Ferries across the North Frisian Wadden Sea

North Frisia is not a bundle of separate spur routes but a network. Twenty-eight connections link ten ports, and in the summer half-year almost every island reaches every other. That sets this region apart from the East Frisian Islands, where each island hangs off exactly one mainland port.

The price for it is the season. Three quarters of the connections run only from late March to early November. What remains is a narrow but dependable base network: every island and every hallig in the region has exactly one port from which it can be reached in January as well.

The year-round triangle: Dagebüll, Föhr, Amrum

The Wyker Dampfschiffs-Reederei serves Föhr and Amrum from Dagebüll all year. To Wyk on Föhr the crossing takes 50 minutes, up to twelve times a day in high season. To Wittdün on Amrum the sailing goes via Wyk and takes about two hours, up to six times a day. Between Föhr and Amrum the same operator sails in one hour.

This is the densest part of the network and the only one that brings vehicles to either of the two larger islands. The published timetable reaches to 12 December 2026, and the following period begins on 13 December.

To the halligen: from Schlüttsiel, all year

From Schlüttsiel on the mainland coast the MS Hilligenlei of the same operator calls at the halligen Hooge and Langeneß - 75 and 105 minutes respectively, two departures per operating day. This is the supply line for the halligen and therefore not a seasonal service: it thins out in the winter half-year, with no sailings on Mondays and Wednesdays, but it keeps running.

To Pellworm: the short ferry from Nordstrand

Pellworm hangs off a short route of its own. The Neue Pellwormer Dampfschiffahrt sails from the Strucklahnungshörn jetty on Nordstrand in 35 minutes, every day and up to six times per direction in high season. Because Nordstrand is connected to the mainland by a causeway, you drive right to the jetty - with the car, which the ferry takes along.

The summer network: the MS Adler-Express

From late March to early November the MS Adler-Express links five ports with one another - Hörnum at the southern tip of Sylt, Amrum, the Hallig Hooge, Nordstrand and Pellworm. That is what creates the island-hopping this region is known for.

The shortest leg is Amrum-Hooge at 20 to 30 minutes, the longest Hörnum-Nordstrand at about two and a half hours. Two departures a day are the norm, to Pellworm usually just one. Langeneß lies outside this network.

To Heligoland

From Hörnum and Amrum the MS Adler CAT sails direct to Heligoland - 85 minutes from Amrum, two and a half hours from Hörnum, each once a day and only until the end of October. From Föhr, Dagebüll, Hooge, Nordstrand and Pellworm the operator sells through-tickets involving a change of vessel.

The mainland feeder services - from Cuxhaven, Hamburg and Brunsbüttel - are on faehren-helgoland.de.

Sylt: only Hörnum belongs here

Sylt has two ferry ports with very different jobs. Hörnum in the south is the Wadden Sea port and part of this network. The car ferry from Rømø to List in the north is a story of its own - year-round, carrying vehicles, and the alternative to the car-carrying train; it is covered on faehre-sylt.de.

Before you book

Fares and vehicle carriage are set by the operators and differ from ship to ship - the binding price appears at the booking step. Crossing time, departures per day and the period in which a connection runs are on every island and port page and in the timetable.