Sylt offers almost 25 miles (40 km) of beaches and it is hard to tell which one is the best. However, there are incredibly packed areas like Brandenburger Strand in Westerland and almost deserted beaches like Ellenbogen North of List or the beaches of Rantum and Hörnum. At all beaches you can rent the cute roofed wicker beach chairs that holds two persons named “Strandkorb” to protect yourself against wind and sun. Moreover, many sections are approved for dogs and some for nudists.
In the following you see my “best of list” with the most beautiful beaches that are off the major tourist hubs.
Sylt Beaches - North
Ellenbogen, List Ellenbogen is the most remote beach on Sylt since it is located off the tourist trails and within a nature reserve. The beach appears to be endless and the water is shallow. However, you should be careful entering the water since there might be some strong currents around that permit swimming in this area.
Sylt Beaches - Center
Kampen When visiting the impressive red cliff in Kampen take some time to sunbath below the red colored cliff line. The water conditions depend on the tides and can be quite rough but the shore is shallow enough to enter the water without any danger during both tides.
Wenningstedt The beach in Wenningstedt belongs to the most popular ones on Sylt since it has a great infrastructure with restaurants, restrooms, and several lifeguard stations. Similar to all other beaches on Sylt this one is endless as well and offers best conditions for families since the shore is shallow and the water very calm. The northern section is less packed and located below the ends of red cliff.
Sylt Beaches - South
Rantum Rantum is located on the narrowest stretch of Sylt and offers an endless beach that runs parallel to beautiful sand dunes on the western shore. If you prefer a walk over a lazy beach day in one of the many “Strandkörbe” you only have to cross the street to enter the wide tidelands during low tide on the East shore. Rantum’s beach sections are called “Oase zur Sonne”, “Samoa”, “Sansibar”, and “Strandsauna”.
Hörnum Different beaches that cover all possible requirements like being safe enough for children, allowing dogs or where you can strip to the buff surround Sylt’s southern tip. This area is less crowded than the sections around Westerland. During low season you even might have the beach for yourself. Oststrand next to the lighthouse is known as a safe playground for kids with a shallow and calm shore. In this area you also have beach volleyball courts and other amenities where you can work out if you like. The main beach Weststrand on the other side has a rough current and is recommended for experienced swimmers only. Dogs are allowed on the beach stretch south of the restaurant Kap-Horn on the West shore but you might run into nudists that frequent this area as well.