Germany
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
1.1km²
Area
13km
Coastline
61m
Highest point
Pinneberg
1,297
People
18°C
Warmest sea
August
47km
To the mainland
When to go to Heligoland
Best to visit from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (18 °C) and coolest in February (4 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
German island
Heligoland is an island in Germany. It covers 1.1 km², with 13 km of coastline. Its highest point, Pinneberg, rises to 61 m. About 1,297 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 47 km away.
Getting there
- Sea-Airport Cuxhaven/Nordholz / Nordholz Naval Airbase (FCN)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 68 km in a straight lineCar hire at BRE airport (Bremen)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesDünenfähre (Schönwetter), Cuxhaven-Helgoland, Büsum-Helgoland, helgoline
- 47 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Heligoland.
- 14beachesNordstrand, Südstrand, Kringelstrand and 11 more
- 33viewpoints
- 1lighthousesLeuchtturm Helgoland
- 4ferry terminalsCuxhaven, FRS Helgoline and 2 more
- 2marinasSüdhafen, Nord-Ost-Hafen
- 4named peaksPinneberg, Lange Anna - Nathuurnstak, Kurze Anna / Kleine Anna / Klein Erna and 1 more
- 18ruins and archaeological sitesSteinkiste von Helgoland, Ehemaliger Juliusturm, Canyon and 15 more
- 4waymarked walking routesGeschichtspfad, Barrierearmer Rundweg, Naturpfad and 1 more
- 96hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 27restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 19 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 95 %0–50 m
- 5 %50–200 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
2 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Helgoland1,333 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 6 |
| Night low (°C) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 4 |
| Sea (°C) | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 83 | 66 | 56 | 40 | 55 | 68 | 84 | 89 | 77 | 87 | 85 | 86 |
| Wet days | 15 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Sun h/day | 0.5 | 1.8 | 4.2 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| Wind (km/h) | 31 | 28 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +1.6 | +1.9 | +1.8 | +1.2 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +1.6 | +1.8 |
| 2021 | +0.9 | −0.6 | ±0.0 | −0.5 | −1.0 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +1.2 | +1.3 | +1.4 | +1.0 |
| 2022 | +1.3 | +1.8 | +1.9 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.3 | −0.1 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +2.0 | +1.3 |
| 2023 | +2.1 | +1.3 | +1.2 | +0.5 | −0.1 | +0.3 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | +1.9 | +1.5 | +1.0 | +0.4 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +2.0 | +2.3 | +2.0 | +2.3 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +1.3 | +0.9 | +1.3 | +1.0 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +0.6 | +1.0 | ±0.0 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +1.0 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q3129772) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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