Sylt

By train

After Germany lost its harbour with direct Sylt connections due to World War I, some other mode of transportation to the island had to be found and with neither air nor car travel commonplace, a railway only causeway was the logical consequence. The Hindenburgdamm (named for the rather infamous conservative/reactionary Reichspräsident that made Hitler chancellor in 1933) has connected the island to the mainland ever since and remains railway only, although some trains do transport cars. There are several connections by train from Hamburg, via Itzehoe. During the summer season, regular Intercity trains offer direct connections to most of Germany.

• Westerland train stationThe terminus of all island-bound trains, famously with a Frisian/German bilingual station sign.

• Morsum stationThe first stop on the island. Skipped by the IC.

• Keitum stationThe second stop on the island for regional trains. Skipped by the IC.

By plane

• Sylt - Westerland AirportThis airport offers flights to and from domestic and Swiss destinations. Operations are mostly seasonal.

By boat

• Sylt Ferry

  phone: +49 461 864-601
  This company runs a year-round ferry from Havneby on the island of Rømø (in Denmark) to on the northern part of Sylt. It may be cheaper and/or more convenient than taking the train, especially if your final destination is on the northern part of the island

By car

Similar to most other North Frisian islands, Sylt allows cars and there are several options of getting your car on the island, though driving it yourself isn't one of them. As mentioned above you can take the car ferry from Rømø. The other two options both use the causeway.

• Sylt Shuttle

  phone: +49 180 6 22 83 83
  The Sylt Shuttle is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, the national railway, and has been operating on this route for decades. Since the liberalization of the railway market, others have tried to enter the market and DB has thus tried some arguably underhanded tactics to keep competition from gaining the upper hand.

• Autozug Sylt

  phone: +49 4661 736 87 27
  This company is a venture of American RDC and as such the newer entrant to the market. They have less brand name recognition, but they use the same terminal on both sides of the trip as DB and their travel times are roughly the same. Depending on how important money is for you and which departure time works best for you, you can certainly choose either operator.

• WesterlandThe main city, with the railway station, all amenities and a beach promenade.

• ListA harbor at the north-eastern end of the island with ferries to Denmark.

• KampenIt has bars, restaurants, galleries, and holiday mansions. The beach at Kampen is bordered by a 30-m-tall red cliff. Here you'll also find the 50-m-tall Uwe Düne, the island's highest point.

• HörnumA city at the southern tip of the island, with ferries to Amrum and Föhr.

Bus is the easiest although bikes are also popular. An all-island three-day bus ticket costs about €28. You can also take a bicycle on the bus. Because many visitors arrive by car across the causeway and of the rather limited space on the island, there can be surprising amounts of traffic in the high season.

• Denghoog

  address: Wenningstedt-Braderup
  Neolithic passage grave dating from around 3200 BC. This is the biggest and most impressive of the island's megaliths; for a fee you can enter the grave which is covered by 3 massive stones, the largest of which weighs 20 tons.

• Rotes Kliff30-metre high line of sea cliffs

• Uwe DüneA dune that marks the highest point of the island; stairs lead to the top, with a wonderful view.

• Wandering Dunes of ListThe last wandering dune of Germany, which marches east about 7 metres per year.

• Sylter Heimatmuseum

  address: Am Kliff 19, Keitum

• Altfriesisches Haus

  address: Am Kliff 13, Keitum

• The Seal Willy

Classically Sylt is a beach destination and this still remains the main draw of the island. While the landscape of the German coast is beautiful even for those who don't want to swim or bathe, the temperature of the water rarely exceeds 20 °C even in the summer and that it can get rather windy. Sunburn is, however, a common concern especially when it is windy and appears to be cold, as the sun's UV rays are unperturbed by wind or temperature.
Several segments of the beach are officially declared as FKK (German for "nudist"), but these designations carry little weight; nude and non-nude bathers are tolerated everywhere.
A typically German thing to do at the beach is renting a Strandkorb (a wooden roofed beach chair) and just sitting in it and relaxing.
Along the beach, concrete groynes were built into the sea in an effort to halt sand erosion. These groynes are not visible at high tide and present a danger to unaware bathers. They are marked with cross signs along the beach.
Adults must pay a fee to access the beach (€4 per day from Mai to October, €2 from November to April); it's €3.30 or €1.65 if you pay in advance at your hotel or pension.
You may want to hike along the beach, along the paths in the dunes and heath behind the beach (it is forbidden to stray from the paths though), and near the mudflats on the western side of the island. Several dozen megalithic graves dating back to the neolithic (c. 3000 BC) can be found on the island.

Almost every restaurant on the island serves seafood, with the fish burger being considered something of a takeaway speciality. The island is definitely not cheap with the prices somewhat inflated by the wealthy German tourists who seem to make up 95% of the tourist traffic.

• Dorint Söl'ring Hof

  address: Rantum

• Sylter Eismanufaktur

  address: List
  Ice cream manufacturer

• Kupferkanne

  address: Kampen
  Coffee and cakes

• Raantem Hüs

  address: Rantum

• Jürgen Gosch Kneipe

  phone: +49 4651 23745
  address: Friedrichstraße 15B

• Alte Friesenstube

  phone: +49 4651 1228
  address: Gaadt 4

• Restaurant Sturmhaube

  phone: +49 4651 99 59 40
  address: Riperstig 1

• Kupferkanne

  phone: +49 4651 41010
  address: Stapelhooger Wai 7

• Vogelkoje

  address: Lister Str. 100,

• Kaamp Meren

  phone: +49 4651 43500
  address: Kaamp-Hüs, Hauptstraße 12, 25999 Kampen

;Kampen

• Gogärtchen

  address: Strönwai 12

• Pony Club

  address: Strönwai 6

• Rauchfang

  address: Strönwai 5

• Rotes Kliff

  address: Braderuper Weg 3

;Rantum

• Samoa Seepferdchen

  address: Hörnumerstraße 70

;Westerland

• Bistro26, Friedrichstraße 26

• Strandhaus

  address: Lornsenweg 13

• Wunderbar

  address: Paulstraße 6

• Youth Hostel Hörnum

  address: Friesenplatz 2

• Soel'ring-Hof

  phone: +49 651 836200
  address: Am Sandwall 1

• Dünen Camping Sylt

  phone: +49 4651 836160
  address: Rantumer Str.

• Hotel Atlantic

  phone: +49 4651 98800
  address: Johann-Möller-Straße 30

• Hotel Miramar

  phone: +49 4651 8550
  address: Friedrichstraße 43

• Campingplatz Kampen

  phone: +49 46 51 420 86

• Hotel Rungholt

  phone: +49 4651 448-0
  address: Kurhausstraße 35