreed otherwise, you arrive by 16:00 and vacate the apartment by 10:00 on the day you leave.

Visitor's tax and running costs may be charged separately. Pets are only allowed if the host expressly permits them.

Youth hostel

The Am Wattenmeer youth hostel is one of the largest in Germany, with around 700 beds. It lies at the Reede, only 400 metres from the ferry pier but six kilometres from the town centre. It caters for families, school classes and groups, and individual travellers are welcome from the age of 14. From November to February it opens on request only.

Camping and motorhomes

Borkum has two campsites:

• Insel-Camping on Hindenburgstraße near the town centre. It has pitches for caravans, motorhomes and bungalow tents, each with electricity, water and waste water. Dogs are allowed on request. The season runs from late March to late October. Cars may not be parked on the pitch.
• Campingplatz Aggen in the Ostland, in the middle of the national park, with caravan pitches and a tent meadow. It is open from mid-March to late October.

With a motorhome you need a reservation on the car ferry from Emden.

Visitor's tax

On Borkum you pay a visitor's tax per night, at the same rate all year:

• Adults: full rate per night
• Children aged 12 to 17: reduced rate per night
• Children under 12: free

Your host collects the tax. Guests in private accommodation pay at the visitor's tax office in the Kulturinsel.

Getting your luggage from the harbour to your accommodation

From the pier the island railway runs into town. It is included in your ferry ticket and meets the ships. The station is close to the beach, and from there you continue on foot, by bus or by taxi.

If you would rather not carry your own luggage, book the shipping company's luggage-to-door service. For a fee per piece, it takes your cases to your accommodation and back. Alternatively, you can send luggage ahead with Deutsche Bahn's luggage service.

By car

Borkum is not car-free, but the centre is closed to traffic at times. From a week before Easter to the end of October, two zones apply:

• Red zone in the centre: driving ban, also between Christmas and New Year
• Blue zone: driving and parking ban from 21:00 to 07:00

With the guest permit you may drive to your accommodation and load luggage for two hours after arrival and before departure, except in pedestrian zones. You get the permit when you book the ferry or at the counter in Emden. After that the car stays at your accommodation or in one of the car parks on the edge of town. If you travel without a car, getting around Borkum by bike works well. For parking on the mainland, see Parking at the ferry port.

With a dog

Dogs may run free on three stretches: at Nordbad, at Südbad and on the stretch of beach between Jugendbad and the naturist beach. Dogs must be kept on a lead on streets, paths and the promenade all year, and from April to mid-July in open countryside and on the beach too. Dogs are not allowed on swimming beaches or in Gezeitenland. On the ferry your dog needs its own ticket.

In the island's host directory you can filter for dog-friendly accommodation.

When to book

Borkum is busiest in the summer holidays, when the campsites are at their most expensive too. Easter, Whitsun and New Year are also popular. From November to March it is quiet, the traffic zones no longer apply, and some hotels and landlords stay open in winter. The campsites are closed in winter. Plan your accommodation together with the ferry, above all if you are bringing a car.