Eviano

Germany · Rail trip · 6 days

Hamburg and Sylt

Nightjet to Hamburg, two days on the Elbe and Alster, then three hours on the Marschbahn across the Hindenburgdamm to the island. Four days of wind, mudflats and beach chairs, all by bus and bike.

The route, day by day

  1. Day 1 to 2

    Hamburg: Ferry 62, Elbphilharmonie and the Fischmarkt

    The ÖBB Nightjet leaves Zurich HB and Basel SBB in the evening and arrives at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof in the morning, couchette from CHF 80 (about EUR 86) each way if booked early. Drop your luggage at the hotel in the Neustadt around the Michel, CHF 110 to 140 for a double, and you are at the harbour by midday: harbour ferry 62 from the Landungsbrücken to Finkenwerder on an ordinary HVV ticket, get off at Neumühlen and walk the Elbe beach at Övelgönne, the best harbour cruise in the city for CHF 3.50. In the evening the Speicherstadt at dusk and the Elbphilharmonie Plaza with a free time slot. Day 2: Miniatur Wunderland with an online ticket in the morning, the Rathaus and the Alster on an Alster steamer, St. Pauli in the evening, and on a Sunday the Fischmarkt at 6 am. The Deutschlandticket for around CHF 60 pays off from here, covering the HVV, the Marschbahn and the island bus. On to Sylt: Regionalexpress RE6 from Hamburg-Altona via Husum and Niebüll to Westerland, three to three and a half hours, hourly, the last eleven kilometres across the Hindenburgdamm through the mudflats with water on both sides.

    Tours at this stop: Hamburg harbour cruise and Speicherstadt ↗Miniatur Wunderland ticket ↗Elbphilharmonie guided tour ↗

    Open the Hamburg travel guide →

  2. Day 3 to 4

    Sylt: Westerland, the Rotes Kliff and the Ellenbogen

    You stay all three nights in Westerland near the station or in quieter Wenningstedt, 20 minutes by island bus, mid range CHF 180 to 220 (about EUR 193 to 235) for a double, guesthouse CHF 130, plus a visitor tax of around CHF 4 a day, which as a guest card covers beach access. The SVG island bus runs every 20 minutes from Hörnum to List, free with the Deutschlandticket, otherwise a day ticket costs CHF 10. On the first afternoon hire a bike (CHF 12 to 15 a day, weekly rates cheaper) and ride the cycle path through the dunes to Kampen and the Rotes Kliff, where half of Sylt sits on the steps at sunset, back in 30 minutes. Day 4: bus to List, then on foot across the Ellenbogen, the northernmost tip of Germany with shifting dunes, lighthouses and seals on the sandbanks, three hours without shade and without a kiosk, then a Fischbrötchen at List harbour for CHF 6 and the bus back. In the evening the Westerland promenade or fish in Wenningstedt for CHF 25 to 35. You stay in the same place for the next two days; distances on the island are short.

    Tours at this stop: Seal bank boat trip from List ↗Sylt island tour ↗

    Open the Sylt travel guide →

  3. Day 5 to 6

    Sylt: Mudflat Walk, Keitum and the Journey Home across the Causeway

    Day 5 belongs to the mudflats: a guided Wattwanderung from Keitum or Rantum with a national park guide, two hours, CHF 15 (about EUR 16), timed by the tides, barefoot or in old trainers, with lugworms, crabs and the explanation of why the North Sea disappears here twice a day. Then Keitum with its thatched roofs, Frisian houses, sea captains' graves and tea rooms, the prettiest village on the island, 30 minutes by bike along the mudflat side from Westerland. In the afternoon a beach chair in Wenningstedt or Hörnum in the south with the Odde, where the island tapers to a narrow strip. Day 6 a last walk on the beach in the morning, then the journey home: Marschbahn from Westerland to Hamburg-Altona or Hauptbahnhof in three hours, then the Nightjet to Basel and Zurich in the evening, arriving in the morning, or the S1 to the airport and an hour and a half to Zurich. Allow two hours of buffer between the Marschbahn and the night train, as the line is known for delays, and use the wait for a last Fischbrötchen at the Landungsbrücken.

    Tours at this stop: Sylt mudflat walk with a national park guide ↗

    Open the Sylt travel guide →

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What the route costs

Rough total per person for the whole route, mid-range, travelling as a pair. Flights and hotels vary by season; details are on the destination pages.

