Since I was a child, I have associated the DB sylt shuttle with a very special feeling of longing, anticipation and heartbreak. Besides pictures of the trip over the hindenburgdamm, i will also give you useful tips and information about your journey. at the end the perfect soundtrack for your crossing is waiting for you with the sylt-fraulein-playlist.
DB sylt shuttle:
of palpitations and heartbreak
The sylt shuttle has just left the station in niebull. We drive past advertising posters, past meadows, past wide open spaces. Past cattle and sheep. Until all you can see on both sides is water. From my car i have the perfect panoramic view of the wadden sea. And then the heartbeat begins.
On the horizon I can already see the island, in good weather sometimes even the lighthouses laugh at me. the anticipation of my favorite island grows with every kilometer. And maybe that’s why sylt is so special – because the island awakens an infinitely strong longing.
On the horizon I can already guess the island, in good weather sometimes even the lighthouses laugh at me. the anticipation for my favorite island grows with every kilometer. And maybe that’s exactly why sylt is so special – because the island awakens an infinitely strong longing.
Exactly this longing I feel also in the other direction. Because when I say goodbye, the heartache sets in. I would love to pull the emergency brake on the way back to stay a little longer on sylt. Only a few more days. Enjoying the peace and breathing the air. For me, there is hardly a place where longing and farewell are as fused as on the hindenburgdamm.
By car on rails
Although I ride the red sylt shuttle over the dam every month, the crossing has not become normal for me. The feelings described at the beginning come back again and again. even if you can also get to sylt by ferry or plane, traveling by train is still the most comfortable solution for me. But the hindenburg dam, the lifeline between sylt and the mainland, has not always existed, of course. Until 1927 you could reach the island only by boat.
construction of the dam did not begin until 1923. Shortly afterwards, a heavy storm tide destroyed all the construction work that had been done so far. Up to 1.500 workers toiled tirelessly to bring the completion forward. On 1. June 1927 the time had finally come and the railroad embankment was inaugurated by the then Reich president paul von hindenburg.
How does the ride with the sylt shuttle work??
I regularly receive questions about the journey over the hindenburg dam. What has become routine for some people after years of vacationing on sylt is new and exciting for others. Therefore, I would like to summarize the most important information. in addition, i have created a small sylt shuttle 1×1 for you on instagram in my story highlights (see example photo), in which i answer frequently asked questions using videos.
the car loading is located in niebull. I need about 1.5 hours from kiel to get there. If you drive with a navi, then you should "kurt-bachmann-ring 2, 25899 niebull" enter. the journey ends in westerland at the main station. the DB sylt shuttle runs 365 days a year. That’s up to 13 annually.000 trips and up to 180 vehicles per train. For the total distance of 39.2 kilometers, the car train usually takes 35 minutes.
book your ticket easily online before you travel
when you arrive in niebull, get into one of the lanes (lane 2-8). I recommend you to book your ticket online in the webshop or in the app of DB sylt shuttle from home or on the road before your trip. It is really very easy. you pay comfortably by paypal or with a credit card.
When booking, enter your car license plate number for the convenient check-in on, you don’t need to do anything at the terminal. The license plate is automatically recognized at the ticket machine and matched with the booked data. If you agree, the barrier to the car loading will open by itself.
if you buy your ticket on the spot, this is of course no problem either. There is a passenger counter on lane 1, where you can pay in cash, with EC-card or credit card. The other 6 tracks have a payment machines, at which EC-card payment is possible. If you book the return journey directly, you will receive a chip card after the payment process, which you then only have to insert into the machine on the way back so that the barrier opens.
Good to know
Parking reservation: of course you can reserve a seat on the train before your trip. but this is only possible with the online-comfort ticket. With this you have a guarantee to take your booked connection with you and the free possibility to change your booking. in addition, you enter the terminal in a preferred lane, which is an advantage especially in the high season.
Journey times: there is a winter and summer timetable. you can find the current sailing times here. The times indicated are the loading deadlines. I recommend you always leave with a little time buffer. you never know if you will be in a traffic jam. And so you still have time to go to the toilet or get yourself a coffee.
prices: prices vary depending on the size/weight of your vehicle. You can find an overview here. No matter if you are alone or with several persons or animals in the car, it does not change the price. Even bicycles on the roof or on a luggage rack do not cost extra. With the dimido-ticket you can travel a little cheaper in the middle of the week. Since 01.10.21 is the online low price new, with which you can book a single trip over the hindenburg dam for just 19.99 euro. Here you can find an overview of all online-tickets.
Syltschutzer ticket: my heart tip for all who love sylt. if you choose this ticket, you voluntarily pay one euro more, which will be donated directly to the stiftung kustenschutz. a great thing that i can highly recommend to you.
offers: there are various offers such as the twelve-person ticket for frequent travelers, combined tickets for the sylt wave or the aquarium in westerland or a ticket with which you can visit the nolde foundation in sebull. Also interesting: the day round trip ticket for one trip with the sylt shuttle and one trip with the sylt ferry on any day.
Port sylt: there is a snack bar at the last barrier before the entrance to the train. There you can fortify yourself with drinks, coffee and snacks. in port sylt even my sylt-fraulein-products like my little travel guide or the current issue of the sylt fraulein magazine are sold. The optimal sylt reading during the crossing. &
Tip: to avoid long waits in peak season, try to go either early in the morning or a little later in the evening. The rush hours are mainly between noon and afternoon. Weekends are also busier than during the week.
My sylt miss playlist for your crossing
During the crossing I usually enjoy the view out of the window and just dream away. I like to listen to music or podcasts. I just share my personal sylt-fraulein-playlist with you. I associate the individual songs all with my heart island. You can find them on spotify. You might also like them?
Click on the button below to view the contents of open.Spotify.Com to charge.
What emotions do you associate with driving over the hindenburg dam??