Tiny European holiday island that used to be a spa resort… and cars are banned
HELIGOLAND is a great holiday spot for anyone who loves walking as it's no cars allowed.
The German island 30 miles off the coast doesn't allow any sort of transport apart from bikes when used by kids, and even they can only be used after 5pm.
Once a seaside spa town back in the early 1800s - where it was a popular tourist resort for Germans and Austrians - it was also owned by the United Kingdom during this time.
Returned to Germany in the 1950s, the island is a ferry ride from mainland Germany out in the North Sea.
Life is a little slower around Heligoland due to the lack of transport, so it's the perfect place for a more laid-back holiday.
The island in the North Sea is so small you can even walk around all of it in 90 minutes.
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The walk can be quite steep and uphill in parts, so make sure to bring some sensible shoes.
Heligoland home to just over a thousand residents and is full of multicoloured houses and lobster shacks.
The island was once the centre of the German fishing industry and was known for its abundant supply of lobsters, so fishermen built the seafront shacks to store them.
Sadly the original shacks were destroyed in WWII.
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But they have since been rebuilt and restored, used as shops and cafes, although some remain as fish markets.
Others are stunning holiday homes that you can rent out.
One of the main attractions of Heligoland is the Lange Anna stack, known to the locals as Nathurn Stak.
The sea stack of red sandstone that stands at 154ft is found off the coast and can be viewed from the clifftop.
In certain seasons its covered in colonies of nesting terns, gannets and other seabirds.
If you're interested in seeing Lange Anna then plan a visit sooner rather than later because erosion from the waves means it will eventually collapse.
On the island you'll also find the Heligoland lighthouse that was built in World War II as an anti-aircraft tower and was turned into a lighthouse in 1952.
If you wanted to see more of nature and haven't had enough of the ferry then take a quick trip over to the neighbours island Heligoland-Dune which has it's own seal colony.
If you go in the winter between November and January, you'll get to see some fluffy white seal pups.
We've found some stunning holiday rentals in Heligoland from £58 per night.
The easiest way to get to Heligoland is to catch the daily ferry from Hamburg which takes just under four hours.
Heligoland can be reached in under three hours by ferry from Cuxhaven.
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Another German island we found is Rügen and the aesthetic will take you back to the seventies.
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