Elbe Estuary

The Elbe widens into a tidal estuary as it enters the North Sea near Cuxhaven. Sandbanks and shifting channels lie between low shores, while the tide reaches far upstream towards Hamburg. For centuries ships have used the river to carry goods between that great trading city and the sea. The meeting of river flow and North Sea tides makes the estuary a changing passage between inland Europe and the German Bight.