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Kitesurfing on FehmarnPhoto: Superbass, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Germany

Germany's kite scene splits across two seas and a scatter of inland lakes: the tidal North Sea coast of Schleswig-Holstein and Niedersachsen, the Baltic shore from Rügen down through Fehmarn, plus Bavarian lakes like the Ammersee.

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Fehmarn is the flagship — Wulfener Hals inherited the national competition from St. Peter-Ording in 2016, which itself hosted the Kitesurf World Cup through 2015 on Germany's biggest kite beach. Rügen's Wittow lagoons run quieter, and spring and autumn dominate the season across nearly every spot, shallow Bodden flats for beginners next to open Baltic chop for the rest.

Seasonevery monthsomewhere in the country
How we count
Places
10 towns and 11 single spots
Beginners
where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer
Best forBeginners8Flat water12Foiling7Waves and flat8Waves9

When to go

month by month, from the towns' own wind series

  1. Jan92
  2. Feb72
  3. Mar73
  4. Apr67
  5. May56
  6. Jun57
  7. Jul69
  8. Aug50
  9. Sep55
  10. Oct77
  11. Nov80
  12. Dec84

The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days

Windiest single town in any month: Neuharlingersiel & Schillig, 92% of days in January, from the Neuharlingersiel series.

How this is modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Which place is yours

Grouped by region, the most spots first

How this list is ordered

The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.

Schleswig-Holstein

Fehmarn World-class7 spots · 14 schools · March to Novemberlagoon flat water beginner-friendly buzzing scene car needed gear rental mid-range Falckensteiner Strand – Surendorf, Baltic coast Local favourite6 spots · 7 schools · March to Novemberflat water choppy waves beginner-friendly sociable no car needed gear rental mid-range St. Peter-Ording3 spots · 11 schools · March to Juneflat water beginner-friendly buzzing scene car helps gear rental mid-range Amrum – Sylt, North Sea Established3 spots · 6 schools · every monthflat water beginner-friendly sociable car helps gear rental mid-range

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Rügen Established9 spots · 14 schools · March to Junelagoon flat water waves beginner-friendly buzzing scene car needed gear rental mid-range Boiensdorf & Kägsdorf2 spots · 4 schools · April to Octoberlagoon beginner-friendly sociable car needed gear rental budget Thiessow & Gager2 spots · 1 school · March to Maylagoon beginner-friendly quiet gear rental budget to mid

Bavaria

Altmühlsee (Schlungenhof), Bavaria Established2 spots · 2 schoolsseason not recordedadvanced quiet gear rental budget to mid Ammersee (Herrschinger Kreuz), Bavaria Established2 spots · September to Mayadvanced quiet no car needed mid-range

Lower Saxony

Neuharlingersiel & Schillig Local favourite2 spots · 2 schools · March to Juneflat water beginner-friendly buzzing scene no car needed gear rental mid-range

Standalone spots

Single spots with no town of their own

Schleswig-Holstein

Ellenbogen (Sylt)1 spot · March to Novemberflat water beginner-friendly expensive Holnis1 spot · every monthflat water choppy advanced Lindhöft1 spot · April to Mayadvanced Westerland / K4 (Sylt)1 spot · April to Novemberwaves advanced expensive

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Loissin Waldkante1 spot · April to Octoberlagoon beginner-friendly

Bavaria

Walchensee / Zwergern1 spot · April to Augustadvanced

Lower Saxony

Norddeich1 spot · March to Juneflat water beginner-friendly Steinhuder Meer / Mardorfer Strand1 spot · March to Maybeginner-friendly

Saxony

Hainer See / Wakebeach1 spotseason not recordedbeginner-friendly Schladitzer See / Schladitzer Bucht1 spotseason not recordedadvanced

Other places

Parsteiner See / Strandbad Parstein1 spot · October to Novemberadvanced budget

By region

The country's regions, the most spots first

Schleswig-Holstein23 spots · 4 placesMecklenburg-Vorpommern14 spots · 3 placesBavaria5 spots · 2 placesLower Saxony4 spots · 1 placeSaxony2 spots

Best for

Pages that pick the places in Germany for one kind of riding

Beginners in Germany8 placesFlat water in Germany12 placesFoiling in Germany7 placesWaves and flat in Germany8 placesWaves in Germany9 places

Destinations

All 21 places, by name

Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.

