Experience the best of Sylt

Sylt is Germany's northernmost island, a thin crescent of dunes and heath about 40 kilometres long off the Schleswig-Holstein coast. A railway causeway, the Hindenburgdamm, opened in 1927, links it to the mainland, and cars ride across on trains. Westerland is the main town, with a promenade; Kampen has red cliffs and the island's highest dune, and List, at the northern tip, has a ferry to Denmark and a huge moving dune.

Keitum, on the quieter east side, keeps thatched Frisian captains' houses and a church dedicated to St Severin. The Wadden Sea, part of a UNESCO-listed tidal area, uncovers wide flats at low tide that can be crossed on guided walks. Hörnum, at the southern tip, has a lighthouse and a spit of sand, and Morsum Cliff shows layers of coloured sand and clay.

Fish rolls, plaice, North Sea shrimp and oysters farmed off the island's northern shore are the local food. Wicker Strandkörbe, roofed beach baskets, line the sand to shelter people from the wind. Summer brings the crowds, and autumn storms bring the waves.