Sylt is the fourth largest island in Germany with 1,750 hours of sunshine a year. The main attraction is the almost 40 kilometers long sandy beach with its magnificent dunes. One can find a wide range of accommodation, restaurants and shopping facilities here.
Who has not heard of her? Sylt is the fourth largest island in Germany and the largest of the North Frisian Islands. The island, which is as picturesque as it is diverse, is one of our top 10 sights of Germany.
The "Queen of the North Sea" lies 9 to 16 kilometers off the German mainland coast, is 37 kilometers long, a maximum of 13 kilometers wide and measures just over 300 meters at its narrowest point. Every year, about 850,000 guests enjoy their vacations on Sylt and thus provide the island with about 7 million overnight stays. For many, "the island" between open sea and heath, mud flats and dunes is the pure feeling of freedom.
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PICTURES: Sylt Island
The west beach
Sylt is primarily associated with the almost 40 kilometers of sandy beach with its magnificent dunes and numerous nudist beach sections on the west coast. Of course, the beach chairs, which are typical for the North Sea, are part of the beach image - there are supposedly 13,000 of them on the west beach. All of them can be rented, but in summer you hardly have a chance to get hold of a beach chair without a prior reservation.
On the west side of Sylt there are numerous places with a wide range of accommodation, restaurants and shopping. The center is the town of Westerland, here also live 50% of the inhabitants of Sylt.
The east side
On the east side of the island lies the Wadden Sea, which can also dry up completely at low tide. There are also beautiful sandy beaches here at List and Hörnum. Since the North Sea here is gentle and waveless, these are ideal for families with small children. Here, the wonderful landscape of dunes and heath also invites you to go for walks and bike rides, while further out on the water surfers, kite surfers and sailors meet.
What is the best way to get to Sylt?
Sylt is connected to the mainland by the 11-kilometer-long Hindenburgdamm. However, there is no direct connection to the road network from the mainland. So if you want to get to the island by car, you have to take the "DB AutoZug SyltShuttle", which runs between Niebüll on the mainland and Westerland on Sylt every 30 to 90 minutes - depending on the season. The journey time including loading is about 40 minutes. Motorcycles can also be transported.
There are direct train connections to Sylt from all major German cities. Of course, there is also an airport on Sylt, so you can also fly in comfortably from many major German cities.
Best time to visit Sylt
Sylt is worth a trip all year round. The sun shines on Sylt with about 1,750 hours per year not only more than in the rest of Germany but also much more intense. There is a healthy sea climate and usually a fresh sea breeze.
Due to the Gulf Stream, summers are somewhat cooler than on the mainland and winters are relatively mild. However, it can also happen that the sandy beach disappears under snow and ice in the cold season.
The Sylt beach saunas - sweat with a view
There are 5 beach saunas on the island. Allegedly, sweating here, stimulated by the view of the sea, is especially fun. The North Sea serves as a plunge pool, guaranteed cool and without large crowds! With the sound of the waves, the sun and the salty fresh air, a sauna experience of a special kind is guaranteed! The saunas are mainly open from April to October.
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