Germany
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
96.3km²
Area
114km
Coastline
53m
Highest point
Uwe-Dün
18,118
People
18°C
Warmest sea
August
1km
To the mainland
When to go to Sylt
Best to visit from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (18 °C) and coolest in February (3 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
German island in the North Sea
Sylt is an island in Germany. It covers 96.3 km², with 114 km of coastline. Its highest point, Uwe-Dün, rises to 53 m. About 18,118 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 1 km away.
Getting there
- Westerland Sylt Airport (GWT)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at BLL airport (Billund)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesHörnum-Wittdün, Sylt - Rømø (List - Havneby), Sylt-Amrum-Helgoland
- 1 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Sylt.
- 36beachesSchutzzone 1, Nationalpark and 34 more
- 32viewpointsUwe-Düne, Aussichtsdüne, Ellenbogenberg and 29 more
- 6lighthousesQuermarkenfeuer Rotes Kliff, Leuchtturm Kampen, Leuchtturm Hörnum and 3 more
- 2ferry terminalsMS Adler Express, Syltfähre
- 5marinasSportboothafen List, SSC Munkmarsch - Marina Munkmarsch, Bootshalle NSV Rantum and 2 more
- 6named peaksUwe-Düne, Sand-Berg, Jensmetten-Berg and 3 more
- 37ruins and archaeological sitesTinnumburg, Rechteckdolmen im Rundhügel, Ganggrab bei Kampen and 34 more
- 2surf spotsSüdkap Surfing Sylt, Camp One
- 1waymarked walking routesNorth South Trail, Section Sylt - Flensburg
- 12campsitesAktion Sylt, Campingplatz Wenningstedt, Campingplatz Hörnum and 9 more
- 227hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 191restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Sylt in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Sylt, each with its own numbers.
2beaches and covesCoastya
3mountainsPeakyas
Beach with the warmest sea
18.5°C
Budersand
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 6 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 100 %0–50 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Westerland12,500 people
- Tinnum2,997 people
- List2,642 people
- Keitum1,250 people
- Morsum1,100 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 6 |
| Night low (°C) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Sea (°C) | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 6 |
| Rain (mm) | 82 | 65 | 54 | 41 | 50 | 69 | 77 | 96 | 83 | 94 | 89 | 90 |
| Wet days | 16 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Sun h/day | 0.6 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.4 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Wind (km/h) | 31 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +1.6 | +1.9 | +1.8 | +1.0 | +0.2 | +1.3 | +0.7 | +1.2 | +1.4 | +1.3 | +1.9 | +2.2 |
| 2021 | +1.1 | −0.8 | −0.2 | −0.4 | −1.1 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +1.2 | +1.6 | +0.9 | +0.3 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +2.0 | +1.8 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +0.5 | −0.2 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +1.5 | +0.1 |
| 2023 | +1.9 | +1.3 | +1.3 | +1.0 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.4 | −0.1 | +2.0 | +1.0 | +0.1 | −0.8 |
| 2024 | +0.2 | +1.9 | +2.2 | +2.2 | +3.0 | +1.2 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +1.3 | ±0.0 | +0.5 | +0.2 |
| 2025 | +0.9 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +1.8 | +1.6 | +0.8 | +1.1 | −0.3 | +0.7 | +0.1 | +0.3 | +0.4 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Denmark
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q3107) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit