Sylt is becoming an island for the ultra-rich – and the island is fighting back
In spring 2024 we spent a week in Kampen, Germany’s most expensive spot. Sunny skies, empty holiday homes, half-empty shuttle trains. Back then we wondered whether Sylt was slipping out of reach for anyone but the ultra-wealthy. Two years on, the answer is clearer – and the island has started to push back.
In spring 2024 we spent a week in Kampen, the priciest patch of real estate in Germany. Blazing sunshine, empty holiday lets, shuttle trains running half-empty. Even then we asked ourselves whether Sylt was becoming a playground for only the super-rich. Two years later the question can be answered with more precision – and the island has begun to fight back.
What struck us most was the disconnect between the gleaming thatched mansions and the people who actually keep the place running. A quarter to a third of holiday flats were being used illegally as short-term rentals. Many Sylters had long since moved to the mainland and were commuting back daily on the shuttle train to work as service staff. The question of whether Sylt would soon be affordable only for the ultra-wealthy was already being asked by the Nordschleswiger at Christmas 2022. Today it is no longer a rhetorical exaggeration but official island policy.
- Kampen remains Germany’s most expensive address: from early 2026 average prices around €22,600 per square metre, with prime homes reaching €39,640.
- Since July 2024 Schleswig-Holstein’s Housing-Protection Act has been in force. Sylt is using it to halt the conversion of permanent homes into holiday lets.
- The balance is shifting: roughly 7,500 holiday units face about 11,000 permanent homes.
- The shuttle train has become cheaper, life on the island has not.
- Those who love Sylt still come for the dunes, beaches and Michelin-starred dining – not for bargains.
What Prices Are Really Doing Today
Our impression from 2024 has not only been confirmed, it has intensified. In Kampen, the average square meter price at the beginning of 2026 was around 22,600 Euro. Houses cost on average about 24,500 Euro per square meter; in prime locations with Wadden Sea or North Sea views, prices can reach up to 39,640 Euro. Even the cheapest apartments don’t start below a good 10,000 Euro per square meter. This makes Kampen by far the most expensive address in the republic, even ahead of Munich-Schwabing, which we had ranked as the second most expensive spot in our 2024 comparison.
The movement is interesting. Pure apartment prices in 2026 slightly decreased by a good one percent compared to the previous year. To speak of a trend reversal would be wrong. This is a dip at a very high level, not an entry window. If you want to buy on Sylt, you’re still playing in a league of your own.
As an owner, hardly. With square-metre prices exceeding €22,000 in Kampen, buying is practically out of reach. As a holidaymaker, it’s doable: if you travel in the off-season, stay in a guesthouse instead of a thatched villa, and take the railway’s budget shuttle fares starting at just €20, you’ll reach the island without breaking the bank.
Good to Know
▸What is Sylt doing to fight displacement?
Since July 2024, Schleswig-Holstein’s Housing-Protection Act has let municipalities draft their own misuse-of-housing ordinances. The municipality of Sylt has adopted a lodging strategy that caps new holiday flats, blocks the conversion of permanent homes into holiday lets, and keeps local housing affordable.
▸Why were so many holiday homes empty in 2024?
We visited during the late-April shoulder season. Despite brilliant sunshine, visitors stayed away; even Easter business was lacklustre. High prices, fragmented ownership, and properties bought as investments rather than homes explain the emptiness more than the weather did.
▸Is driving to Sylt still worth it?
The Sylt Shuttle is one Sylt offering that has actually become cheaper. With competition on the Niebüll-Westerland run, the flat rate for a car round trip is now about €119 instead of the previous roughly €100 per single crossing. Super-saver fares start at just under €20.
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