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.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Heligoland in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Heligoland, each with its own numbers.
1mountainPeakyas
Highest point
61m
Pinneberg
prominence 61 m · according to Peakyas
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 |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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