  • Getting there 235 EUR
  • Accommodation 460 EUR
  • Food 321 EUR
  • Local mobility 107 EUR
1,124 EUR
Total per person · 6 days

Money & payment: You pay in euros (EUR). Germany is fonder of cash than Switzerland: bakeries, kiosks and small restaurants often say "cash only", though cards work almost everywhere from about EUR 10. Tip 5 to 10 percent by rounding up and naming the total when you pay.

Tips for the route

Reversing the direction gains little, because Sylt is only reachable via Hamburg, but you can put the city days at the end: first straight through to the island on the Marschbahn, then Hamburg to finish and the night train in the evening. The advantage is that you start with calm and end with the city, and the Hamburg hotel sits right on the day of departure.

Booking the Nightjet: the Zurich and Basel to Hamburg service runs daily, bookable six months ahead with ÖBB or SBB, couchette in a six berth compartment from CHF 80 (about EUR 86), in a four berth from CHF 100, sleeper from CHF 150 per person each way. Friday out and Sunday back go first. If you sleep badly on trains, fly out and take the night train back, so the tiredness lands at home.

The Deutschlandticket for around CHF 60 (about EUR 64) covers the HVV in Hamburg, the Marschbahn Regionalexpress to Westerland and the Sylt island bus, but not the IC. For six days it is cheaper than single tickets; Hamburg to Westerland alone costs CHF 30 to 45. It is a monthly subscription, so cancel it in the app before the end of the month or it keeps running.

September and October are the honest Sylt months: the North Sea is still 17 degrees, the wind is fresh, the dunes glow, hotels cost CHF 50 (about EUR 54) less a night than in July, and a beach chair is available on the spot. July and August are full and expensive, with beach chairs only by advance booking. May is bright and empty but too cold for swimming. In winter many businesses close from November to March.

Luggage: on Sylt you are outdoors every day, in wind. Take a wind and waterproof jacket even in summer, sturdy shoes for the Ellenbogen and wellies or old trainers for the mudflat walk; some guides insist on bare feet. On the Nightjet a small rucksack for the compartment is handy; the big suitcases fit in the rack above the door.

Frequently asked questions about Hamburg and Sylt

How long do you need for Hamburg and Sylt?

Six days is the minimum, because the journey from Switzerland to Westerland by night train and Marschbahn takes half a day: two days Hamburg, four days Sylt. The island is 38 kilometres long, and for the Ellenbogen, Rotes Kliff, mudflat walk, Keitum and a beach day you need three full days. With a week, add a third Hamburg day.

When is the best time to go?

Mid September to the end of October: the North Sea still 16 to 17 degrees, clear air, cheaper hotels and free beach chairs. June is long and bright with rapeseed and heather, but the water is 15 degrees. July and August are the most expensive weeks in Germany on the island. Hamburg is at its best from May to September; the Hafengeburtstag in early May brings a million visitors.

Why train rather than car?

Because there is no road to Sylt: cars go on the car shuttle train from Niebüll across the Hindenburgdamm, CHF 100 to 120 (about EUR 107 to 128) return, and on the island parking at the beaches costs CHF 10 to 15 a day. The island bus runs every 20 minutes from Hörnum to List and bikes are everywhere. Driving from Zurich takes eleven hours; the night train sleeps the distance away.

What does the route cost per person?

Around CHF 1,050 (about EUR 1,124) per person for two in mid range: CHF 220 for the Nightjet there and back in a couchette, CHF 430 for two nights in Hamburg and three on Sylt, CHF 300 for food and CHF 100 for the Deutschlandticket, bikes and the mudflat walk. With a guesthouse on Sylt and Fischbrötchen instead of restaurants you get down to CHF 800; in July with a hotel in Kampen it is CHF 1,600.

Is the trip reliable by train?

The Nightjet is reliable, the Marschbahn between Hamburg and Westerland is not: the single track sections and the Hindenburgdamm regularly cause delays of 20 to 60 minutes. On the way back, allow a two hour buffer before the night train or flight, take an earlier train than necessary, and never the last one. On the island itself everything is safe and easy on foot, by bike or by bus.

Is there a shorter or longer version?

Shorter in four days: Nightjet to Hamburg, straight on with the Marschbahn, three nights Sylt, fly back from Hamburg; you see Hamburg only from the train. Longer in nine days: a third day in Hamburg with Blankenese and the Altes Land, two nights on Föhr or Amrum by ferry from Dagebüll or from Hörnum, or a day in Lübeck on the way back.

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