The Baltic Sea’s Wild Side: A Spring Outing at Brodtener Steilufer’s Pristine Shoreline

If you want to feel like you’re on vacation without chasing far-away destinations, we recommend a trip to Brodtener Steilufer. This pristine section of the Baltic Sea’s shoreline is wild and overgrown—wind and waves carve away at this meter-high cliff while sand martins nest in crevices between the rocks. Today, nature seekers flee Travemünde’s overcrowded beaches to relax at the point where pirates would frequently ambush unsuspecting fishermen back in the Middle Ages.

It’s no secret that Hamburg’s weather is very much hit or miss. All the more reason to make the most of a sunny spring day. We’re delighted to have a whole fleet of WeShare cars scattered throughout the city centre. The drive to Brodtener Steilufer is quick and easy; it takes us just under an hour to reach the free parking lot in Niendorf. From here, we set out eastward on foot, guided by the field-lined paths that trace the upper side of the coastline.

After taking in the breathtaking views of the cliffs from above, we follow one of the small, marked trails that leads all the way down to the water’s edge. The path is lined with a mix of jagged rocks that were carried to the coast from Scandinavia during the Ice Age and a series of gnarly, uprooted trees—a beach that looks like it fell off the cover of an adventure magazine and the comforting sound of waves rolling over the sand complete the picture.