Hotels and holiday apartments on Norderney

Which area suits you

Norderney is about 14 kilometres long, and almost everyone stays in the west. That is where you find the town of Norderney, with the Kurplatz, the pedestrian zone and most of the hotels, guesthouses and holiday apartments. The east of the island belongs to the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park and has hardly any buildings.

• Town centre and Kurplatz: short distances to shops, restaurants and the bathhouse. Ideal if you are getting around without a car or a bike.
• North beach: the biggest lifeguarded beach, with hotels in the front row on the promenade. This is the liveliest place in summer.
• West beach: close to town and popular with families. One stretch is open to dogs.
• East and Weiße Düne: quieter, with dunes and national park on your doorstep. For shopping and places to eat you need a bike or the bus.
• Nordhelm: a residential area between town and airfield, well served by bus line 3.

From the island harbour it is about one and a half kilometres to the town centre. If you stay near the harbour, getting away with luggage on arrival and departure is easiest. How to get there is covered on the page for the Ferry to Norderney.

Hotels and guesthouses

The hotels are concentrated in the town and along the beach promenade. They range from houses with a spa area and sea views to small guesthouses in the side streets. If you want a sea view, look in the front row on the north beach or the west beach. A few streets back it is quieter and usually cheaper.

Before you book, ask whether the hotel has its own car park and whether dogs are allowed. Neither can be taken for granted on Norderney.

Holiday apartments

Holiday apartments make up a large part of what is on offer, from an apartment in town to a holiday home in the countryside. Rules such as minimum stay, fixed arrival days, final cleaning and bed linen are set by each landlord and stated in the offer. In the holidays especially, stays of less than a week are often more expensive or cannot be booked at all.

A central booking office for accommodation is run by the Staatsbad Norderney.

Youth hostels

Norderney has two youth hostels. The larger one is on Mühlenstraße at the edge of town: 262 beds in 63 rooms, open all year except over Christmas. It caters for families, cyclists and groups and has step-free rooms. The second hostel, Am Dünensender, is in the quieter east of the island.

For youth hostels you need membership of the Youth Hostel Association (Jugendherbergswerk). You can take it out when you book.

Camping and motorhomes

Norderney has four campsites, most of them in the east of the island. There is no separate motorhome pitch, and motorhomes stay on the campsites. The sites are open seasonally, usually from spring to October. Ask in advance about opening times, vehicle length and whether dogs are allowed, as the sites handle this differently.

Taking a motorhome to the island is mainly worthwhile for longer stays. For the crossing you need a reservation on the car ferry.

Visitor's tax

A visitor's tax is due for every overnight stay, and it is not included in the room price:

• High season (mid-March to late October and over New Year): higher rate per adult and night
• Low season: lower rate per adult and night
• Young people aged 14 to 17 pay half, and children up to 13 pay nothing

The days of arrival and departure count together as one day, and for families a maximum of four people are charged. Dogs are exempt from the visitor's tax. You do not pay at your accommodation but with the NorderneyCard: online, at the machine in the island harbour, at the tourist information office on the Kurplatz or together with your ferry ticket.

Getting your luggage from the harbour to your accommodation

The island buses wait at the harbour for the arriving ferries: line 1 goes to the town centre, line 2 to the bus station and towards the Seeklinik, and line 3 to Nordhelm. You buy tickets from the driver, and the Deutschlandticket is valid on most lines. Taxis also wait at the harbour.

If you would rather not carry heavy luggage yourself, send it ahead with Deutsche Bahn's luggage service or as a parcel directly to your accommodation. Allow about three working days.

By car

In the town area a driving ban for visitors applies from late March to early November and over New Year. If you cross with a car, you may still drive to your accommodation: after arrival and before departure you have one hour each for luggage. After that the car stays in your accommodation's private car park or in one of the island's long-stay car parks.

Many people therefore leave the car on the mainland. How that works in Norddeich is covered under Parking at the ferry port.

With a dog

Dogs are welcome on Norderney, but not everywhere. On the beach they are only allowed at the dog beaches: at the Oase beach and on one stretch of the west beach. The west beach also has a dog meadow where dogs need not be kept on a lead, and otherwise a lead is required all year. You pay no visitor's tax for dogs, but you do need a separate ticket on the ferry.

Each place to stay decides for itself whether your dog may come. Mention it when you enquire.

When to book

For the summer holidays, Easter, Whitsun and New Year, book early, as the best spots by the beach go quickly. In the low season from November to mid-March there is more choice and the visitor's tax is lower. Plan your accommodation and the ferry together, especially if you are taking a car.