Home › Surroundings › Winter holiday

Winter holiday on the North Sea with a fireplace: our tips for North Frisia

In winter the North Sea coast is empty, quiet and wide. The dykes belong to the sheep and the geese, Christmas stalls light up Husum, and in the evening the wood-burning stove crackles in our thatched cottage. Here is what you can do around Brook between November and March, with driving times from our house.

• Best timemid-November to March
• Husumapprox. 18 minutes by car
• Off-seasonfrom 80 € per night for 2 people
• HighlightBiike bonfires on 21 February

Why North Frisia in winter?

• Peace and quiet: no crowded beaches, no traffic jams to St. Peter-Ording, free tables in the cafés.
• Light: low winter sun over the mudflats, clear starry nights in the countryside, far from the lights of the cities.
• Nature: tens of thousands of wild geese spend the winter on the west coast. Summer visitors never see them.
• Price: from 1 October to 30 April our off-season price applies.

Fireside evenings in the thatched cottage

Our house in Brook is more than 200 years old, with thick walls and a thatched roof. In the living room a modern wood-burning stove stands in front of the old brick wall. After a day on the windy dyke this is the best place in the house: light the fire, make tea or grog, read a book or play a game.

For up to five people there are two sleeping areas, a well-equipped kitchen and Wi-Fi. The car stays in the garage, a real advantage on frosty nights. You can find out more about the rooms on the page The House.

Christmas markets in Advent 2026

Four markets are within half an hour’s drive. You can easily combine two in one day, for example Friedrichstadt in the afternoon and Husum in the evening.

Dates as of early November 2026. Please check with the organisers before you go, for example Husum Tourismus, the town of Friedrichstadt or Flensburger Förde Tourismus.

Outdoors: dyke, mudflats and winter birds

Dyke walk at the Dockkoog

The Husum Dockkoog is about 25 minutes from the house. From the dyke you look out over mudflats and salt marshes all the way to Nordstrand. Afterwards, warm up in a café at the harbour in Husum.

Watching barnacle geese

From October to April large flocks of barnacle geese rest on the North Frisian coast. You can see them particularly well in the Beltringharder Koog between Husum and Nordstrand and on Eiderstedt. Early in the morning and late in the afternoon the flocks fly back and forth between the mudflats and the meadows. Binoculars are worth bringing.

Mudflat walks only with a guide

Guided mudflat walks also take place in winter, though less often than in summer. Dates are published by the Schutzstation Wattenmeer and the tourist offices on the coast. Please never walk onto the mudflats alone in winter: the water comes back fast, and in fog it is easy to lose your way.

When it rains: indoor ideas on the North Sea

• Multimar Wattforum in Tönning (approx. 40 min): the national park centre with large aquariums and a sperm whale skeleton is open all year, except on 24 December. Great for families.
• Dünen-Therme in St. Peter-Ording (approx. 60 min): swimming and sauna right behind the dyke. Opening hours are shorter in winter.
• Husum old town (approx. 18 min): small shops, the harbour, the Theodor Storm House and cafés serving Frisian cake.
• Flensburg (approx. 30 min): the old rum town with its shopping street and museum harbour. From there, Denmark is not far.

The February highlight: the Biike bonfires

On the evening of 21 February, large bonfires are lit all along the North Frisian coast, followed by a kale dinner. In 2027 the date falls on a Sunday, ideal for a long weekend. When and where the fires burn nearby is explained on our page Biike bonfires 2027 in North Frisia.

Practical tips for winter

• Clothing: hat, windproof jacket and sturdy shoes. On the dyke it is often much colder than in the village.
• Car: almost all destinations are best reached by car. Buses run less often in winter.
• Short days: in December the sun sets around 4 pm. Start your trips early and enjoy the fire in the evening.
• Shopping: there are supermarkets in the neighbouring village of Viöl (approx. 5 minutes), larger shops in Husum.

As of November 2026. All driving times are approximate, by car from Brook (municipality of Haselund).