Sylt: I was on the famous whiskey mile for the first time

The municipality of Kampen is inevitably part of the special charm of the North Sea island of Sylt. The tourism marketing of the region describes the place as “flirt for life”; the Swabian vacationers on the bus say: “It’s Kampen. It’s the place with all the high society!”

The journey with bus line 1 from the train station in Westerland to Kampen-Mitte takes 18 minutes. “Yes, yes, the very noble ones,” the Swabian’s companion added in the bus. And indeed, the first thing you see when you get off the bus in Kampen-Mitte is sparkles and glitter. The shop of the jeweler Wempe is well protected with security personnel in front of the doors. Everything is a bit reminiscent of Düsseldorf’s Königsallee with its boutiques and chic shops.

Shopping between thatched roofs

The only difference: on the luxury mile in Kampen, the roofs are adorned with thatch that is so typical of North Friesland. Louis Vuitton also has a shop here, as does Bottega Veneta and Burberry. The street is popularly known as the “whisky mile”. I don’t understand why exactly, the restaurants also offer many other alcoholic drinks.

If you want to spend your holiday in the middle of the “whisky mile”, you could stay in the “Haus Kampen” holiday home. Six guests could be accommodated here in three bedrooms – a week in August costs a whopping 7000 euros. That’s why you’re right in the middle.

When I was on the “whisky mile” at the end of July, everything was dead

Striking, but not surprising: the cars in Kampen are even bigger and more expensive than elsewhere on the island anyway. So it’s not surprising that a grim looking man is standing in front of the Michael Meyer designer store and is guarding the store (see photo).

However, there was no real shopping mood during my visit at the end of July 2022 and I was surprised at how empty the pedestrian zone was on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe because the weather wasn’t so good.

The “whisky mile” is not particularly long, but there are many good ones gastronomic offers close by. A good one kilometer away is the “Red Cliff”, a section of beach where the “Sturmhaube” restaurant is located.

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Beef tartare & cabbage rolls: home-style cooking in the “Gogärtchen”

And the “Gogärtchen” is also a real celebrity restaurant. The name comes from the founder of today’s restaurant: Margret Gogarten opened the restaurant in Kampen in the early 1950s, back then as a café. When I was there, the “Gogärtchen” unfortunately had a closed party.

But a look at the menu (as of May 2023) reveals what I missed: The daily menu includes, for example, tartare from grass-fed beef with pickled egg yolk, radish and root vegetables (24 euros), North Sea turbot with celery and wild mushrooms (47 euros) or clafoutis (a French Limousin sweet) with ice cream (17 euros).

If you are on Sylt, you can spend a good day in Kampen. But you have to like the almost flawless aesthetics of the “whisky mile”, the impeccable seemed to me like a Europa Park for the rich.

But even if the boutiques should slightly exceed your personal budget, the place is a good place to go Stroll, look and above all to feast. And if you still have enough energy on weekend evenings, you should visit the “Rotes Kliff” club from 10 p.m. This is where the high society meets in the evenings to dance.

You can find more tips and news from the island of Sylt here.

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