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Eating

Sylt has some sterling restaurants, such as Jörg Müller’s Michelin-starred digs (left). But the island’s most quintessential dish is a simple and delicious fish sandwich from home-grown chain, Gosch (see the boxed text, opposite). Look out too for local oysters from Germany’s only oyster farm, in List.

Kupferkanne ( 410 10; Stapelhooger Wai, Kampen; snacks & dishes €4-13; from 10am summer, from noon winter) Giant mugs of coffee and huge slices of cake (including scrumptious plum cake) are served in the magical gardens of this Alice in Wonderland-style cafe where wooden tables surrounded by a maze of low bramble hedges overlook the Wadden Sea and the Braderup Heide (heath). Meals are also served in the attached Frisian house.

Sansibar ( 964 646; Hörnumer Strasse 80, Rantum; mains €11-42; from noon) Dining among the dunes in this large grass-roof pavilion on the beach, on the likes of whole North Sea sole or salmon and wild prawns in white crustacean sauce is an unforgettable experience (book well ahead). Alternatively, stop by for a drink on its terrace at sunset, with a view of the crashing waves.

Alte Friesenstube ( 1228; Gaadt 4, Westerland; mains €19-25; from 6pm Tue-Sun) You won’t find sojourning celebs at this charmingly old-fashioned, family-run restaurant. Set inside Sylt’s oldest reed-thatched cottage (1648) lined with decorative wall tiles and tiled ovens, what you will find are homely regional specials listed on a largely incomprehensible handwritten menu in Plattdütsch dialect (helpfully translated by staff).

Gogärtchen ( 412 42; Stroenwai, Kampen; mains €29-38, 8-/10-course tasting menu €108/124; from 1pm) The thatch-roofed Gogärtchen is renowned as a favourite haunt of the nation’s holidaying glitterati, not least for its exquisitely presented contemporary dishes like foie gras with marinated grapes and brioche, followed by monkfish with macadamia nuts, wasabi potato foam and coconut milk.

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GOSCH: A SYLT SUCCESS STORY

Coming to Sylt without visiting Gosch (www.gosch-sylt.de, in German) would be like coming to Germany without ordering a beer. Established by eel seller Jürgen Gosch some three decades ago, this nation-wide chain of ‘fast-fish’ outlets is a Sylt institution, and its seafood tastes exceptionally fresh here.

The site of Gosch’s original kiosk in List harbour is now its maritime-themed flagship, Alte Bootshalle ( 870 383; Hafenstrasse 16, List; dishes €2.50-14.50; from 11am). But across the island you’ll find branches offering its range of delicious fish sandwiches, seafood pasta, smoked salmon and Rösti (potato cakes), lobster and caviar.

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Also recommended:

Badezeit ( 834 020; Strandpromenade, Westerland; mains €8.90-19.50; from 11am Mon-Fri, from 10am Sat & Sun; ) Bang on the beach in Westerland, serving tapas, pastas and, yes, fish.

Ingo Willms ( 995 282; Elisabethstrasse 4, Westerland; mains €14.50-28, menus from €29.50; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) Sophisticated Westerland restaurant creating inventive, modern German cuisine.

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Getting There & Away

Sylt/Westerland airport (www.flughafen-sylt.de, in German) is served by Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com) from Berlin and Düsseldorf; TUIfly (www.tuifly.com) flies from Hannover, Cologne-Bonn and Stuttgart; and Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com) from Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich, among others. Flights are more frequent in summer.

Otherwise, Sylt is connected to the mainland by a causeway catering exclusively for trains. IC trains serve Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (€44, 3¼ hours), while regional trains have regular direct services to Hamburg Altona (€30, 3¼ hours). Alternatively, change at Elmshorn for Hamburg Dammtor and the Hauptbahnhof (€30, 3½ hours). Important: make sure you’re sitting in the correct part of the train, as they sometimes split en route, and you may find yourself making an unexpected stopover (trust us…).

If you’re driving, you must load your vehicle onto a car train ( 995 0565; www.syltshuttle.de) in Nieb