FehmarnRügenSt. Peter-OrdingAmmersee (Herrschinger Kreuz), BavariaAltmühlsee (Schlungenhof), BavariaNeuharlingersiel & SchilligBoiensdorf & KägsdorfThiessow & GagerFalckensteiner Strand – Surendorf, Baltic coastAmrum – Sylt, North SeaEllenbogen (Sylt)Westerland / K4 (Sylt)Walchensee / ZwergernHainer See / WakebeachSchladitzer See / Schladitzer BuchtSteinhuder Meer / Mardorfer StrandParsteiner See / Strandbad ParsteinNorddeichLoissin WaldkanteLindhöftHolnis

Visa & entry

EU passportFreedom of movement; no visa, no time limit.
US passportVisa-free Schengen entry for tourism and business, 90 days within any 180-day period. ETIAS pre-authorization for visa-exempt travellers has been repeatedly delayed by the EU and its live-enforcement date is unconfirmed; check before booking.
UK passportVisa-free Schengen entry, 90/180-day rule applies (post-Brexit, UK is treated as a third country); same ETIAS caveat as above.
Entry or eco taxesNo national entry tax. Coastal and resort municipalities, Fehmarn, Rügen and St. Peter-Ording included, commonly levy a local overnight visitor tax ('Kurtaxe' or 'Gästebeitrag') of a few euros per person per night; the current rates are unconfirmed.
Digital nomad visaNo dedicated 'digital nomad visa'; Germany offers a freelance or self-employment residence permit (the 'Freiberufler' route) that some remote workers use instead. Unconfirmed.
Tax residency daysThe standard 183-day rule applies for German tax residency, the general EU and OECD rule; unconfirmed against the current German tax code.
NotesSchengen Area / EU / Eurozone member.

Money

CurrencyEuro (EUR)
Card acceptanceGermany retains a strong cash culture; many small shops, kiosks, and some restaurants/market stalls in coastal towns are cash-only or card-with-minimum. Girocard (EC-card), Visa and Mastercard increasingly accepted but always carry cash backup.
Paying by phoneGirocard / SEPA instant transfer exist but generally require a German bank account, so not directly usable by short-term foreign visitors; PayPal is very widely accepted by German merchants online and increasingly in person.
Tipping5-10% is customary in restaurants; typically rounded up and stated verbally to the server rather than left on the table.
Cash tipsYes, cash tips handed directly to server are the norm even when paying the bill by card.

SIM & internet

Operators, best coast coverage first
  • Telekom (Deutsche Telekom/T-Mobile)
  • Vodafone
  • O2 (Telefónica)
eSIM optionsAll three major German networks (Telekom, Vodafone, O2) offer eSIM plans; international tourist eSIMs (Airalo, Holafly) also work well as EU-roaming or Germany-specific plans.
ID needed for a SIMYes — German telecommunications law (TKG) requires identity verification (passport/ID) for prepaid SIM activation.
StarlinkStarlink operates legally in Germany as an EU-licensed satellite internet provider.
NotesDeutsche Telekom reportedly has the strongest rural and coastal network coverage in Germany, which matters for remote spots like Fehmarn and Rügen; unconfirmed against a 2025 or 2026 coverage map.

Insurance

Is kiting covered?Generally true: kitesurfing is commonly excluded from standard travel and health insurance as an extreme or adventure sport; specialist add-on cover recommended. General industry pattern rather than a Germany-specific rule.
Healthcare and evacuationWithin Germany/EU, EHIC/GHIC-style reciprocal healthcare and standard ambulance/hospital systems apply for EU citizens; non-EU visitors should carry standard travel medical insurance. No kite-specific evacuation concern within Germany given strong domestic healthcare infrastructure.

Health

VaccinesNo special vaccines required for entry; routine vaccinations (per home-country schedule) sufficient.
Mosquito-borne diseasesNot a significant tropical-disease risk destination; standard European conditions apply.
Tap waterTap water is safe to drink throughout Germany.
Emergency numbers112 (EU-wide standard emergency number, legally mandated in all EU member states).
Hospital standardHigh-standard, well-equipped healthcare system nationwide.

Driving

International driving permitNot needed for EU/EEA licence holders. US and UK licence holders can generally drive short-term on their home licence in Germany, though carrying an International Driving Permit alongside it is commonly recommended for non-EU licences and may be requested by rental companies or police. Unconfirmed.

Regulation

Drone rulesGermany follows EU/EASA drone regulation (EU 2019/947) — open/specific/certified categories, standard EU rules apply for EU-registered operators (mutual recognition). Drones are prohibited over nature reserves/protected areas (Federal Nature Conservation Act) without special permission — directly relevant to Fehmarn and Rügen, which sit within Baltic/North Sea coastal nature-reserve and bird-habitat zones in Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (drone-laws.com, flyeye.io, 2025/2026).
Protected areasCoastal nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites are common along the Fehmarn and Rügen coastlines; some kite and beach access may be seasonally or permanently restricted in these zones. Unconfirmed per spot.

Calendar & costs

CurrencyEURSee Money

Kite bag rules for your airline

Flying into Germany

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Checked so far for Germany:RyanairTUIfly

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Still being checked

We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.

Show the 5 open questions
  • What are the current Kurtaxe rates on Fehmarn, on Rügen and at St. Peter-Ording?
  • When does ETIAS start being enforced for US and UK travellers?
  • What do a beer, a meal, a coffee and a month's rent cost in Germany?
  • Do US and UK licence holders need an IDP in Germany?
  • Does Germany have national kitesurfing rules on launch zones or licensing?

Last updated September 2026