GENERAL INFORMATIONEN
Besides Rügen, Usedom and Fehmarn, Sylt is the fourth largest island in Germany and the largest German North Sea island. Close to Sylt there are some other nice islands like Amrum and Föhr in the southeast, the Danish island Rømø or Uthörn in the north.
ARRIVAL & MOBILITY
Arrival by train: Either you can take the normal train or the motorrail trains “DB SyltShuttle” and the “AUTOZUG Sylt”. The trains using the “Hindenburgdamm”, a dam that connects Sylt to the mainland since 1927.
By ferry: If you arrive by car you can also use the ferry form the Danish island Rømø. The ferry takes 40 minutes and arrives in List. Those who travel without their own car can take a boat from Cuxhaven, Nordstrand and Dagebüll to the port of Hörnum.
By plane: If you want to be on the island in less than two hours there are also various small airlines heading to Sylt.
Arrived at Sylt, you can get around by car, taxi, bike and bus. If you have planned long bike tours, I would definitely recommend to rent an e-bike since it could be super windy on the island sometimes. Actually we are sporty but really reached our limits with the normal bikes after 45 kilometers.
BEACHES & ACTIVITIES
Since we only spent a weekend on Sylt, we could of course not visit every beach and do all the activities. But we’ve received so many tips from you, so I summarized my own experience and your advices below. A walk through Keitum, at the “Rantumbecken” and on the salt marshes, strolling through Kampen, the “Uwe-Düne” and the red cliff were the most frequently mentioned by you.
We visited the beaches on Westerland, the western edge, part of the “Ellenbogen” and the “Buhne 16” and really liked it. The red cliff and the “Ellenbogen” in general are also worth seeing, as it is great fun to explore the island by bike. Passing great vegetation, dunes and cute houses you get a quick overview of Sylt. In between, you can always take nice breaks at beautiful viewpoints.
Day 1: We went to “Buhne 16” and had a picnic on the beach in the evening. The day of arrival was of course fully planned due to the move into the apartment and the rental of the bikes. But we were still able to enjoy the sun, take our first little bike tour and watch the sunset with sandwiches on the beach. We always had this type of dinner in our family holidays, as it is flexible, relaxed, beautiful and inexpensive.
Day 2: The alarm clock rang early and after an extensive breakfast we set off to explore the northern island. The destination was the ice cream manufactory in List from where we ride to the harbor. Along the dike we went to the western beach where we took a break. Afterwards, the most exhausting part should begin… After almost 20 km with strong headwind we ended up with one hand on the backpack of our parents, who pulled up the hilly bike paths with their e-bikes 😀 After that we actually wanted to recharge our batteries with coffee and cake in the “Kupferkanne”, but it was so crowded that we spontaneously decided to drink a delicious latte macchiato at the “Goldgelb” in Westerland. In the evening we had reserved a table at the “Iismeer”, where we baked our own bread on the table grill and watched the sunset in the beach chair.
Day 3: Still done from the previous day and because of bad weather, we returned the bikes and drove all the way to the south to Hörnum. In the harbor basin we met Willi a gray seal, walked through the dune landscape and had a tea in the southernmost restaurant on the island. Then we went again to Kampen to the “Kupferkanne”, where we luckily got a place this time and tried the delicious range of cakes. We made the last stop in the beautiful town of Keitum. Here we saw the most beautiful traditional houses. A really nice end to a beautiful weekend.
EAT & DRINK
At no point did we get sooooo many messages as about the culinary offer on Sylt. We have only been able to test some of your great tips, but I don’t want to withhold any of the addresses from you and my own list has already been created on Google Maps for the next visit.
Restaurants:
Iismeer
Coast
Möllers Anker
Sansibar (Erdbeerbowle, Kaiserschmarren, Sushi und Dorsch)
Fischen am See
Landhaus Severins
Rauchfang
Gosch (Gambas mit Backkartoffeln, Thai Nudeln, Lachsflammkuchen)
Seenot
Strandoase
Samoa (Labskaus, Kokostagliatelle mit Garnelen)
Webchristel
Dorfkrug (etwas teurer aber super lecker)
Shirobar (Sushi to go und dann am Strand geniessen)
Blum (Fischbrötchen)
Lister Austernperle
Seepferdchen
Gogärtchen
Altfriesenstube
Landhaus Stricker
Marisa
Beachhouse
Vogelkoje
Twisters (Burger)
Cafes:
Cafe Wien
Kleine Teestube in Keitum
Eismanufaktur List
Kontorhaus
Kupferkanne (great cakes and a nice atmosphere. It would be nice if plant-based milk alternatives were also offered in the future. Then it would have been perfect:))
Kaffeerösterei von Christian Appel
Cafe Ingwersen
Badezeit
Creperie am Meer (Nutella with sea salt, chocolate dough with white chocolate)
Goldgelb (breakfast bowls, avocado breads and great coffee in a modern Cafe in Westerland)
Nielsens
Sylter Schokoladen Manufaktur (Syltella for all Nutella-lovers)
I hope you enjoyed the tips and help you organize your next trip to Sylt. If you have any further advices, feel free to comment to make the exchange with the community even more exciting.
