Day trips from Flensburg: castles, Denmark and wild nature
Flensburg lies between two countries and two landscapes. To the north lies Denmark, to the east the gentle hills of Angeln, and the Baltic is never far away. From Boutiquehotel Petuh you can reach every place on this page in under an hour.
Our advice: plan one destination a day and leave time for detours. The best discoveries here are made on the back roads.
Glücksburg
Glücksburg Castle
A Renaissance moated castle, built from 1582 to 1587 and a museum since 1925. Inside you will find leather wall hangings, porcelain and silver, and below the old storage cellars. Opening times vary by season, please check in advance.
Website →
Rosarium
More than 500 varieties of roses in a garden by the castle. At its best from May to September.
Holnis
From Glücksburg it is just a few minutes to the Holnis peninsula, the northernmost point of Germany’s Baltic coast. More in our guide The fjord and the beaches.
Denmark
You barely notice the border, but you do notice the difference: Danish hot dogs, soft ice cream and villages straight out of a picture book. Remember to bring your ID.
Gråsten palace garden
The garden of the Danish royal family’s summer residence, with lakes, lawns and flower beds shaped by Queen Ingrid. Open all year, except when the royal family stays at the palace in summer.
Sønderborg and Dybbøl
Sønderborg with its castle and harbour promenade, and right next to it the Dybbøl heights. The mill on Dybbøl Banke is still a symbol of the 1864 battle for Danes.
Website →
Kollund and the Gendarmstien
On the Danish shore opposite Flensburg, the Gendarmstien trail runs along the water through beech woods, with views back to the town.
Angeln and the Baltic
Geltinger Birk
The largest nature reserve in the district, at the mouth of the fjord. Around 50 Konik wild horses and Galloway cattle keep the landscape open. The thatched Charlotte windmill from 1826 stands at the entrance, and circular walks of 3 to 13 kilometres lead through the reserve. Dogs on a short lead only.
Falshöft lighthouse
A small lighthouse right on the coast, open to visitors on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Langballigau
A small harbour below the cliffs, on the Fördesteig trail. A nice stop on the way to Geltinger Birk.
Schleswig and the Vikings
Hedeby (Haithabu)
The former Viking trading town on the Haddebyer Noor, today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The museum and the reconstructed houses bring life more than a thousand years ago within reach.
Website →
Gottorf Castle
The state museum in Schleswig with art and cultural history and the baroque Globe Garden. At the end of November it hosts a fairy-tale Christmas market.
Website →Our guides
A weekend in Flensburg: our two-day plan
Friday to Sunday without rushing: harbour, merchant courtyards, the beach and homemade breakfast twice.
Old town on footFlensburg’s old town on foot: merchant courtyards, rum and hidden lanes
Merchant courtyards, rum history and lanes you only find if you know where to look.
Fjord and beachesThe fjord and the beaches: our favourite places by the water
Beaches for early swimmers, a steamer from 1908 and a peninsula where Germany ends.