With its handful of inhabitants, the Hallig island of Gröde is the smallest municipality in Germany. But there's still plenty of space on the island for long, rambling walks in the bracing North Sea air. If you want to do more than simply relax, you can spend time fishing, walking on the mudflats or swimming in the sea – water is, after all, everywhere around you. Pleasure boats and therefore holidaymakers as well are only able to reach the island during the brief period of high tide. This unparalleled isolation is what distinguishes Gröde from the surrounding Hallig islands.

Hooge, surrounded by the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea , is a designated biosphere reserve. Its inhabitants live in harmony with nature and practise sustainability. Unlike the other Hallig islands, Hooge is surrounded by a high stone dyke, which nevertheless fails to prevent it from being inundated by the North Sea during the winter months. Flooding is one of the features that distinguish Hallig islands from normal islands. During these periods of submersion, only the island's warfts are visible – man-made hills on which the houses of Hooge's inhabitants can be seen jutting out of the water.

The Hallig island of Langeness is idyllically located between the North Frisian islands in the heart of a World Heritage nature reserve. Walks on the mudflats demonstrate the rich diversity of the region's water birds and waders, and the constantly changing salt marsh landscape makes the Hallig islands a truly magical place. In the summer months, vast expanses of sea lavender cast a purple hue over the whole area. Winter, meanwhile, is a time for adventurers, as the powerful forces of the North Sea submerge large parts of the island.

The Hallig island of Nordstrandischmoor lies just off the North Frisian coast in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park . The journey from the mainland through this area of outstanding natural beauty is a very special experience, and visitors arriving on the island will discover rare vegetation and wild birds in a habitat covering 1.9 square kilometres. In mid-July, three quarters of the island take on a purple glow as the sea lavender comes into bloom. A sight to behold for nature lovers everywhere.

The Hallig island of Oland in the North Frisian Wadden Sea comes under the municipality of Langeness and is home to a wide variety of water birds and waders all year round. The coastal landscape features vast expanses of salt marshes, particularly towards the north and west. And the exceptional natural beauty of the area is enhanced by the purple sea lavender that blooms all around. This is a haven of peace and tranquillity – a wetlands oasis in the North Sea.