Green hills with small houses surrounded by clusters of purple plants. Dark clouds in the sky create a moody atmosphere. List West lighthouse: The red-and-white lighthouse stands on a green dune under a slightly cloudy sky.
Germany

Sylt: Germany’s Northernmost Tip

The List West Lighthouse: A Beacon Since 1857.
 Sylt, Germany, July 2022

Sylt has many faces. I explored a few of them: Keitum, Hörnum, List. Charming houses, rolling dunes, a touch of beach life. It’s all here.

Keitum is straight out of a postcard. Thatched-roof houses, well-kept gardens, and St. Severin’s Church, standing strong against the elements since the 11th century. In Hörnum, the dunes take center stage—grassy sand hills shaped by the wind, sometimes gentle, sometimes rugged. Somewhere, a seagull cries. Then comes List, Germany’s northernmost town. The beach stretches endlessly, the sea is rough, the wind relentless. Kitesurfers soar above the waves, their colorful sails dancing in the sky.

Sylt has a reputation—chic, expensive, exclusive. Maybe that’s true. But between the dunes, with sand in your shoes and wind in your hair, Sylt is simply a breathtakingly beautiful island.

Map of Sylt
Thatched beach house on Sylt: A charming, thatched-roof house surrounded by colorful flowers and green shrubs, with a paved pathway.
Traditional thatched house in Sylt, surrounded by flower beds and a stone pathway. Green trees flank the entrance.
Thatched cottage on Sylt: A white thatched house with blue-framed windows, surrounded by colorful flowers and a stone path.
A traditional thatched house in Sylt with a brown brick facade, surrounded by well-kept greenery and trees.
St. Severin Church in Keitum: historic brick architecture featuring a prominent tower and surrounding greenery.
St. Severin Church in Keitum is one of the oldest buildings on Sylt. Its foundations date back to the 12th century, though the imposing brick tower was added later. During the era of whaling, sailors would pray here before setting off on dangerous voyages. The organ inside, built in 1761, is still played today.
St. Severin Church in Keitum: Interior view featuring an inviting nave, white pews, and an impressive chandelier.
St. Severin Church in Keitum: Interior view featuring pews and a bright passage leading to another room.
St. Severin Church in Keitum: Two artistic door handles shaped like whales on a transparent glass door.
Hörnum lighthouse: A red and white lighthouse next to a traditional house on a grassy hillside.
The Hörnum Lighthouse, standing tall on Sylt’s southern tip since 1907. Once home to lighthouse keepers, it now serves as a registry office for weddings with an ocean view.
Green hills with small houses surrounded by clusters of purple plants. Dark clouds in the sky create a moody atmosphere.
Thatched-roof houses in Sylt’s rolling heathlands. These classic Frisian homes, with their low-slung roofs and thick walls, have sheltered islanders from the North Sea’s storms for centuries. Today, they’re prime real estate in one of Germany’s most exclusive destinations.
Green landscape on Sylt: A traditional thatched house sits charmingly among gentle dunes with the vast sea in the background.
Coastal landscape on Sylt: View of green dunes with several thatched houses under a cloudy sky.
Kitesurfing on Sylt: Several colorful kites hover over a green dune landscape beneath a cloudy sky.
Beach on Sylt: A vast green landscape with many colorful kites in the sky and a cloudy backdrop.
Kitesurfing in Sylt: Colorful kites float above a gray sea as surfers maneuver across the water.
Kitesurfing on Sylt: A kitesurfer glides over the water while two kites hover above him in the air.
List West lighthouse: The red-and-white lighthouse stands on a green dune under a slightly cloudy sky.
The List West Lighthouse on Sylt has been guiding sailors since 1857. Standing on the dunes near the northern tip of Germany, it remains an active aid to navigation. Its red and white tower is a familiar sight in the rough North Sea winds.
A sandy path winds through green dunes towards the sea under a cloudy sky.
Beach promenade on Sylt: A wooden walkway leads over the sand, surrounded by grasses and clouds in the sky.
Beach sign on Sylt: A wooden sign with directional arrows to nearby islands, decorated with a fish drawing.
Signpost in Sylt: A wooden sign showing distances to various locations, including Malibu Beach, Flensburg, and Mauritius.
Weathered wooden sign with the text Life is better at the Beach in blue and white, partially worn and faded.
Beach on Sylt: Numerous beach chairs are arranged on light sand with the sea in the background under a cloudy sky.
Sailing boats on Sylt: Four sailboats sit on the beach, their masts reaching into the gray sky above the water.