Bicycling the Idyllic Island of Sylt, Germany

What makes for a perfect cycling destination? For me, it starts with a venue that bike friendly, which usually means myriad bicycle trails and motorists that respect cyclists. It also means a destination that's rich in bucolic landscapes and quaint villages. I found such a place in Sylt, Germany, an island that's usually mentioned because it attracts well-to-do Germans who flock to the upscale seaside resorts and sea-lapped sands. No wonder it's given the moniker -- and there are several that all convey the same idea -- the Hamptons of Germany.

Recently, I wrote about cycling on this idyllic isle for Donna Hull at My Itchy Travel Feet. Sylt is so much more than sun and sand. Here you'll find giant dunes topped with a network of foliage, mud flats that are protected for the plankton that call them home, archeological ruins that date back millenia, and centuries-old whitewashed churches. Anyone who spends their time on Sylt simply baking on the sands has missed so much more that this island offers.