Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [643]
Alternatively, catch the car ferry ( 0180-310 3030; www.sylt-faehre.de) from Rømø in Denmark to List (one-way per foot passenger/car and passengers €7/43.50).
For ships to/from Amrun and Föhr, Click here.
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Getting Around
Sylt is well covered by buses ( 836 100; www.svg-sylt.de). The two main north–south connections run at 20-minute intervals during the day: Line 1 (Westerland-Wenningstedt-Kampen-List) and Line 2 (Westerland-Rantum-Hörnum). There are four other lines; prices are calculated by zone, ranging from €1.60 to €6.40. Tell the driver your destination. Some buses have bicycle hangers.
Cycling is extremely popular and Fahrradverleih (bike-hire) outlets abound. Westerland alone has more than half-a-dozen places, such as Veloquick ( 215 06; Kirchenweg 13, Westerland; per day from €7).
Trains to/from Westerland stop in Keitum.
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FÖHR
04681 / pop 8700
Closer to the mainland, cloud-shaped Föhr is known as the green isle, although there’s also a good sandy beach in the south. Its main village, Wyk, has plenty of windmills. In the north you’ll find 16 tiny Frisian hamlets tucked behind dikes up to 7m tall. In the old days, Föhr’s men went out to sea to hunt whales, an epoch you can learn more about at the Friesenmuseum ( 2571; www.friesen-museum.de, in German; Rebbelstieg 34, Wyk; adult/concession €3.50/2; 10am-5pm daily Jul & Aug, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun mid-Mar–Oct, 2-5pm Tue-Sun Nov–mid-Mar).
The church of St Johannis in Nieblum dates from the 12th century and is sometimes called the ‘Frisian Cathedral’ because it seats up to 1000 people.
Föhr’s main tourist office ( 300 3040; www.foehr.de; Wyk harbour; 10am-1pm & 2-5.45pm) is open daily year-round and can help with accommodation. Föhr does not have a camping ground.
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Getting There & Around
To get to Föhr, you catch a ferry operated by WDR ( 01805-080 140; www.faehre.de) from Dagebüll Hafen (reached via Niebüll; one-way €6.25). Up to 13 boats make the trip daily in the high season, taking 45 minutes to Wyk. Bikes are an extra €4.50 return (no single rates available), while cars (prior reservation necessary) start from €57.15 return.
There are also regular ferries between Föhr and Amrum (one-way/return €6.40/8); cars start from €50.65 return (prior reservation also necessary).
For information on getting to Föhr from Sylt, Click here.
There’s an hourly bus service to all villages on Föhr (less frequent in winter). You’ll find bike-rental outlets in every village.
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AMRUM
04682 / pop 2300
Amrum is the smallest North Frisian Island; you can walk around it in a day. It’s also the prettiest, with reed-thatched Frisian houses, a patchwork of dunes, woods, heath and marsh, and glorious Kniepsand – 12km of fine, white sand, sometimes up to 1km wide – that takes up half the island.
Crowning the central village of Wittdün is northern Germany’s tallest lighthouse, which stands 63m tall. The island’s largest village is Nebel.
Much of Amrum is under protection, so you must stick to the marked paths. There are some fine walks, including the 10km walk from the lighthouse to the village of Norddorf through the pine forest, or the 8km return hike from Norddorf along the safe swimming beach to the tranquil Ood Nature Reserve, an ideal place to observe bird life.
The tourist office ( 940 30; www.amrum.de; ferry landing, Wittdün; hours vary) can help with accommodation on the island. Options include two camping grounds (one for nudists) amid the dunes, a DJH hostel ( 2010; www.jugendherberge.de/jh/wittduen; Mittelstrasse 1, Wittdün; under/over 26yr incl breakfast €19.20/22.20; mid-Feb–mid-Nov; ) and several hotels.
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Getting There & Around
To reach Amrum from the mainland, take the ferry operated by WDR ( 01805-080 140; www.faehre.de)