Sylt, GERMANY
Airing Date: Nov 11th, 2002
Sylt is the place to be seen, especially if you're part of Germanys jet set.
Sylt is just under 40 kilometres in length and less than a kilometre wide at its narrowest point, but this island is unquestionably big on style.
The place to be seen is the village of Kampen, but the islands prettiest village is Keitum, a nine kilometre journey to the southeast.
Taking a car onto the island is easy because it is connected to the mainland by a train line which carries passengers and cars. If you left the BMW behind, the next best way to explore Sylt is on pushbike. Bikes can be hired in the island's biggest town, Westerland.
Sylt is especially famous for beautiful beaches and hand-made beach baskets. Thousands of beach baskets still following the original Sylt design are scattered across the island, both for day use and for sale. Sylts beach baskets are exported all over the world and sell for anywhere between $2,500 and $10,000.
To pick up a cheaper local product, head to the Westerland markets. They are open every Wednesday and Saturday morning and sell everything from handicrafts to fresh fruit and vegetables.
For a boat ride around the very top of the island, head 20 minutes out of Westerland. The one hour tours on board the boat Gret Palucca depart from the village of List. The cruise is aimed to teach children about ocean life - but be warned, there is no English translation.
One of Sylts most popular eateries is The Gosch Restaurant, but for an extra special meal move on to Sansibar Restaurant near the village of Rantum, south of Westerland.
By day, Sansibar is relaxed and casual, but at night it is stylish and intimate. The menu choice is short but fabulous, featuring dishes like scampi with tomato and onion sauce. The wine cellar of 35,000 varieties from right across the globe is another indication of Sylt luxury.
Between Westerland and Kampen is Wonnemeyer. While it is a top notch restaurant, what makes it special are the public saunas out the back. After a steam up, patrons race down to the North Sea completely nude. Thats sauna German style.
The facts:
Lufthansa, in conjunction with Thai Airways, flies daily to Hamburg. Return economy airfares start at $1,835 from Sydney, $1818 from Melbourne and Brisbane, and $1751 from Perth. Includes taxes and subject to exchange rates. Conditions apply.
Lufthansa German Airlines
Tel: 1300 655 727
Rooms at the beautiful Hotel Stadt Hamburg start at $345 per double per night.
Relais and Chateaux Hotels
Tel: 02 9299 2280
World Cars can supply you with a hire car in Germany from $42 per day. Sports car rental starts at $84 a day for a BMW 318i.
World Cars
Tel: 1300 65 66 01
The passenger and vehicle train from Niebull on the German mainland across to Westerland on Sylt costs about $135 per car return (including all the passengers in the vehicle).
Meals at Sansibar Restaurant cost around $48.
German National Tourist Office
Tel: o2 8296 0488
