Döse, Duhnen, Sahlenburg – the North Sea Beaches around Cuxhaven

Around Cuxhaven there are several beaches that differ clearly from one another – from the busy promenade beach to the grass beach on the Elbe. Which one suits you depends less on the sand than on what you are looking for: cafés and bustle, shallow water for children, peace and quiet with woodland nearby, or ships right in front of you.

Here you get an overview of Duhnen, Döse, Sahlenburg and the two grass beaches in Grimmershörn and Altenbruch. Plus: what beach entry costs, why you don't pay it with a guest card from Otterndorf, and what changes on the beach from October.

Five beaches, five characters – the overview

The official beach page of the Nordseeheilbad Cuxhaven (as of September 2026, in German) distinguishes two types: managed sandy beaches in Duhnen, Döse and Sahlenburg, and grass beaches in the Grimmershörnbucht and in Altenbruch. On the sandy beaches you'll find beach chairs, showers, toilets and DLRG lifeguard supervision. On a grass beach you lie on grass instead of sand.

The Wadden Sea is present everywhere, and it constantly changes its appearance with the tides. Where there is water in the morning, the mudflats may lie exposed a few hours later. How that works is explained in Tides explained.

Duhnen: promenade, bustle and a view of the mudflats

Duhnen is considered the liveliest district of Cuxhaven. Restaurants, cafés, bars, boutiques and ice cream parlours line the promenade, and in front of it lies a fine sandy beach with a direct view of the Wadden Sea, which is a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. If you'd rather not prepare anything for a beach day, this is a good place: food and ice cream are available on the promenade, and so is a coffee in between.

From Duhnen you can experience the mudflats on a guided walk or a mudflat carriage ride. If it's your first time on the mudflats, read our article Mudflat hiking for beginners first – it explains what matters.

In Duhnen and Döse it pays to book beach chairs in advance during the holidays and at weekends. You can do this online via Strandbutler or on site. If peace and quiet is your main aim, you'll be better off in Sahlenburg or Altenbruch.

Döse and Grimmershörn: shallow water and ships

Döse has a wide sandy beach with gently sloping water and a view of the Elbe estuary. Döse is considered one of the most family-friendly districts of Cuxhaven. That fits with the spa park with its small zoo and playground, and with the Kugelbake nearby. Out on the Elbe, the ships pass by.

A beach chair in Döse costs €15 per day (as of September 2026), €9 from 3 pm. A continuous promenade connects Döse with Duhnen and Grimmershörn, so you can switch between the sections along the water.

The Grimmershörnbucht is home to one of the two grass beaches: lawn instead of sand, but with a view of the shipping traffic on the Elbe. If you'd rather watch ships than build sandcastles, this is a good spot. You can read more about ships in Cuxhaven in our article on the Alte Liebe.

Sahlenburg: natural, with woodland nearby

Sahlenburg is the counterpart to Duhnen. The beach is natural and unspoilt and, unlike the big promenade beaches, promises peace and quiet. Sandy beach, dunes, heath and woodland lie close together here. Through the Wernerwald forest you can walk to the coastal heathland – a nice change after a few hours by the water.

Sahlenburg also offers mudflat walks and guided mudflat tours. Water sports fans will find room here for kitesurfing and windsurfing. A beach chair in Sahlenburg costs €14 per day, €7 from 3 pm.

Sahlenburg suits anyone who would rather combine a beach day with a walk than with a stroll along the promenade.

Altenbruch: the closest of the Cuxhaven beaches

Of the Cuxhaven beaches, Altenbruch is the closest to Nordseezimmer: around 10 kilometres, about 15 minutes by car. This Cuxhaven district is rural-maritime and quiet. It has a well-kept grass beach and wide Elbe dikes that are well suited to walks and bike rides.

Swimming here means swimming in the Elbe: during the warmer months there is a buoyed swimming area supervised by the DLRG. For small children there is a little playground and a mini paddling pool on the grass beach in summer. A beach chair here costs €11 per day.

If you prefer to get around by bike, you'll find routes and tips in our article Cycling in the Cuxhaven district.

Beach entry and guest card: what you pay – and what you don't

In Cuxhaven, day visitors aged 16 and over pay beach entry. In season A (1 April to 31 October and 25 December to 7 January) it costs €4.20 or €3.40, depending on the spa zone, and €3.40 or €3.00 the rest of the time (as of 2026). You can buy the ticket from staff at the beach entrances, cashless at ticket machines, or online via WELCMpass or mobilet. Children under 16 are exempt.

The point that matters for you as a guest in Otterndorf: guest card holders are exempt too – explicitly including those from Otterndorf. The town of Otterndorf confirms this from its side: Cuxhaven, Otterndorf and other places have an agreement to recognise each other's guest cards.

In Otterndorf, the guest card comes with the visitor's contribution, which is collected by the hosts. At our place the visitor's tax is already included in the room price – you don't pay it again on top. Whether and how you can get a guest card through us is best checked with us before you arrive.

A beach day in autumn: what changes from October

The lifeguard stations on Cuxhaven's beaches are staffed from May to September, usually between 8 am and 6 pm. Supervised swimming takes place when high tide falls within this window. In October you are therefore in the water without supervision – all the more reason to swim only where you know your way around.

Beach chairs are out from roughly April to October, depending on the weather. Beach entry for day visitors, on the other hand, applies all year round and is mostly a little cheaper from November to March. You can read more about the off-season on the coast in The North Sea in autumn.

Whatever the month: low and high tide alternate roughly every six hours, and the times shift by around 50 minutes every day. If you head out onto the mudflats, you should know when the water is coming back – your way back across the mudflats can be cut off, and you should avoid tidal creeks.

Back to Nordseezimmer

For beach days in Cuxhaven, Otterndorf is a practical base. You can choose between the Koje, maritime with a petrol-blue accent wall, and the Koi in warm gold and cream tones – both with private bathroom, large 180×200 bed, free Wi-Fi and a private parking space, handy if you drive to the beaches. Both rooms can be booked from one night, with no single-occupancy surcharge.

And if you don't feel like driving at all: the Elbe is around 15 minutes' walk from us, and Otterndorf itself has a swimming lake.