Tönning

Tönning sits on the Eider river, between the Eider barrage and the Wadden Sea National Park. Brick-built historic houses around the market square pair with the Multimar Wattforum — the largest national-park visitor centre, with 22 aquariums, a 16-metre sperm-whale skeleton and live Wadden Sea webcams. Shrimp-cutter trips and Eider river cruises leave from the harbour. The Eider barrage (1973) is Europe's largest of its kind and can be crossed on foot. Tönning is 20 minutes from Husum and the gateway to the Eiderstedt peninsula, which culminates in St. Peter-Ording. Family-friendly, quiet, no crowds.