How to Enjoy Beach Life on Sylt

The western beach front of Sylt stretches about 25 miles from north to south. Its often powerful waves and the sandy beaches and dunes make for a perfect beach holiday. The only disadvantage, if there is one: This is Northwest Europe, so long hot summers are not necessarily the rule. Cold breezes, even savage winds and showers can occur – the good news is, nasty weather fronts often blow over fast towards the mainland.

The best time for summer holidays with sunbathing and swimming on the island off the coast of Germany and Denmark would be from late June to the middle of September. But whether sun or rain: Protecting the skin from the intense rays on the coast is vital - sunburn is possible on cloudy days, not only in sunshine.

Admission to the Beach and Renting a Strandkorb

The access to Sylt's beaches is not free – visitors have to buy a so-called Kurkarte (spa card), which costs around 3 Euro (US$ 4,70) per day, depending on the beach. The ticket has to be presented whenever entering the beach and prom area. Tickets are for sale at these admissions points. For longer stays tickets are available which cover the entire duration of the holiday and come slightly cheaper. The money is used to keep beaches clean and safe. Best opportunities for a free plunge are on early mornings and evenings – before and after the ticket boots are in operation.

Sunbathers can put down their towels wherever they like. For about 10 Euro (US$ 15,70) per day a comfortable Strandkorb (wicker beach chair) can be rented on most beaches: They protect from wind, sun and nosy neighbors – some people even build their own little wall of sand around it to mark their imagined territory: Not a good idea, because on the tidal beaches this furthers erosion. Unfortunately it seems a hard habit to die out - some people are amazingly passionate about this!

Textile or Nudist Beaches – Dos and Don'ts

Sylt is famous for its several nudist beaches, public beach saunas and for a generally relaxed attitude towards shedding your clothes. While in the past the line was clearly drawn as to where nude swimming was allowed and where you had to dress up appropriately, nowadays there is a general tolerance towards nudity. The majority of people seem to go for bikini or togs, though, unless they go to the designated nude beaches, which are known short as FKK beaches, which translates as free body culture.

If in doubt beach visitors can check out what others do or how comfortable they feel and then just go ahead – size, age, beauty or gender don't matter here and there is far less curious looks than one would suspect. FKK is no erotic wonderland. It's important to keep in mind that people regard it is a matter of personal freedom – and never should nakedness on a beach be interpreted as any sort of invitation.

Potential Dangers before Going for a Swim

The water warms up to about a refreshing 67 °F in late summer. Before going for a swim, possible warnings from lifeguards, indicated by flags, should be checked: The combined yellow-red flag says that lifeguards are on duty now at this beach; red means that swimming is prohibited because of storms or currents; a yellow flag indicates that children and non-swimmers should be supervised in the water.

Another potential danger are the Buhnen (spur dikes) that are half hidden in sand in sea: These wooden posts were rammed into the ground of the sea in lines to protect parts of the coastline from erosion decades ago. This didn't work out as planned, but now the posts remain stuck - they can cause dangerous currents or lead to injuries if hit by mistake. On the beach these signs help to avoid them.

And if swimmers last not least steer away from potential collisions with windsurfers or surfers, a plunge into the North Sea should be refreshingly unforgettable!

More about Holidays on Sylt and about Germany's northernmost wine cellar, which lies under the dunes and belongs to Restaurant Sansibar. Plus Bistro La Grand Plage with Beach Sauna.

Swimming off Sylt on a calm day

Life is a beach at Kampen, Sylt

Sunset on Westerland beach

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds